Monthly Archives: June 2017

Pohutukawa Newsletter – Term 2 Week 8

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Kia Ora Whānau

Hub Opening
We had a high level of excitement around our new hub opening yesterday. Here are some of the comments from our students:

James - "I've never seen anything as awesome as this before!"
Brayden - "The inside was amazing!"
Winni - "There were lots of good cubby holes to hide in and it was good because there was a place where you could be noisy and places to be quiet."
Hayley - "You could have fun there and there were heaps of places where we could do work and it was soundproof. I'm really excited about going there."
Nina - "I liked the heated floors."
Angus - "I liked the big stage with the steps where we could sit on. I like the bathrooms. They were so clean! I'm ready to get into it."
Grace - "The kitchen is nice and big and we can cook and bake there easily."

Team celebration day 

We are planning an end of term celebration afternoon on Wed 5th July. Children are invited to bring board games, card games, devices, toys or crafts. These will be locked away in the staff office for safety until our celebration starts.  If they would like to wear a onesie, they can bring it along to get into after lunch.

Lost Property 

We have had a number of school polar fleeces go missing in the last couple of weeks. Can you please help your child check their name tags and ensure all items are labeled. We check our lost property boxes and and return named items daily so items may have been returned to the Beckenham site lost property box outside the office.

Writing

We have been writing collaboratively, motivated by hybrid animals. Part of our writing process was to choose a hybrid and a text type. Here are some examples of our animal hybrid writing:

The EliFly

I can’t help but stare at the deep, bold, teal greeny and golden colours of its elephant ear shaped wings.. flapping like a flightless bird. It puts its long snake like snout into the water for a drink. Splash! The water gets sucked up from the ground like getting taken from a UFO! Slurp!
He must have heard me!

At this moment as his eyes connect with mine and blind me, as bright blue and red rays burst from them, shining directly towards me."'Ahh” I scream. The creature races away from me in fright and as it turns I can see its shimmering golden tail swinging from side to side catching and reflecting the sun's rays. It starts running faster as I chase it deeper into the South Korean jungle. We end up running into a cave.

Just then I see flashes of eyes in the pitch black cave. It’s the elephants pack! I dash off like Usain Bolt, never coming back again.

By Joel and Connor

Kowhai Team Update Week 8

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Hi everyone,
It is hard to believe we are in the final weeks of the term! This week has been particularly exciting with the first of our team having the opportunity to be working in our new learning spaces and the exciting cross country event yesterday.

New Learning Spaces
Our whole team visiting the new building.
Hub 5/6 moved over to the new building on Thursday and will be based here until the end of the term. As a team, we are really excited to be able to work in this space. So, over the next two weeks, everyone will have time to work in this space to give our tamariki a 'taste' of what will will be like next term when we move into our new building.
As part of our circle time discussions across the team, we have been talking about the concept of change in preparation for the move. We have discussed our thoughts and feelings when we experience change and how many things continue to remain the same. With that in mind, although the space will be different, all our routines will continue as they currently are. These circle time sessions will continue to provide the children with the opportunity to ask any questions they have about our new learning spaces. As a teaching team, we are really excited about the opportunities that working together will provide and having a team of teachers supporting and caring for each of our students is really exciting!

Learner Agency
Sewing spare bags for the library.
As a school, we believe that the most powerful learning occurs when it is driven by students. This is often referred to as self -directed learning or student agency. Student Agency is about the student being the "agent" (or "person with an active role" in learning) rather than the teacher. When students connect to their passions and interests, they have a greater stake in what they are doing as they are creating, doing, sharing, collaborating, and publishing their learning in ways that are meaningful to them.
We promote agency in many different ways across our team and this, like our learners, can look different as we all have differing learning styles, skills and knowledge. At the Year 3-4 level, our role is to discuss learning steps related to our observations and assessments and encourage our students to make choices about how they can work on new learning goals.
Here are some children demonstrating agency by completing a variety of learning tasks:
Working independently
Working collaboratively in a group.
Creating our own art that communicates a school value.

Agency in Literacy - In Hub 5/6, four reading groups have been trialing a 'Literacy' time. In this learning block the children have been reading articles related to our inquiry around the environment and how environmental change occurs. The groups have then been encouraged to produce writing based on their reading. The children are being encouraged to decide what type or genre of writing they want to produce and then given scaffolding and support to create their work.




