The whole community will turn out from our Koeke down to all our Mokopuna.
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See below for English translation
Whatungarongaro te tangata, toitu tonu a Waikite
He timotimo kai anake te kēmu whutupōro ā motu nei, taihoa ake te rātapu e hākari nui ai i te tukinga o Waikite me Rangataua mō te Whakataetae whutupōro nui o Te Waiariki ka tū i Te Poho o Te Koutu.
Ko te whakataetae whakamutunga o Toi Ohomai ka tū i te karapu o Waikite te whakaeminga o tētehi whakataetae e iwa tīma whakataetae te kaha, e waru hoki ngā kēmu tākaro me te mutunga iho ko tētehi whiringa whāiti tūmatawehiwehi. Ki a Waikite te hōnore nui ki te whakatau i tō rātou hoa whakataetae nō Tauranga.
Kua whakapau kaha a Waikite, he whakapakari kau i a rātou mai i te marama o Pepuere moroki noa nei. E ai ki tō rātou pou-ako ki a Richie Francis ko te whāinga nui ki a wikitoria ai rātou. Ki a rātou ngā wikitoriatanga o mua nō te tau e rua mano, kotahi tekau mā toru, me te tau e rua mano kotahi tekau mā rima, whaihoki te tau e rua mano, kotahi tekau mā whitu. I tuarua rātou i te tau e rua mano, kotahi tekau mā whā, me te kotahi tekau mā ono.
I tīmatangia ai tēnei whakataetae i te tau kotahi mano, e iwa rau, e iwa tekau mā tahi. Ko te aronga mātua ki a pakari rawa te taha ki ngā wāhine pūrei whutupōro i te Waiariki nei, e mana anō ai te hunga wāhine pūrei whutupōro.
Hai tā Richie, ' Ka nui te whakaiti kua riro i a tātou tēnei mana nui ki te manaakingia ngā tini manuwhiri ki te Poho o Te Koutu ā te mutunga wiki nei, ko te whakataetae whakamutunga whakaharahara te take'. '
Ka puta katoa mai te hāpori, koeke mai, mokopuna mai, kātahi te rā whakahirahira kai te haere ake'. He whakataetae ā rohe tēnei nā reira ka ū hoki mai a Poroporo me Opotiki, ko Te Waimana hoki, ko mātou ko Waikite, ko Tongariro, ko Maunganui, me ngā uri o Tia, ara, ko Rangiuru me Rangataua.
Ki ngā tīma e rua te hōnore ki te whakamanuwhiri i ngā kēmu noho kāinga me ngā kēmu noho atu i tēnei wāhanga o te whakataetae. Me whai whakaaro ai tātou ki te hāpai ō ki muri me i kore rātou kua koretake noa tātou. Ko ngā rangatira, ko ngā pou ako, whaihoki ko ngā pou tukituki, ko ngā pou tākaro, anei te hua o te whakapau kaha e hika mā. Nō reira tēnā kotou katoa'.
Nā Noel Horlock me Lance Ratema ngā pouako tuatahi rawa, nānā te tima tuatahi o Te Waiariki i arahi i te tau kotahi mano, e iwa rau, e iwa tekau mā rua.
Nō te tau kotahi mano e iwa rau, e iwa tekau mā toru, ka uru atu a Tina Stephens ki te tīma o Te Waiariki ko Tina tētehi o ngā pou whakahaere ināianei, ā, nō te tau kotahi mano, e iwa rau, e iwa tekau mā wha, ka uru hoki ai tana taina a Eliza Stephens ki taua tīma whakahirahira. Nō te tau e rua mano, e rua tekau, ka whakanuia rāua e te karapū o Waikite. Ka whakawhiwhia rāua ki tētehi koti mana whanairahira.
Kātahi ka whitawhita te ahi o Waikite tākaro whutupōro, he ahakoa kua rua tau rātou e ngaro ana i te whakataetae nei. Ko Waikite anake te tīma o ngā tīma katoa o Te Waiariki e whakataetae-ā-kanohi nei.
The 2022 Waikite Premier Women's team.
Nā tō rātou māia e pūare ana ngā huarahi huhua ki ngā pou tākaro kōtiro hou. ' Hai tā Eliza, tētehi o ngā pou whakahaere, ' Ko te taitara ā karapū tō mātou whāinga mō tetehi o ngā karapu wāhine rangatira katoa mō ngā tau kotahi tekau o ngā tau kua pahemo'. Ko Waikite tētehi o ngā kōhanga tiaki i te hunga pūrei whutupōro, ko te nuinga o rātou ka tae mai i Rautawhiri, ara, ko te kura o ngā tamāhine o Rotorua, ko wētehi tae ai i te kura o Rotohokahoka me te kura o Hoani Pāora. He ātea e taea ai e ngā kōtiro te tuku i ō rātou pūkenga kia ihirangaranga ai, kātahi nā rātou ka piki ake ki tētehi taumata pakeke pēnei me te whakataetae nui e ora nei.
