Gary Shortland’s Year 13 PE class demonstrates learned leadership qualities whilst coaching in their local community.
Rugby League Northland has kicked off the year with a roar, coaching over 600 kids in the last couple of weeks via the Leadership through League program. Development Officers Joe Rau and Paparangi Pirini have been working with Ruawai and Kaitaia College.
In two days, in Kaitaia they have coached just over 400 students, between Pompallier Catholic and Kaitaia Primary schools. In Ruawai, the College students coached the entire Ruawai Primary School as well as running sessions for their Year 9 and 10s at lunch times.
Alex Smits, Rugby League Northland’s General Manager has been mentoring the Mid-Far North’s new Development Officer Paparangi Pirini, in delivering the programme. Alex Smits says, “Both he and Paparangi have been very impressed by the maturity and ownership of the Kaitaia College students, and further, have received extremely high praise from Brendon Morrissey, Principal of Kaitaia Primary and Katherine Carey, Principal of Pompallier Catholic School.
Using the Tuakana Teina philosophy of older students coaching younger students. The Secondary School students themselves learn leadership and role modeling and in turn, teach the fundamental skills of Rugby League to younger students in Years 1 – 8. The program has been designed to incorporate Fundamental and core League skills coaching. RLN is also piloting a Story Book Fundamental skills program called Blue and Red that sees Years 1 and 2 relating to the farm yard experiences of “Blue and Red” – working farm dogs. Blue and Red was designed in Queensland, Australia and reflects the Queensland and NSW Colours.
Not only that, in partnership with Northland DHB’s “Water is the Best Drink” health promotion, they are promoting our tamariki to drink water and not high sugar drinks as the best way to re-hydrate themselves.
Leading on from Coaching in Schools are Northland Regional Festivals. In 2014 Rugby League Northland has worked with Sport Northland to plan festivals across Northland to give every school an opportunity of giving Rugby League a go. The festivals are based around fun and participation and in most cases will be run in partnership with a local secondary school, providing Coaches (where required) and Referees, as a part of the Leadership through League Program.
The top two schools from each festival will qualify to enter an end of year Tournament in Term 4 to play for the right to be Northland Champions at Years 4-6 and 7/8.
The first festivals off the Rank are- Dargaville High School -April 10thand Kaitaia College on April 16th .
Click here for more information – Primary Schools Festivals Information
Other dates are:
| Term | Area | Date | Venue |
| One | Dargaville | April 10th – Thursday | Dargaville High |
| Kaitaia | April 16th – Wednesday | Kaitaia College | |
| Two | Okaihau – Kerikeri | June 13th – Friday | Okaihau College |
| Whangarei (WPSSA Festival) | June 24th – Tuesday | Kensington Park | |
| Bay of Islands | TBC | Bay of Islands College TBC | |
| Three | Kaikohe – Hokianga | 29th August – Friday | Lindvart Park |
| Bream Bay | 23rd September – Tuesday | Bream Bay College | |
| Four | Northland Champions Festival | 22nd October – Wednesday Years 4-6 Tournament | TBC |
| Northland Champions Festival | 29th October – Wednesday Year 7 and 8 Tournament | TBC |
