East Auckland-based junior team Pakuranga United Rugby Club beat out nine of its peers to claim the top spot of the nib Little Legends $10k Relay.
The relay race was hosted by nib New Zealand in partnership with Auckland rugby union team The Blues, and it took place during half-time at the Blues vs Chiefs match on May 01.
Around 100 children aged 12 to 13 participated in the event, working together with their teammates to secure the $10,000 grand prize, which will support the health and wellbeing of their junior club rugby players and community.
According to nib New Zealand CEO Rob Hennin, community sports play a critical role in encouraging an active and healthy lifestyle, which made it a “natural fit” for the health insurer to support up and coming Kiwi rugby players.
“Many local and major sporting activities were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, so we wanted to do something special to support the health and wellbeing of our junior rugby players,” Hennin said. “Congratulations to Pakuranga United Rugby Club and to all the teams who ran a great race! We look forward to seeing how the funding is put to good use in our local sporting community.”
Meanwhile, Pakuranga United’s operations manager Amanda Dyason said the relay race helped encourage teamwork and healthy competition among the junior athletes and the community.
“The team had an amazing night, and it was a real honour to take home the generous prize of $10,000,” she said. “Our club has grown organically around a male-dominated environment, but we’re committed to offering a more inclusive rugby programme to our community. This funding is going to enable us to upgrade our facilities from male only to multi-gender, so we’re very grateful for that.”
