The Te Hiku Sports Hub in Kaitaia has a new addition making a splash in the indoor pool – an inflatable obstacle course which is already proving a hit with local students.
Since the indoor pool opened in 2024, the Sports Hub has welcomed thousands of people through their doors, including groups of school students from all over Te Taitokerau.
Haidee Switzer, manager of the Sports Hub, noticed that many of the rangatahi in the 14 to 18 age group were not using the pool space as hoped, preferring to do ‘bombs’ or play games rather than swim laps. Together with Sport Northland, the Sports Hub created a Water Safety pilot programme, directed at this age group, combining fun activities with water safety elements.
Ange Wakarua from Sport Northland said, “We’ve focused on building confidence and skills so that they’re more confident in the water out in the community. Water safety is important, and the obstacle course adds an element of fun into it that encourages them to get involved”. The programme includes the inflatable obstacle course, along with volleyball nets, basketball hoops and inflatable paddle boards. Students from Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Pukemiro were at the opening and were the first to try out the course, with great enthusiasm.
Purchasing the obstacle course was helped by funding from Tū Manawa from Sport NZ, along with funding from the Far North Fund, the Brent Eastwood Sports Fund, the Learn2Swim Fund, and the Northland Sports Fund. The funds are managed by Northland Community Foundation, a charitable Trust which manages 35 funds for causes across Northland. The Far North Fund began in 2015 with a generous donation from the Archibald family. The donation was invested through the Foundation and was able to give out a grant from the interest generated by the investment.
The Foundation was there on the day to celebrate the launch of the course, along with members of the Te Hiku Sports Hub board, and Rosemary Archibald, founder of the Far North Fund. “We are proud to have donated and helped make this happen. It's great to see kids off their phones, and having a great time”.
The course will be open to the public on Saturdays, as well as school groups through prior booking. If you’re interested in giving back to your local area to support other initiatives like this, visit www.northlandcommunityfoundation.org.nz/donate-now
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