Agency in Maths - Having agency in maths is about children taking charge of their learning and having a growth mindset. This means that they have the skills to persevere with new learning and are able to ask questions and try different ways to solve a problem. We never say, "We can't do do that." Instead we say, "We can't do that yet!"
We encourage each other to be successful in maths by talking through different strategies to solve problems and choosing the ones that work best for us.



Inquiry Update
In Inquiry, we have been learning about the plants and animals in our environment and about how plants and animals adapt to their changing environment. We have also been thinking about how our environment helps to shape our identity. The children have been coming up with deeper questions that they want to research related to this topic. They are currently preparing to answer these questions and any more that may arise. Their next step is to think about how they want to make a difference with their newfound knowledge. This will be up to the children as to what they want to do. It gives the children the perfect opportunity to take their Inquiry in their own direction and have a richer and more meaningful learning experience.





Agency in MAD Time

MAD time (Make A Difference time) has been a great success! The children have selected an area they are passionate about for the term and wow, they have been doing a lot of learning around their projects.  Woodwork,  Passion Projects, Sketching,  Italian, Korean Dance and Visiting Thorrington Resthome residents have all allowed the children to take ownership of their learning and have a great time seeing how they can make a difference to others and work through their own challenges. Check out our awesome photos of our K Pop dances we have perfected. The children have had a blast learning about Korean culture and dance.

S.P.C.A Donations Urgently Needed
A group of MAD Time students are currently needing donations of blankets and cat/kitten food for the SPCA. If you have any items that you are able to donate, these girls and the SPCA would be most grateful! Donations can be made by either dropping food into the school office or to the girls who are collecting items each morning BEFORE school by the flag pole. Thanks for helping this very worthwhile cause!

Cross Country
Due to the weather last week, the cross country will now be held this coming Thursday 29th June.  The times are as follows:
1:50pm - NE race begins / Y1 warm up
2:00pm - Y1 race begins / Y2 warm up
2:10pm - Y2 race begins / Y3 warm up
2:20pm - Y3 race begins / Y4 warm up
2:30pm - Y4 race begins

Cheese Rolls
Delivery of these yummy cheese rolls will be on Thursday 29th June. Make sure you have put your order in as they are delicious!

That's all for this week.
Kowhai Teaching Team

Kauri Whanau: Term 2 Week 8 Update

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Life in the Kauri Whanau is getting busier as we head towards the end of term 2. Please check below for important messages and celebrations.


Choir:

The choir are sounding fabulous and we are looking forward to their performances tonight and tomorrow night, at Hillview gym. Please make sure your child is dropped off at Hillview by 6:30 both evenings. The performance starts at 7pm. Collection is at 8:30pm. Tickets are still available from the school office.

Cheese Rolls:

There are just two days left to get your cheese roll orders in; click the link to order. If you have ordered, please make sure you have paid by this Thursday. Many thanks to the parents who have offered to help with this fundraiser. So far we have help from:

  • Thursday June 29: Tamsin, Nicola, Kim
  • Wednesday July 5: Melisa, Amanda, Sonja, Richelle

To all the people who have offered equipment, we are very grateful and would like everything you have offered. Please make sure this is sent to school by the middle of next week. We will send out reminder emails. If you are able to help and have yet to let us know, please fill in this form.

Art Week:

Last week we enjoyed exploring our creative sides, as we learnt about and developed our artistic skills. The children chose either cartooning, mixed media or drawing lego self-portraits. We're already looking forward to our next art week later in the year.











Self Defence:

Yesterday afternoon when I stepped out of our hub, I could hear a very loud and forceful cry of "Back off!" It was our Year 8 girls embracing empowerment during their first self defence session. They loved it! Over the next 3 weeks the girls will spend at least five hours learning about self defence.

Inquiry:

Since J-Rock, we have been exploring the concept of diversity. This week the children will begin an inquiry, that will eventually result in the creation of either a poster, presentation, song or video, with the purpose of making a positive difference in the lives of others. The children will chose to focus on either disability, gender or cultural diversity.

