Basketball Tournament Connects Police and Unison with Flaxmere Students

Friday, 5 May 2017 – 0ver 100 children from six Flaxmere schools enjoyed a morning of friendly basketball with local police, Bay Hawks players and Unison staff on Friday.

The inaugural ‘FlaxBall’ competition, which tipped off just after 9am, was organised by the Flaxmere Neighbourhood Policing Team with support from Unison as part of ongoing efforts to create positive relationships with the community. 

Constable Damion Davies, a former Bay Hawks player, said, “The tournament is about trying to break down barriers between the police and local families and develop positive relationships. It also enables the children to channel their physical talents into a rewarding sport from which they can make friends in their wider community.

“It is terrific to see the students taking such pride in representing their schools. When you see them at events like this, you can see the positive energy that exists amongst the youth of Flaxmere.

“Police are very grateful for the ongoing support of the schools and sponsors, Unison that have generously assisted in making the event a success. The best part of the day is just seeing the smiles on everyone's faces.”

The tournament was held at the Flaxmere Community Netball Courts and involved 10 rounds of friendly '4-on-4' games between the competing schools before the semi-finals and then the grand final just after midday.

At the end of the rounds, the young players refuelled with a sausage sizzle.     

Chief Executive Officer of Unison Contracting, Charlie Kaka said, “Our people are part of the communities in which we operate and really care about these communities. It’s been great for our staff to be involved and a fantastic way for us support the local police as well as connect with the Flaxmere community.”

A trophy was awarded to each winning team, individual medals to the players on those teams, and spot prices were given to a ‘Most Valuable Player’ from every team, which were donated by Unison. Basketball Hawke’s Bay donated the hoops.

Teams from the following schools participated in the FlaxBall tournament:

• Peterhead School
• Bridge Pa School
• Irongate School
• Flaxmere Primary School
• Kimi Ora Community School
• Te Kura Kaupapa

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