Kaiti School gets a new turf

In September 2023, NZCT granted Gisborne’s Kaiti School $35,000 for an all-weather turf sports surface.

Kaiti School Principal, Billie-Jean Potaka-Ayton, talks about the need for a turf:

"Having access to an all weather turf sports surface will enable our winter sports teams to continue to train and stay active during the rainy season that we all know and love in Te Tairawhiti.

Hauora is a valued outcome for our students. It’s well known that physical activity, especially outdoors, has numerous benefits leading to high engagement and attendance rates and success in other forms of learning. We feel better about ourselves and have a more positive mindset when involved in physical activity.

Sadly, however, our winter sports programme has been severely affected by recent changes in weather patterns, as well as Cyclones Gabriel and Hale. Our field was often closed restricting physical activity and training sessions for all winter sports teams. We desperately needed to reseal our multi-use court so that hockey and soccer players could still play when the fields were too wet, so the decision was made to seek funding for an all-weather turf sports surface to provide a space for year-round physical activity.

We’re a 585 EQI school and our funding has been exhausted with Tier 1 property projects, including new toilets and classroom upgrades, but now we have this generous support from NZCT, the project has been booked in for completion over the summer holidays. It will be completed and ready for student use at the beginning of the year 2024. NZCT’s grant has partly funded this project and the school board of trustees have saved for the rest."

Photo shows Kaiti Junior Hockey Stars playing at the Poverty Bay Hockey Turf. Soon they'll be able to practice on 'home turf'.