Showcase:

We are just over two weeks away from our showcase evening, on Thursday July 6th. All children will be involved in the showcase, which will be held at the Hillview School gym, starting at 7pm. We will be having a rehearsal on Monday morning, July 3rd. On that Monday we will walk to Hillview from Beckenham.

Being aware of actions on social media:

Last week we were having a hub discussion around social media and our digital footprint. We talked about 'liking' posts and being aware that you have carefully read what you are 'liking' and are happy for others to know that you support the ideas in the post. It became apparent that many children scroll and 'like' without reading the text that they are 'liking'. When the text was brought to their attention, they were dismayed that they had 'liked' without looking deeper. This would be a great discussion to have at home. Liking something means that you support what the post is saying. Make sure you know what it says before you like it.

J-Rock Photos

If you would like to view and download the professional photos taken on stage during J-Rock, please click this link. We have paid for this photo package, so the images are free of charge for you. If you have trouble accessing these images, please let me know.





Beckenham School Newsletter 16th June 2017

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Principal's Patch

Kia ora koutou

I was so excited about sending out the building update yesterday that I forgot to send out the last fortnight's newsletter so here it is now...

Check out the latest building update if you haven't already read it here.

Teachers are busy writing reports at the moment with these due to go home on the last day of this term.

New House Shirts

We are very excited to announce that we are introducing a new House Shirt to our uniform range. The shirts will be available through the school office and will sell for $25 each.
The shirts are made of easy dry sports fabric and come in the new house colours of Yellow - Heathcote, Blue - Waimea, Purple - Fisher, and Orange - Tennyson. They will have the school logo on the front, and the House name on the back.
If you are not sure which house your child is in, please double check with Jack in the office at the time you purchase.

The School Council have been very involved in the development of this concept and they are looking forward to having the new house shirts being available for our students. It is the intention that these shirts are an optional uniform item, and that they can be worn for all House and Sports events (such as Thursday's Junior Cross Country) and that they can be worn once a week on Fridays for Celebration Assembly / Waiata day. We are expecting these into the office some time this week. It had been the plan to have them available for Junior Cross Country, but as they have not yet arrived, this may not be possible. We will put an email out as soon as they arrive and are available.

I look forward to sending you an email in the next week or so, inviting you to the Opening of the new east learning hub. Please keep an eye on your email

Ngā mihi

Sandy Hastings
Principal - Tumuaki

Important Dates

Upcoming Events

Tue 20 and Wed 21 Jun (evng)
South Music Festival, featuring the Year 7/8 choir
Hillview Christian School

Thu Jun 22
Junior Cross Country at Beckenham Park. 1:30 - 3:00pm.

Fri Jun 23
Winter sport at Hagley Park & Nunweek. 1 - 3pm

Wed Jun 28
PTA Meeting at Sandwich Rd site.  7:30 - 9:30pm

Thu Jun 29
BOT meeting in the staff room 5:30pm - All welcome

Term Dates

Click here to view 2017 term dates.

Citizen of the Week

Maggie Zhao - Year 0

Maggie, you demonstrate our school values of, "We get there together" and "We share", by encouraging those around to achieve their best, and by sharing and taking turns with your friends. You are an amazing example of what it means to be a successful self manager. You put 100% effort into producing top quality work, and you are always keen to step up for a challenge.  Tino pai Maggie!

Tom Woodhouse - Year 7

Tom, you are a deep thinker and we all benefit from the contributions you make. The positive and responsible attitude you display in sport is fabulous; you are a great role model to others. Due to the way you consistently live our school values, you can always be trusted to work collaboratively with a wide range of people.  Tom, we love that cheeky smile and your engaging sense of humour. You have a strong sense of what is right, which means that you make a difference to the lives of others. Thanks for the awesome contribution you are making to Kauri Whanau.

Sharing our Learning

Koru Team

Arts Interchange

This term, on Monday afternoons, the children in hubs 1-4 have been enjoying all of their teachers’ artistic talents. The children have been rotating, in their hubs, around the teachers and developing their skills in The Arts. Caitlyn has been leading Zumba for Kids, a fun dance and fitness combination. Amber has been leading mindfulness activities, focused on supporting the children to tune into their dial (read more about dial below). Charlotte has been leading percussion, using different instruments to create rhythms. Finally, Dorinda has been doing an excellent job at leading the Koru Choir. It has been a wonderful opportunity for the children to experience the very best of all their teachers and our different learning spaces.

