The 2025 Girl’s ‘A’ Secondary Schools National Champions, and retainers of the Ngaire Lee Cup, are Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Koutu. The Rotorua school claimed the title in its first ever appearance in a Nationals Grand Final in 2024 and made it back to back championships with an 88-56 victory against Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Kura Kōkiri at Fly Palmy Arena in Palmerston North.
It was a dominant performance from Te Kura o Te Koutu (TKTK) as they led for all but the first 60 seconds of the game with Ngahirata Jennings-Haumaha, recently named to the New Zealand U17 National team, compiling a massive double-double of 32 points and 14 rebounds to go with 8 steals.
The TKTK skipper received significant support, most notably from Amaia Edwards (15 points), Marewa Waerea-Tamai (14 points) and Teia Grace (3 points and 13 rebounds) while Karly Kaio and Tia Raukura Leach scored 9 points apiece.
For Te Kura Kōkiri there were fine performances from Hineraumihi Biel (16 points and 11 rebounds), Pareawheawhe Biel (19 points and 14 rebounds), Hinetai Biel-Thorner (8 points) and Raiha Biel (6 points and 11 rebounds).
Both teams made an understandably nervous start although it was TKTK that settled the quickest forging an 8-2 lead. Te Kura Kokiri levelled at 8 points apiece before TKTK finished the first quarter with a 14-2 run to lead 22-10 at the first break – an Aliyah Stone-Taylor triple capping a fine period for the defending champions.
Four points apiece from Edwards and Jennings-Haumaha extended the lead before Biel-Thorner converted an And1 play for Te Kura Kokiri.
Jennings-Haumaha increased the TKTK lead to 20 points and late in the second spell Waerea-Tamai made the difference 30 points – TKTK 51-21 ahead at half-time.
The two opposing captains led the scoring at the break – Pareawheawhe Biel with 10 points for Te Kura Kokiri and Jennings-Haumaha with 18 points for TKTK.
Raiha Biel opened the second half scoring for Te Kura Kokiri before livewire point guard Kaio converted through traffic as the TKTK offence continued to flourish.
TKTK won the third period 17-13 and had one hand firmly on the Ngaire Lee Cup with ten minutes to play – ahead 68-34.
To their credit Te Kura Kokiri didn’t allow their collective heads to drop and marginally won the final quarter 22-20 but it was the Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Koutu players and supporters with plenty to celebrate at the finish.
Result:
Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Koutu 88 – Jennings-Haumaha (32p,14r,8st,7a), Edwards (15p), Waerea-Tamai (14p), Kaio (9p), Leach (9p)
Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Kura Kōkiri 56 –P Biel (19p/14r), H Biel (16p, 11r), H Biel-Thorner (8p)
Referees:
Arnika Williams-Riding & Amo Webster
3rd/4th Play-off
Whitby Collegiate 63 – Letoa-Tuala 30, B Coxson 15
Waimate High School 78 – B Craig 36, K Proudfoot 24, E Cooney 17
Referees:
Alex Spurr & Ben Siggs-Webster
Girls All-Star Five
Ngahirata Jennings-Haumaha – Te Kura o Te Koutu
Sienna Letoa-Tuala – Whitby Collegiate
Kayla Proudfoot – Waimate High School
Hinetai Biel-Thorner – Te Kura Kokiri
Marewa Waerea-Tamai – Te Kura o Te Koutu
Foot Locker Defensive Player of the Tournament: Karly Kaio – Te Kura o Te Koutu
Tournament MVP – Ngahirata Jennings-Haumaha – Te Kura o Te Koutu
The Ngaire Lee Cup is presented to the championship winning Single A Girl’s Secondary School National Champions.
Ngaire Lee Q.S.M is a player, administrator and referee with almost 70 years involvement in the game. She was a sports administrator and coach at Rotorua Girls High School for over 30 years and served as an administrator and coach for Rotorua Basketball Association until her retirement in 2019 aged 88.
Ngaire is a Life Member of both Rotorua Basketball Association and BBNZ and in 1991 received the Lance Cross Award for distinguished contribution to basketball. 1n1996 she was awarded a Queen’s Service Medal for services to the Community.
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The 2025 Boy’s ‘A’ Secondary Schools National Champions, and new holders of the Api Hemi Cup, are Te Aroha College after they held off the challenge of nationals debutants Elim Christian College to win 86-65. It is a second A championship for Te Aroha having also won the title in 2012.
For Te Aroha College Vince Lenden produced a fine double-double of 19 points and 16 rebounds with skipper Barak Maina also scoring 19 points. Haizley Bartlett had 13 points and Trevor Greaves 15 points and 9 rebounds.
Donovan Reckling was in sparkling form for Elim Christian College scoring a game high 27 points while Isaiah Dunn scored 18 points and Jayden Chandra put together an impressive stats line of 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 4 blocks.
The scores were tied at 16 points apiece late in the opening spell before Te Aroha closed the period with an 8-0 run to take a 24-16 lead into the quarter time break – Lenden and Greaves with 9 points apiece for Te Aroha.
A couple of scores from Elim guard Jayden Chandra kept the margin in single figures before an inside bucket from Greaves stretched the Te Aroha lead to 36-26.
Back to back scores from Maina kept Te Aroha in the ascendancy, the first half closing with Janzter Manejar and Blair Cornwell exchanging threes – Elim behind 46-33 at the interval.
Reckling, the Elim wing, led all scorers with 13 points at half-time, Greaves and Lenden with 11 points each for Te Aroha.
Reckling added to his tally early in the third before 8 points from captain Maina and a deep three from Isaiah Anderson stretched the Te Aroha lead to twenty points at three-quarter time (66-46).
The two teams traded points in the final frame and Elim, appearing at their first ever national championships, deserve great credit for making the Grand Final. However their Waikato rivals proved too good on the night as they closed out a decisive win with contributions from multiple players.
Te Aroha College 86 – Baraka Maina 19, Vince Lenden 19, Trevor Greaves 15
Elim Christian College 65 – Donovan Reckling 27, Isaiah Dunn 18, Jayden Chandra 14
Referees:
Curtis Norton & Te Wai Tupe-Crichton
3rd/4th Play-off
Opunake High School 59 – K Lark 16, A Moss 12, W Henry 12, B Rangiwananga 12
Hato Pāora College 71 – H Harding-Va’A 29, T Hakaraia-Hosking 26, N Lambert 6, T Barber 6
Referees:
Bryon Montuya & Tamelia Blackburn
Boy’s All-Star Five
Donovan Reckling – Elim Christian College
Alex Moss – Opunake High School
Baraka Maina – Te Aroha College
Vince Lenden – Te Aroha College
Te Ahitaewa Hakaraia-Hosking – Hato Pāora College
Foot Locker Defensive Player of the Tournament: Haizley Bartlett – Te Aroha College
Tournament MVP: Vince Lenden – Te Aroha College
The Api Hemi Cup is presented to the championship winning Single A Boy’s Secondary School National Champions.
Api Hemi was a stalwart of the Church College basketball programme for many years. In 1978 and 1979 he coached the A1 boys who won a silver medal and a national title before he started a highly successful coaching career with girls basketball.
In his first year Church College placed third at Secondary Schools Nationals. From then on Api, his wife and family led many successful campaigns which saw him become the all-time winningest coach in New Zealand Secondary Schools basketball history.
He coached Waikato representative teams that won national titles and carried on his coaching career as a mentor and friend to many other coaches in the Waikato and Porirua regions.
