November 07, 2022 03:31 PM

Porritt Primary School were the winners of the Nui Ball Shield this year as the top school from the day.

More than 50 children from four Napier primary schools took to the basketball court last Friday, as part of an ongoing initiative supported by UnisonFibre and local Police.

Held at the Maraenui Shopping Centre car park, after a two-year break due to Alert Level restrictions, the ‘Nui Ball’ event is organised by Basketball Hawke’s Bay and Sport Hawke’s Bay with support from Police and UnisonFibre, who are passionate about bringing their community together.

Now in its eighth year, teams of Year 5 and 6 students from Maraenui Bilingual, Tamatea Primary, Te Awa and Porritt Primary schools played four-on-four in boys and girls divisions for a chance to take home the esteemed Nui Ball Shield.

Police Senior Constable – Youth Aid Officer, Dwyane Davies said the event, which began as a challenge between two schools, has continued to be a great success and now involves more children in the community.

“We are stoked at how this event has evolved. It’s all about supporting the kids of Maraenui and encouraging them to get involved, so the more we can reach the better.

“Well done to all the children who took part and thanks must go to Basketball Hawke’s Bay and Sport Hawke’s Bay for all their mahi behind the scenes,” said Mr Davies.

Unison Relationship Manager, Danny Gough said Unison shared the view of the Police around the importance of strengthening community relationships.

“We look forward to this event each year, and we’re pleased to see how it has grown. It was fantastic to see it return this year to the heart of the Maraenui community.

“The kids really seize this opportunity to shine and seeing the smiles on their faces is priceless. The unique location of the event is a real bonus, enabling local schools to simply walk to the nearby shopping centre to take part. It’s all about bringing the event to the community and removing any barriers to access.

“It’s great to be part of something that has such a positive impact on the local community,” said Mr Gough.

The girls’ and boys’ divisions were taken out by Tamatea Primary School and Porritt Primary School respectively, with the Nui Ball Shield going back to defending champions Porritt as the top school from the day.

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