Junior Cross Country 

We are now well and truly into our training for the junior cross country coming up next week on Thursday 22nd June from 1:30pm. Trainings are being held out in the park which at this time of year can get very muddy. If your child has spare shoes please pack these in their bag to change into after their trainings. Race times for the event can be found below:
1:50pm - Year 0 / New Entrant (Hub 10 & 11)
2:00pm - Year 1 (Hubs 1, 2, 3 & 4)
2:10pm - Year 2 (Hubs 1, 2, 3 & 4)
2:20pm - Year 3 (Hubs 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9)
2:30pm - Year 4 (Hubs 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9)

Thank You, Parents! 

A huge, gigantic, great, big thank you to all the parents who supported our hubs on our trips to the J Rock performance and the Art Gallery.


The children had a fantastic time, despite a little drizzle on some of the hubs’ trips. At the Art Gallery we were shown around a variety of incredible art works including some splendiferous and very different sculptures, oil and watercolor paintings.  We learnt about the artist's intentions and history of each piece of work from our very knowledgeable Art Gallery Educators. The children then had the opportunity to complete their own artwork.  Each child chose items from the Art gallery and their own lives that were special to them, and decorated a waka.


We also all loved our sortie into the Botanical Gardens.  We marvelled at the huge trees and gorgeous gardens, played on the playground, pretended we were leaf monsters and played in the cool climbing tree at the front entrance of the gardens.


Leaf monsters


Patterns and Art using Nature 

Some art using the awesome autumn goodies from Mother Nature.



Stationery
Now that we are halfway through the second term a lot of children are beginning to near the end of some of their school books. If your child needs more books we will send a note letting you know what they need, so that you can pop into the office and get it, or purchase it through a local bookshop. This ensures that your child can continue with their learning uninterrupted. Thank you for your support.

Ready to Learn Behaviours


Koru has been working on how to tune in and be ready to learn.
First we Release which is taking a big deep breath then letting this out slowly.  We do this to help calm ourselves and prepare for learning.
Then we think about how we are feeling, where our internal  Dial is set. (Between a range of 1-10, 1 being pretty much asleep and 10 is full on, super active mode) We either need to calm down more or energise  ourselves until our dials are set to about 4-5, ready to learn.
The last step is Focus.  To feel what focus feels like, stand on one leg and pass a ball to a buddy. If you can do this without wobbling then your focus is spot on.
These are called our Self Regulation Tools and can be used throughout the day or any time we need to adjust how we are feeling. There are many experts in Koru who use their Self Regulation Tools regularly.
What great future focused learners we are becoming! We thank The Positive Participation Programme for developing and sharing these very useful tools.

Our Lovely New Learning Spaces

We are all looking forward to moving into our new learning spaces for the beginning of Term 3.  The children and staff will have opportunities to visit, explore and work in the spaces before the end of  this term so we are all ready to go in term 3.  We have all been watching the progress of the building work from the outside -  here are our latest shots from the inside.



School Notices

Support our new outdoor spaces by purchasing cheese rolls:

The Yr 7 & 8 Eeezy Cheezy Passion Friday group is raising money towards our J-rock experience, and also contributing to the PTA fundraising to enhance the outdoor spaces at Beckenham School! We will be selling a delicious, easy and family friendly snack: freezable cheese rolls.
If you would like to contribute to this great cause, you can pick up a form from the Beckenham School office and deposit it in the yellow Eeezy Cheesy box, or click this link to our electronic form. Thank you for supporting us and spread the word! Online Form Orders will be available for collection at the end of the school day from hubs 1-4.  Orders for years 1-4 are available for pick up on Thursday June 29th.  Orders for years 5-8 are available for pick up on Wednesday July 5th. View our EeezyCheezyInc advertisement.

S.P.C.A Donations Needed

A group of children in Kowhai team are wanting to help the S.P.C.A as part of their MAD (Making A Difference) Time learning.
The S.P.C.A. needs  your help and we would like to collect donations of any cat/kitten food and blankets for them.
If you have any cat food or old blankets that you would like to donate, please bring them to the flagpole  and put them in the box from Monday the 19th June to Friday the 26th.

