Sisters Share Their Sporting Success at Council

Jordie-Lee is a year eleven student at Manukura School. Her past ventures in basketball took the sideline this year, as she chose to pursue netball for a change in pace. “It was a tough decision” she commented, “but I felt I could excel more in netball”.  She reflected on her many highlights of the trip, including beating the Auckland team by seven points, and making finals! She detailed this as a “historical moment” for netball in Manawatū, as it is the first time the Under 16 team qualified in ten years!  “We had plenty of supporters” she smiled, acknowledging that Auckland friends and whānau outnumbered Manawatū, but Manawatū’s energy and passion was strong!

Siena-Faye Kotuhi is a year ten student at Manukura School, who represented Manawatū District on another court – in a basketball tournament. After winning regionals in Hawkes Bay, the team travelled to Wellington to compete in nationals. “It was hard competing against big teams, some girls were really tall” she laughed, commenting the tournament was a challenging experience. She was feeling under the weather, but she remained resilient and powered through – an example of determination at its finest! Her team gave it their best shot, as she reflected on the opportunity to represent the community with “pride and mana”. “I feel so free on the court”, she smiled.

Council was impressed by the sister’s positive attitudes, Mayor Helen Worboys calling their efforts “inspiring”. MDC is proud to have supported Jordie-Lee and Siena-Faye through the Representative Fund, a sentiment reiterated by the sisters as they shared their gratitude for Council, their whānau and their school’s support.