Latest news with #NINATAPU
Otago Daily Times
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Polyfest returns
REPORT & PHOTO: NINA TAPU The best of Māori and Pasifika culture was brought to the ILT Stadium Southland stage for the first day of the Murihiku Polyfest yesterday. More than 8000 performers — including pupils from Te Kura O Rimu School (pictured) — will perform over the week to bring the sights and sounds of Polynesia to Southland. Over 1000 spectators, including whānau and friends, filled the auditorium armed with cameras and video recorders, cheering on their tamariki. More than 120 schools from across the region will be taking part in the annual festival, now in its 16th year.
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Commitment to the cause
Menzies College deputy principal and Phoenix Orange Hockey player Dean Ritani gives back to his sport coaching hockey. PHOTO: NINA TAPU Giving back to the sport he loves is keeping a Southland educator on the hockey field. When Menzies College deputy principal Dean Ritani is not playing hockey for his beloved Phoenix Orange Hockey Club, he coaches children to play the sport, which he says has brought him a lifetime of joy. Passing on his hockey playing knowledge to Southland students is his way of returning the fulfillment hockey has given him for over 20 years. Mr Ritani said teaching linked in nicely with coaching, because he was able to upskill people and got enjoyment out of seeing students improve. "There were a lot of crossovers here; you needed dedication and commitment for both," he said. "I wanted to pass on my knowledge . . .and thought that if I could give back a little bit . . . then I would." This year he has marked two decades that the 44-year-old has played for the Phoenix Orange hockey team. He said it was his passion and enjoyment of the game that had kept him involved in the sport for so long. "If you're passionate about something, you enjoy it, you're going to give your time and energy to it, and that is what I had found with hockey," he said. The hockey stalwart had lost count of the hundreds of games he had played in Southland since moving from Christchurch to Invercargill in 2005. A teaching job at Aurora College gave him the chance to keep playing his favourite sport around his teaching work, while coaching school teams on the side. He caught the bug for the game as a 12-year-old in Christchurch. A stint in the under-21 New Zealand hockey team as an 18-yearold took him to a World Cup tournament in Australia in 2001. If his "old sore legs" had not have given him trouble in 2017, he said he would still be doing the nationals circuit. In his younger years he had played in the midfield. He now plays in the back, letting his voice "move the young fellas around the field". Despite having to keep up with playing against opponents half his age, his passion for the game had not waned. He was motivated to see the next generation get the same satisfaction from the sport that he had gained. Coaching his daughter's under-15 squad this year and supporting his son play hockey has spurred him to keep giving his time to the sport. He hoped playing in the premier team final this week would give his side a chance at winning the title five years in a row.
Otago Daily Times
13-07-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Tamaki heads south to hunt
Brian Tamaki. PHOTO: NINA TAPU Hunting wild game to feed the hungry lures Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki to the Deep South once a year. Mr Tamaki visited Invercargill at the weekend, where he gave a sermon, before travelling to Te Anau to hunt wild deer and boars to help feed some impoverished Aucklanders. Mr Tamaki said he had hunted for game in Te Anau with his family for the past 15 years. He had developed good relationships with Southland farmers and hunters over the years which meant he could do the hunting, get the meat packed and transported to Auckland "at no cost", he said. An Auckland manufacturer then distributed the venison meat packs to local churches and charity groups. "I have made good friends with the people that I go out hunting with in Te Anau and, every year, they come out and help," he said. He said he looked forward to his annual jaunt and expected he and his group would get plenty of game.
Otago Daily Times
26-06-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
ILT swap suits for sleep wear in support
PHOTO: NINA TAPU Invercargill Licensing Trust chief executive Chris Ramsay (back row, far left) and his staff swapped their suits for pyjamas and slippers to support Ronald McDonald House Charities New Zealand's Pyjama Day. In the annual fundraiser, thousands of New Zealanders at schools, businesses and community groups don pyjamas to raise funds and awareness for Ronald McDonald House. Mr Ramsay said the trust valued its community partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities. "We recognise the important role RMHC plays in providing families with a place to stay together during difficult times," he said. "As an active funder, we always look to walk the talk and this is a fun way for us to get involved and help drive fundraising efforts, beyond our traditional funding role. All ILT venues took part in the pyjama day.
Otago Daily Times
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Laser tag hits sporting target for participants
Marty Drummond is laser ready for the Laser Tag New Zealand Invitationals 2025 tournament at Megazone Invercargill this week. PHOTO: NINA TAPU Not all sports are created equal. Running around a dark indoor maze, shooting laser beams from a plastic gun may not be everybody's game but a Southland laser tag player hopes people will change their minds towards the sport. But, indeed, is it even a sport? That is all in the eye of the beholder perhaps, but for Invercargill man Marty Drummond laser tag has all the hallmarks of a sport. Mr Drummond is competing in the Laser Tag New Zealand Invitationals held at Megazone Invercargill. The event starts today and and finishes on Saturday. He said there was more to the game than just running around with plastic guns shooting lasers at each other. "There's definitely a lot more to [it] than what you might think, It's a 100% physical sport. You've got bases to defend, bases to attack. "Good communication and being able to work well in a team are important skills that you need." The game consists of teams running around a dark indoor maze, shooting lasers at illuminated packs and guns other players are holding. Laser Sports New Zealand Incorporated is hosting the event, which is in its ninth year. The tournament has attracted 13 teams and 24 players from across the country. Committee member and Explorer team player Rachel Scott said laser tag had all the same elements as other sports. "It requires . . . teamwork [and] you have to work on specific skills, like shooting." Ms Scott said. "You've got your different strategies, which other games have as well." Participants in the invitational tournament have the chance to represent New Zealand at next year's Australasian and world laser tag tournaments.