Kitten | Free Stock Photo | A cute orange kitten isolated on a ...

Thanks from Kowhai S.P.C.A. MAD time group! 

Thank you to our amazing Support Staff!

Wednesday 14th June was National Support Staff Day and we celebrated at both our sites with a morning tea to acknowledge the amazing work that our support staff do to keep our school running. Our Support Staff include our Caretaker, our Admin Staff and our Teacher Aides who all care about our children and keep the school functioning in many different ways to ensure that teachers can do their jobs and our children and families are supported.


Sports News

Senior cross country

We were lucky to have great weather for the senior cross country, which was held on Friday 12th of May.  The year 5 and 6 students ran 2km and the year 7 and 8’s ran 3km, around courses marked out in Beckenham Park.  A big congratulations to all participants in the cross country, you showed our kete ‘We love challenge’ brilliantly.  The following students placed in the top six of each year level.

Year 6 Girls

1. Roxanne Murfin
2. Sophia Brown
3. Nina Callaghan
4. Sama Ahmed
5. Madeleine McIvor
6. Florence Gerard

Year 6 Boys

1. Jimmy Middleditch
2. Connor O’Leary
3. Daniel Smith
4. Benjamin Evans
5. Angus Bowden
6. Daniel Cowie

Year 5 Girls

1. Hebe Butland
2. Mia Aramowicz
3.Jain Cooper
4.Ruby McNiven
5.Maria Silva Souza
6.Julia Huertas-Pulido

Year 5 Boys

1. Harper Ford
2.Ben Newton
3.Lucky Lasiyal
4.Thomas Lyall
5.Jesse Ferguson
6.Tom Armstrong-Gallot

Year 7 Girls

1.Tilly Harris
2.Bonnie Brookland
3.Bella Reddecliffe
4.Hannah Winchester
5.Jess Hancock
6.Portia Pascoe

Year 7 Boys

1.Joel Kingham
2.Ayden Musty
3.Gabe Lyall
4.Santi Montejo
5.Rohith Thony
6.Tom Woodhouse

Year 8 Girls

1st = Kaia Jorgensen & Amelia Cunningham
3rd = Rosie Zinzan-Dickie & Daisy York
5. Hannah Smith
6. Juliette Gray

Year 8 Boys

1. Alex Braun
2.Fergus Knowles
3.Joe Flynn
4.George Ryan
5.Mitchell Arawowicz
6.Ayan Schonbourn
These students have since competed in the Zone cross country run, in Halswell.  The official results for this run will be released when they are notified to schools.

Winter Sport Competition

The Primary Sports Canterbury Winter Sports competition has started for another year.  Our senior students compete on Friday afternoons at Hagley Park and Nunweek Park.

Winter Sports Results 2/6/17

Year 5/6
Netball

Beckenham Reds v Avonhead 6:2
Beckenham Blacks v Haeata Kaunuku 21:1

Football

Beckenham Reds v Mairehau Chelsea 2:0
Beckenham Blacks v Cotswold 1:2

Hockey

Beckenham Reds v Fendalton Cavs 2:6
Beckenham Blacks v Ilam Leopards 0:9

Rugby

St Patricks/Beckenham v Parklands 40:30

Year 7/8
Netball

Beckenham Reds v St Josephs 7:8
Beckenham Blacks v Avonhead 18:20

Football

Beckenham Reds v St Michaels Dragons Win By Default
Beckenham Blacks v Riccarton 9:0

Hockey

Beckenham Blacks v St Josephs Papanui 1:6

Players of the day: Alex Braun, Ella Clarke, Tilly Harris, Maia Davis, Portia Pascoe.

South and South East Netball Trial

This week, six girls from the Kauri Hub attended the South/South East Zone Netball Trials.  Olivia Cochrane and Shakira Radnoty were among the ten children selected to go through to the second round of trials. Tino pai, girls! Congratulations to Bella Reddecliffe, Tilly Harris, Amelia Cannon and Amelia Cunningham for participating in the trial and giving their all. There has been exceptional feedback around how you all conducted yourselves at the trials.  

