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More Than a Game: Sports, Culture, Adventure, and Growth in New Zealand

1 May 2025

More Than a Game: Sports, Culture, Adventure, and Growth in New Zealand

By Brendan Wendt

Assistant to the Principal, Organisation and Community (Years 7-12)

Ryan Catholic College

Ryan Catholic College has successfully embarked on its most ambitious and largest international sports tour to date, with 70 students and 14 staff recently travelling to New Zealand’s North Island for 11 unforgettable days of sport, culture, and adventure that provided our students a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to test themselves on the international sporting stage.

On the tour our seven teams across four different sports (rugby league, netball, touch football and basketball) played fixtures against New Zealand schools, while immersing themselves in the local culture, visiting many of its famous landmarks, and participating in a range of experiences that the majority of staff and students have never experienced before.

Despite starting the tour with rain and strong wind, which resulted in one of our opening fixtures being called off, the remaining sporting fixtures played on the tour were a resounding success, with our teams winning 20 of the 27 sporting fixtures played on tour.

More important than the results however, was the unforgettable journey of growth and discovery experienced on the tour by our students that connected them with students from another country and enabled them to witness first-hand the tapestry of different cultures at work in the real world in a way that textbooks never could.

This was particularly evident on our visit to Tokoroa High School, where we had the privilege to be formally welcomed into the school with a Powhiri (Maori formal welcome, that includes calls, haka, speeches and singing). As part of the welcome the students also had an opportunity to reciprocate the formal welcome that was delivered in song by singing our College song 'Stay With Us Lord'. For the group, it will be a cultural experience they will never forget.

Other points of interest on the tour included attending an A League Football match between Auckland FC and Western Sydney; learning about local Maori history at the Waitomo Glowworm Caves; climbing Mount Eden, the highest volcano in Auckland, and from the summit enjoying spectacular views of the city and its harbours; seeing the impressive Auckland War Memorial Museum building; and visiting the Sky Tower to get panoramic views over Auckland.

The group also had a lot of fun on the days off from fixtures, especially when based in Rotorua, the adventure capital of the North Island.

Due to the multi-faceted nature of the tour, in addition to their sporting, cultural, sightseeing, and thrill seeking adventures, the students learnt important life skills, such as responsibility, independence, resilience, and social awareness, as well as an appreciation of the world and different cultures. They also learnt important time management, organisational, financial, and social skills, and came away from the tour better equipped with the skills, knowledge, and understanding that will enable them to operate effectively in the future as active and informed local and global citizens.

The tour was not possible without the unwavering support of our parents; the dedication, time and efforts of our staff; and our brilliant students on tour, who were fantastic ambassadors for our College through their demonstration of sportsmanship, spirit, and respect, to not only their opposition during the sporting fixtures, but also to the range of cultural ceremonies they participated in was fantastic to see.

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