Whitireia and the Porirua Vikings rugby league club

For immediate release

Whitireia and the Porirua Vikings rugby league club working together

Whitireia New Zealand and the Porirua Vikings rugby league club are working together to create great outcomes for young people in Porirua.

One Friday 16 December 2011, representatives of the Vikings Rugby League Club and Don Campbell, Chief Executive, Whitireia New Zealand signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to provide mentoring and support to the young people of Porirua associated with the Vikings Club.

“I am delighted to have signed this MOU” said Don Campbell. “I know what a strong role coaches play in mentoring their players. Education is fundamental to a community developing itself”.

“Our board and membership are very excited about this venture” said Pania Houkamau-Ngaheu, Porirua Vikings Rugby League Club Chairperson. “Investing in our youth, means investing in our families, community and our city. Our youth are brilliant rugby league players. Together with Whitireia we can help our youth to contribute to what is already a youthful and vibrant city”.

Porirua Vikings rugby league club approached Whitireia with a proposal around providing education support, completion and success for its youth. As part of the MOU, the club will mentor its youth who choose to study at Whitireia and encourage success, achievement, improved health and wellbeing. It will facilitate the relationship between Whitireia, the student and its family.

The Vikings are very keen to utilise their strength of relationships with their youth to support them in tertiary study and achieve successful outcomes for them.

The Porirua Vikings rugby league club is the most successful club on the field in Wellington. They have been operating in Porirua for 33 years and this year won the New Zealand best grassroots club at the New Zealand Rugby League Awards 2011. “We used to be a bash-and-crash club” said Bernie Wood, club President. “In 1994 we started changing our approach. As well as coaching and playing league, we now teach our youth early on how to make the community a better place” he said.

The Vikings are proud of the pathways it has created. Last week was a great week for the club. “We have had the MOU signing with Whitireia and the Melbourne Storm have signed two of our young Vikings players for their development squad. They’ll be off to Melbourne over Easter” said Bernie.

Whitireia remain highly committed to providing quality vocational education to the community in which it was established 25 years ago, and are proud to be associated with the Porirua Vikings rugby league club and look forward to working with them to provide education outcomes for their youth.
ENDS

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