Month: March 2022

2022 Gisborne Herald Fun Run & Quarter Marathon Postponed

Posted on by Tracey Harkess

The Whiti Ora and Gisborne Herald Fun Run and Quarter Marathon for 2022 has been postponed.  

The annual event is highly anticipated each year and was due to go ahead on Sunday 3 April. Prior to the Governments most recent announcement on gathering limits in the traffic light system, Whiti Ora decided to move the event tentatively to Sunday 18 September. 

“With all the disruption affecting large scale events it was necessary to postpone. The Gisborne Herald wanted to ensure that the event was offered in 2022 and the decision to move to the spring date will allow us to offer it to the community without barriers and enjoy this fun whanau event” said Debbie Hutchings, Whiti Ora Events Advisor.  

The Fun Run and Quarter Marathon allows participants with all levels of fitness and abilities to take part. The scenic course has two options, a 5.6km fun run or a 10km quarter marathon, that run along the Taruheru river and beach front. 

A portion of the proceeds from the event go towards supporting a local charity.  

To find out more about the Fun Run and Quarter Marathon here.

Changes to the COVID-19 Protection Framework (CPF)

Posted on by Tracey Harkess

A new and highly simplified traffic light setting is now in effect.

The key changes are as follows:
Red
🔴Indoor capacity limits for gatherings and events with My Vaccine Pass will increase to 200 – this includes gyms, food and drink businesses and other indoor settings where sport and recreation takes place.
🔴There will be no limits for outdoor activities with My Vaccine Pass – such as gatherings, events, and food/drink retailers.
🔴Face masks are no longer required at outdoor settings.
🔴There is no requirement to scan in or for a business to display a QR code poster or have mandatory record keeping.

Orange
🟠There will be no capacity limits for indoor and outdoor gatherings and events, but face masks are still required in many indoor settings.
🟠There is no requirement to scan in or for a business to display a QR code poster or have mandatory record keeping.

Green
🟢There are no requirements, but good health habits should still be maintained to help look after those who are more vulnerable to COVID-19.

From 11.59pm Monday 4 April, My Vaccine Passes will no longer be required. This is due to the high vaccination rate and levels of acquired immunity.
⚫️Until 4 April, where My Vaccine Passes are not used, the current restrictions remain — but after this time, the new capacity limits will apply to everyone.
⚫️After 4 April, businesses will still be able to use the system if they would like to.

You can find Sport NZ’s updated guidelines here.

Introducing the 2022 Tairawhiti Rising Legends Squad

Posted on by Tracey Harkess

Whiti Ora are excited to announce the Tairāwhiti Rising Legends Squad for 2022. 

Tairāwhiti Rising Legends (TRL) is an initiative by Whiti Ora, aimed at recognising, acknowledging and supporting the development of talented young athletes within Te Tairāwhiti.  

In the squad for 2022 are Nathan Trowell for indoor bowls, Jack Willock for mountain biking, Seb Wilson for basketball, Angus Blair for swimming, Brothers Carlos Hihi and Puna Hihi for Rugby, Geordie Sawyer for surfing, Oska Smith for surf lifesaving, Jimmy Somerton for football, and Freya Wilson for netball. 

These aspiring athletes will receive a $1,000 scholarship. Also, throughout the year, this squad will receive exclusive mentoring and development opportunities to improve their skill set. These include workshops for nutrition, life skills, mental skills, strength and conditioning and media skills.  

“These workshops will give the Rising Legends vital skills that will not only help their physical health but also their mental health.” Said Whiti Ora Talent Lead, Carl Newman. “We have so much talent here in Tairāwhiti and this program will take them to the next step in their sporting journey.” 

The programme aims to assist talented athletes in fulfilling their potential and gaining higher honours.  

Since the inception in 2007, 103 Tairāwhiti athletes have been inducted as Rising Legends. The programme has produced 46 New Zealand champions, 6 World Champions, 2 All Blacks, and 3 Olympians.  

You can view the squad here.

Posted in TRL

Bronwyn Kay Agency Sporting Excellence Awards Video Launch

Posted on by Tracey Harkess

After nearly two years of postponements due to COVID, the Bronwyn Kay Agency Sporting Excellence Awards finally went ahead last Friday and Saturday.  

The Awards were split between two days of filming at Rangāi Studio with Whiti Ora Chief Executive Stefan Pishief as Master of Ceremony.  

“The significant disruptions caused by COVID required us to find a new way to celebrate the amazing achievements of so many of our athletes, teams, officials, and community champions, and we’re really pleased we’ve been able to do so with this online format and the support of our sponsors. It was great to see our finalists and winners finally get the recognition that they so richly deserve.” said Whiti Ora Chief Executive Stefan Pishief. 

The 2022 Tairāwhiti Rising Legends squad, award winners, sponsors and supporters were split into small groups to be part of the production and accept their awards under Red Setting guidelines. Those who could not make it to the filming were still able to be part of the awards with a pre-recorded video displayed. 

“The production of the Sports Awards has been highly anticipated.” said Whiti Ora Event Lead, Debbie Hutchings. “The new format allows us to push the reach far beyond the traditional awards. It not only gives our local sporting community the opportunity to view the awards, but it can be shared globally to friends and family to celebrate the finalists and winners’ achievements.” 

Naming Sponsor, Bronwyn Kay Agency, announced the overall 2019-2021 Sportsperson Award recipient to Tayler Reid for Triathlon. 

“We were impressed with the calibre of sportspersons and proud of their achievements,” said Bronwyn Kay. “We were also super impressed and very happy with the format of the awards. Thank you for making the event extremely comfortable.” 

Whiti Ora would once again like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support and patience to make this event happen. 

The Bronwyn Kay Agency Sporting Excellence Awards video is available to watch here and you can view the images from the night here.

Well Wāhine Week Puts Buzz Back Into Tairāwhiti

Posted on by Tracey Harkess

Tuesday marked International Womens Day and the final day of Well Wāhine Week.

Well Wāhine Week saw hundreds of women prioritising their wellness and trying new things in a time that has a lot of uncertainty. Small, safe events were able to go ahead when the community needed them most. The buzz was back in the air.

Kate Rhodes from Well Nutrition hosted a joint workshop with Amanda Roe from Functional Again. “It was great to see a good turnout of wāhine” Said Rhodes. “They were excited to celebrate their menstrual cycle and eager to build their knowledge about important women’s health conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis. You could tell wāhine left the sessions feeling empowered to protect and improve their own wellbeing.’

Over the 10 days, Whiti Ora in collaboration with over 30 providers, had close to 50 free, wāhine only events, plus a weeks’ worth of free Les Mills classes at the YMCA.

“To all the amazing wāhine in our community that took part, we hope that you took something away from Well Wāhine Week, whether it was a new friendship, activity that you’ll continue or a newfound appreciation for yourself.” Said Tracey Harkess of Whiti Ora.

Well Wāhine Week wrapped up with a closing ceremony where close to $2,000 worth of spot prizes were given away that were generously donated by local sponsors.

“We were thrilled to receive support from so many local businesses and organisations,” said Sarah Pocock, Active Communities Advisor at Whiti Ora. “The spot prizes added a real excitement to the closing ceremony. We were honoured to have support from Beaufoy, Blitz Surf Shop, Far East Coffee, Functional Again, Gisborne Boardriders Club, Kingpin, Palembang, AM Espresso, Sean & Fiona Shivnan, and the YMCA.”

While Well Wāhine Week coincides with International Womens Day, women want to connect with their wellness all year round. Whiti Ora will be keeping the momentum going all year round with events updated to their website.