Good sports benefit Porirua community
More than $300,000 has been channelled into Porirua community groups, schools and sporting organisations through KiwiSport, during the past three years.
The grants provided via KiwiSport have enabled more than 18,000 schoolchildren from 27 primary and six secondary schools in the area the opportunity to participate in sporting activities and skills, said Sport Wellington chief executive Phil Gibbons when he released the tri-annual KiwiSport report recently.
‘‘KiwiSport has been a resounding success in the Wellington region but more so in Porirua with 99 per cent of the schools receiving KiwiSport funded programmes or projects,’’ he said.
‘‘We look forward to the next three years where we can consolidate these opportunities at the grassroots and developmental levels. Playing regular sport gives children a wide range of benefits which indirectly impact the community as a whole.’’
KiwiSport’s largest investment in the area has been to Porirua City Council for delivery of the Student Sport Transition Project. The project aims to provide information, training, support and facilitate connections to develop a seamless transition (and participation) in sport through and beyond school, in the hope of reducing the drop off in sports by students in their later years of school.
Another KiwiSport programme con- centrating on ocean water sports enabled senior pupils from Russell School spend a morning keelboat sailing on Wellington Harbour in December, as part of a ‘‘final push’’ before leaving primary school for intermediate.
Russell School principal Sose Annandale said the programme was of immense benefit for the children.
‘‘The challenge of such sports for the children is when they are out of their comfort zone it gives them a huge sense of conquering their inner fear and in turn enables the thought, trigger or message that they can do anything.’’
Sport Wellington’s KiwiSport manager Peter Woodman-Aldridge said community consultation last year to assess the validity of the project concluded the programmes were having a significant impact on the region and the number of school-aged children participating in sport.
‘‘ More school- age kids are being involved in sports. More teachers and parents are trained as coaches and more community and sporting organisations are partnering with schools to provide sporting opportunities and activities. This has been fantastic for the children involved and the community as a whole,’’ he said.
Applications for round 10 of KiwiSport funding in the Wellington Region closes on March 18. Potential applicants should see www. sport wellington.org.nz/kiwisport.