Most athletes were crossing roads to get to the 2024 Zespri AIMS Games, but the team from Te Kura o Te Moutere o Matakana was crossing the Tauranga harbour.

Waking up early every day last week, the school’s only Year 7 boys made their way from Matakana Island to the Tauranga mainland by boat.

And with just 28 children on the school roll, this little school has proved size doesn’t matter. 

This was their first-ever AIMS Games, and they had students taking part in pūkura (badminton) and poitūkohu (3x3 basketball).

Team manager Emoana Consedine said it was “extra special” for rangatahi from such a small school to be represented in a tournament as big as AIMS.

The Zespri AIMS Games is an annual week-long sports tournament for intermediate-aged students from around the country and overseas.

More than 390 schools entered across the 27 sporting codes this year, stretching from Northland to Southland, as well as international schools from the Cook Islands and Fiji.

It has been 20 years since the first ever AIMS Games and this year there are nearly 13,000 athletes competing – more than the Paris 2024 Olympics.

“They get to be immersed in a big event and be included despite living on a separate island. It is such a rich experience for them,” Consedine said.

“I have not yet met a school smaller than ours. But size means nothing.”

Athletes from Te Kura o Te Moutere o Matakana competed in badminton and 3x3 basketball. Photo: Dave Lintott.

Consedine said the team had been waking up at 6am to catch “the school boat” Miss Ida from Matakana Island to Tauranga by 7.30am just to compete in the tournament.

“It’s almost 12 hours until they get home at the end of the day … So there’s extra mahi for the kids.”

Consedine said they hadn’t been able to get enough players to make a team before now. 

“We’ve brought our only four seniors this year. This opens the doors to bring five or six next year. Now, it seems possible.”

After every game, the boys were shaking hands with their opposition and referee. 

“It’s the little things like that that are big. They are embodying the way they’ve been raised.”

It was obvious it meant a lot to the Matakana students to have the opportunity to represent their school and their moutere (island). 

They were making the most of the games, cheering each other on from the sidelines.

Now, they can feel proud knowing they represented their moutere at the biggest ever AIMS Games with a goal of returning with a bigger team next year.

Story: Zoe Hunter