O ngā mema o te tīma whutupōro Mamaku kātahi nei ka karangangia ai e te poutohu ko Wayne Smith ko ētehi o ngā mema ka whai pānga mai ki Te Waiariki.
Ko Luka Connor te poutīkape tētehi, ko Natalie Delamere te pouwaho hoki tētehi, ko Angela Mulu he pou waho hoki ia ka oti ana ko Kendra Reynolds tetehi o ngā pou tukituki. I rangatira ai a Natalie Delamere i te whakataetae Farah Palmer Cup nōna e kura tonu ana i te kura o ngā tamāhine i te tau e rua mano kotahi tekau mā wha te tau. He whakamihi hoki nā te pae whakahaere ki a Autumn-Rain Stephens Daly te pou tahitahi mā te Kiwi Ferns.
Ko Waikite hoki tana kōhanga oroko. I puta mai ia ki te hāpai i te tīma I te wiki kua pahemo, ā, ka hoki mai ia ā te mutunga wiki, kātahi ka hoki atu ia ki Ahitereiria ki tana kapa ki a Newcastle Knights. He aha kai tua o te pūehuehu, e ai ki ngā mema whakahaere kai te pepehā kē te whakautu,
'Whatungarongaro te tangata, toitu tonu a Waikite'.
International rugby on the weekend is just a taster.
The real feast happens on Sunday when Waikite and Rangataua face off in the Bay of Plenty women's rugby grand final at Te Poho o Te Koutu. The Toi Ohomai final at the Waikite club in Bellevue Rd is the culmination of a nine-team competition, eight round-robin games and a knockout semifinal.
As highest qualifiers, Waikite get to host the Tauranga team. Waikite have been training since February to get to this point.
Coach Richie Francis said ultimately, the goal is to win the championship for 2022, having won it in 2013, 2015 and 2017.
Waikite were runners-up in 2014 and 2016.
The competition was started in 1991 to foster and grow the women's game within the Bay of Plenty and to instil pride back into our club rugby for women.
"It is an honour and a privilege for our humble club and community to have the grand final at our Waikite club in Te Poho o Te Koutu Bellvue Rd, Koutu," said Richie.
"The whole community will turn out from our koeke down to all our mokopuna, it is going to be a great day for both Maori clubs involved." This is a Bay of Plenty-wide competition with Poroporo, Opotiki and Waimana (Eastern Bay) Waikite and Tongariro (Central Bay) and Mount Maunganui, Rangiuru, Rangataua (Western Bay) taking part.
"Both clubs have hosted home and away games throughout the season, we would like to acknowledge those people behind the scenes that make this all possible, also to all the coaches and management involved for all clubs, and lastly to the players who have played week in and week out to get to this point, congratulations."
The first Bay of Plenty representative women's team started in 1992 and was coached by Noel Horlock and Lance Ratema.
The 2022 Waikite Premier Women's team.
In 1993, Tina Stephens, current manager of the Waikite side, made the Bay of Plenty team and in 1994, her sister and current first five-eight for Waikite, Eliza Stephens, made the squad.
Both sisters were recognised for their commitment to the game and Waikite club when they were presented with their blazers in 2020. This was the start of Waikite re-engaging in the competition after being absent for two years.
Waikite, who are proud to be sponsored by VR Group, are now the only Rotorua club in the competition and are providing a pathway and development for younger girls. "We are playing for another club title for the most dominant club in women's rugby in the BOP last 10 years," said Eliza.
Waikite provides a club for young players coming from the Rautawhiri/Rotorua Girls High School academy as well as from Western Heights High School and John Paul College.
The academy has given players a chance to showcase their skills and talent at grassroots rugby level and it's a testament to them that they now find themselves playing for the prestigious BOP women's rugby grand finals.
Among the Black Ferns announced by director of rugby Wayne Smith are players with Bay of Plenty connections. They include hookers Luka Connor, who had a few seasons with Waikite early on in her career, new cap Natalie Delamere; prop Angel Mulu (new cap); and loose forward Kendra Reynolds.
The management team also makes mention of Kiwi Fern fullback Autumn-Rain Stephens Daly, who started her rugby career with Waikite Women's.
She supported the team during their semifinal match last week and will be there with them again this week for the finals before she heads back to Australia to continue with the Newcastle Knights.
On where to now for Waikite, the management team had this to say:
