Manukura's first XV girls' team finish an afternoon training session at their Palmerston North school. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
A school girls' first XV rugby team is about to play for an unprecedented fourth national title in a row.
The team, from Manukura in Palmerston North, train every day at the college's new campus, which opened last year. The school has a focus on te ao Māori and sport.
When RNZ visited this week, former triple-international Kristina Sue was putting the Manukura girls through their paces as they prepared for Friday's national semi-final in Palmerston North, against Howick College.
One of the team's top players is 18-year-old Kingston Taiapa. She plays lock and is in her final year of school.
"We are quite excited to play Howick on Friday. We have been training every school day morning ever since the beginning of this year," she said.
Taiapa's one of 180 students at Manukura, a special-character school founded about two decades ago by Nathan Durie and Yvette McCausland-Durie, the well-known netball coach.
"I come from a rural, small town on the East Coast, Hicks Bay. There's a lot of talent down the coast, but unfortunately I had to leave my beautiful home to come here and pursue my dreams," Taiapa said.
"All I want to do is to come here and get educated in both te ao Māori and te ao Pākehā, and sports, and probably take it back to the coast for those rural kids who don't get many opportunities."
Kingston Taiapa, centre, is in her fourth year in the Manukura first XV. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
She'll combine that with finding the right place to continue her sporting career after four years at Manukura.
"We have training at 7.45am and then we have four study blocks for our academics.
"At 2pm, we have training, so it's two trainings a day. Some of girls have three trainings a day, with the [Manawatū] Cyclones after school or league training.
"It's quite good to get us young Māori kids prepared for the future, with time management and everything."
For students to get accepted at Manukura they must be prepared to trial for top sports and cultural sides.
The classroom walls are full of posters containing nutritional advice, articles about the school, and profiles of old boys and old girls who have gone on to success, such as emerging Black Ferns sevens star Maia Davis.
That's what attracted 15-year-old Rerekauia Hunia to the school.
She's from Hastings so, like Taiapa, is billeted with a staff member.
"I thought I'd maybe come to Manukura [after] inspiration from past students from Hawke's Bay. My past coaches have told me about this school.
"They just said there's a pretty cool school that has amazing opportunities through sports."
Kristina Sue leads a post-training debrief ahead of this weekend's semi final. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
This year, Hunia is starting to experience that, working her way into the girls' rugby team as a flanker and lock in her second year at Manukura.
If the team win tomorrow they can defend their title on Sunday, on the national stage.
"I just want to stay calm and collected and just get my head in the right mindset," she said.
She would try to forget about the cameras around so they didn't put her off her game.
'Like whānau'
Sue played rugby, league and touch for New Zealand.
As well as teaching, and coaching the girls' rugby team with her partner, former Sevens international and netballer Rhiarna Ferris, she's in demand as a TV commentator.
Straight after the national finals this weekend, she's off to Auckland for pundit work on the women's world cup.
Luckily, the pair have plenty of willing baby-sitters to take care of their children during training.
Kristina Sue, left, and Rhiarna Ferris with their daughter, Makereti, 4, in pink, and son, Māhaki, 6 months, in front of the national title trophy and wall of accolades. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
"We've got our two little babies running around. Four-year-old Makereti, I think she's playing touch at the moment, and our 6-month-old boy Māhaki. That's just our life. We had Koha, our dog before that.
"Manukura is whānau. That's what it's always been known as. We just have to make it work."
Sue said the concentration on sport didn't come at the expense of academic study, but included plenty of off-the-field work too, such as sessions on game IQ.
"It's a commitment. It's a different model of education that works for young Māori, particularly, and we really promote the hauora [health and wellbeing] and balanced lifestyle as well. It's not easy.
"We always say to any applicants: If you sign up to Manukura, it's a lifestyle change that you have to make."
For this weekend, Manukura has an experienced squad, including several players who have been on the team for the past three national title wins, as well as a couple of national sevens victories too.
Taiapa said she had a good feeling about it.
"I'm just thinking that I hope we go well. I believe - I'm feeling calm and confident with our girls."
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