Staff Profile - Paulette Newton

Kia ora koutou, I started my teaching career here at Beckenham and taught across the school from Years 1-6 for 9 years.  It was the only place I wanted to send my boy Ben (9) to when he started school and I have never looked back! I have been teaching here for the past five years and love the passion, creativity, knowledge and love for learning that each staff member brings to school each day. The opportunities that we provide our learners is amazing and for that reason I love Beckenham. I have a keen interest in the arts with a particular love for sewing, refurbishing old furniture.  I also dabble with a bit of painting from time to time. Prior to teaching I worked in hospitality where I was a restaurant manager and even trained as a chef. Sadly I didn't have the talents of Gordon Ramsay, however I love to cook and enjoy learning about different culinary styles. Being a people person, I love working with children and adults alike and enjoy being able to use my creative energy to make school a fun place to be. Spending time with friends and family is a top priority, and on the weekend I enjoy going to the park with Ben, heading to the beach or getting out and about for walks and nothing beats reading a good book!


Community Notices

(Notices placed here are contingent on space and do not reflect the views or opinions of the school.)


Visit http://www.scholastic.co.nz/parents/lucky-book-club/ to place an order.

All That Jazz

2 Big Bands and 5 Combos (all from Cashmere High School)
Come along for a dance or to listen to great Jazz from Duke Ellington to Herbie Hancock.
When: Thursday June 22nd 7pm onWhere: The Cashmere ClubEntry: Free (donations accepted)

Mainland Futsal Holiday Programmes (indoor)

JULY:

Age:         6-14 year olds
Dates:     10th, 11th & 12th July 2017 (WEEK 1)  20th & 21st July 2017 (WEEK 2)
Times:     9.00am – 3.00pm
Venue:    St Thomas’s of Canterbury College (WEEK 1)  Pioneer Stadium (WEEK 2)
Cost:       $37.50 per day ($112.50 for three consecutive days) 10% discount of second child when registering two or more siblings.

Keen to play? Click here https://membership.sportstg.com/regoform.cgi?formID=69975

GIRLS ONLY  Futsal Holiday Programmes (indoor)

JULY:

Age:         6-14 year olds
Dates:     10th, 11th & 12th July 2017 (WEEK 1)  20th & 21st July 2017 (WEEK 2)
Times:     9.00am – 3.00pm
Venue:    St Thomas’s of Canterbury College (WEEK 1) Pioneer Stadium (WEEK 2)
Cost:       $37.50 per day ($112.50 for three consecutive days) 10% discount of second child when registering two or more siblings.

Keen to play? Click here https://membership.sportstg.com/regoform.cgi?formID=69975

Mainland Outdoor Holiday Programmes

JULY:

Age:        7-14 year olds
Dates:    13th & 14th July (WEEK 1) 17th & 18th July 2017 (WEEK 2)
Times:    9.00am – 3.00pm
Venue:   English Park
Cost:      $37.50 per day ($112.50 for three consecutive days) 10% discount of second child when registering two or more siblings.

Keen to play? Click here https://membership.sportstg.com/regoform.cgi?formID=69975

http://www.mainlandfootball.co.nz/whole-of-football-plan/holiday-football/

Pioneer Basketball Club July School Holiday Clinic at Pioneer Stadium

The two day clinics are suitable for beginners to those who are playing competitively and want to upskill on Shooting and Footwork.
Registrations are open to BOYS and GIRLS from Y2-Y9 (6-13years)
Our focus will be on Shooting and Footwork
Week 1 - Tue 11/Wed12 July 1-4pm each day
Week 2 - Tue 18/Wed 19July 1-4pm each day
Register online to secure your space http://www.sporty.co.nz/pioneerbasketballclub/July-Holiday-Clinics-for-Y2-Y9/HOLIDAY-CLINIC-INFO

Active Kids Holiday Programmes

Registrations now open for July school holidays– book online!
Week 1 – Mon 10th – Fri 14th July *LINCOLN *WESTBURN *PAPANUI
Week 2 – Mon 17th – Fri  21st July *CHCH BOYS HIGH * ROLLESTON
·         Join us for a week of action packed fun and adventure,
·         Delivered by enthusiastic, fully trained staff. Junior and Senior Team Leaders.
·         OSCAR approved; WINZ subsidies apply.

P 03 373 50 60  
E activekids@sportcanterbury.org.nz
www.sportcanterbury.org.nz