Taupō United Juniors

🏆❤️🖤 **JUNIOR PRIZEGIVING 2026 | NGĀ TOHU WHAKANUI** 🖤❤️🏆

We’re a little late getting this one up — **aroha mai!** But there was no way we were finishing our season without acknowledging all of the amazing people who made it what it was.

On Thursday we came together for our **Taupō United Junior Rugby Prizegiving** — a chance to celebrate our tamariki, recognise some special achievements, and most importantly, say **ngā mihi** to everyone who has stood behind our junior kaupapa this season.

First, a massive mihi to our Taupo United Committee:
❤️ Rauhina Isaacs🖤 Donna Kerr❤️ Kelly Wineera🖤 Sonny Broughton and❤️ George.

There are a lot of hours, conversations, organising, problem-solving and mahi that happen behind the scenes to make a junior season happen. Thank you for continuing to show up for our kids and our club.

A huge mihi also to our sponsors and supporters — CNP, BMD Logging Limited, GM Painters, Mainfreight, Taupō Cosmopolitan Club and Te Puni Kōkiri.
Your support has helped us provide opportunities, experiences, gear and memories for our tamariki throughout the season. We are incredibly grateful to have you backing our kaupapa.

🏉 **NGĀ TOHU O NGĀ TĪMA | TEAM AWARDS**

**U6 | NGĀ ITI**
🏆 MVP — Eli Durham
⭐ Most Improved — CJ Cornelius
❤️ Players’ Player — Anika Gardiner & Rio Durham

**U7 | NGĀ AHI**
🏆 MVP — Jaxson Wiggins
⭐ Most Improved — Kingston Samuels-Sollitt
❤️ Players’ Player — Demiah Habib

**U8 | NGĀ TOA**
🏆 MVP — Kyzae Dempsey
⭐ Most Improved — Karter Pitiroi
❤️ Players’ Player — Jayme Benson

**U9 | NGĀ KAHA**
🏆 MVP — Keirapa Wineera
⭐ Most Improved — Waiorongo Morehu-Isaacs
❤️ Players’ Player — Cooper Hill

🌟 **NGĀ TOHU O TE KARAPU | CLUB AWARDS**

🏉 **Junior Referee of the Year** — Jax Gilmer
🌺 **Ako Wahine** — Olyv Pitiroi
❤️ **Club Person of the Year** — Dames Pitiroi
🤝 **Sportsmanship of the Year** — Te Auahituroa Fenwick
🖤 **Te Pou Manaaki** — Toni & Bugs Durham

Congratulations to every one of our award recipients — ka mau te wehi!

But trophies are only one small part of what we celebrate.

To **every player who pulled on the red and black this year**, we are proud of you. For the tries, tackles and wins, absolutely — but also for the courage, friendships, learning, resilience and manaakitanga you showed along the way.

To our **coaches and managers**, Awhi & Carey Cornelius, Bugs & Toni Durham, Hala Tukaki, Kristen Brehaut, Caela Tukaki, Shane Sollitt, Ems & Laury Walden, Dames Pitiroi, Jenna Bowers, Kassy & Paora Wineera, Stacy Hill and Victor King thank you for giving your time and energy week after week.

To our **refs and volunteers**, thank you for stepping up and making the game possible.

And finally, to **all of our parents, caregivers and whānau** — **tēnei te mihi ki a koutou.**

Thank you for getting our kids to trainings and games. For the early mornings, muddy boots, sideline support, shared kai, helping hands and for backing what we have been trying to build at United.

Our junior club isn't just about rugby.

It is about **belonging. Whanaungatanga. Manaakitanga. Our kids knowing that this is their club and that there is a place here for them.**

We started this season together, and we finish it the same way — **United.** ❤️🖤

**Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini.**
Success is not the work of one, but the work of many.

Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa for an awesome 2026 season.

UNITED AS ONE. ❤️🖤🏉

Send a message to learn more

🏉❤️🖤 **FINALS MATCH DAY | ONE LAST SATURDAY, UNITED WHĀNAU!** ❤️🖤🏉

Here we are — **the final weekend of our junior rugby season!** 🔥

Whatever the scoreboard says, this is a chance to celebrate everything our tamariki have achieved this season — the skills they’ve learned, the friendships they’ve built, the confidence they’ve grown and, most importantly, the fun we’ve had together.

As we head into our last games, a reminder to our United whānau on the sidelines:

❤️🖤 **Be loud, positive and proud.**
❤️🖤 Encourage our tamariki and celebrate their effort.
❤️🖤 Show manaakitanga to our players, coaches, referees, volunteers and opposition.
❤️🖤 Let the kids play, learn and enjoy their last game.
❤️🖤 **Be us. Be United.**

This season has always been about more than results. It’s about belonging, whanaungatanga and creating a place our tamariki and whānau want to come back to.

So fill the sidelines, bring the noise, bring the aroha and let’s finish the season the same way we started it — **together.** ❤️🖤

🏆 ** TJR PRIZEGIVING**

Prizegiving will be held **after each round**, so stick around as we celebrate our players, teams and the awesome season they’ve had.

**Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa.**
*Let us keep close together, not far apart.*

One last Saturday. One last game. One United whānau.

Let’s finish it the way we’ve carried ourselves all season — **together, proud and United.** ❤️🖤

**KIA KAHA UNITED! 🏉❤️🖤**

📅 SAVE THE DATE | TAUPŌ UNITED JUNIOR PRIZEGIVING ❤️🖤

Whānau, save the date — Thursday 27 August is our 2026 Junior Prizegiving! 🏉🏆

We know this is a busy time of year and many of our tamariki are already moving on to their next sports and commitments. To keep things easy for our whānau and consistent with our usual training day, we’ve decided to host prizegiving on:

📅 Thursday 27 August
⏰ Prizegiving from 3.30pm
📍 Taupō United Rugby & Sports Club
🍽️ Shared kai from 5.00pm

This is our chance to come together one last time for the season — to celebrate our tamariki, our teams, our kaupapa and everything we’ve achieved together in 2026.

We’ll also take the opportunity to acknowledge the amazing people who make our junior club possible — our coaches, managers, referees, volunteers, committee, supporters and generous sponsors. ❤️🖤

He waka eke noa — we’re all in this together.

If you’re able to join us, we’d love to have you there as we wrap up another awesome season with our United whānau.

🏆❤️🖤 SAVE THE DATE — THURSDAY 27 AUGUST! 🖤❤️🏆

🏉❤️🖤 THURSDAY TRAINING | ONE LAST PUSH! ❤️🖤🏉

Final training before FINALS WEEKEND — let’s finish the week strong, United whānau! 🔥

📅 Thursday 20th August
⏰ 3.30pm – 4.30pm
📍 United Fields & Clubrooms

Bring along:
💧 Water bottle
👟 Training gear & boots
🔥 Plenty of energy!

🍽️ DINNER AFTER TRAINING
Stick around after training for our final Thursday night kai together for the season.

One last training. One last shared kai. Then it’s FINALS TIME! 🏆

🔥 SEMI-FINALS | LET’S GO UNITED!🔥

It’s semi-finals week and both our competitive teams — U8 and U9 — are playing for a spot in the **FINALS!** 🏉❤️🖤

And a big shout-out to our U6 and U7 Rippa superstars who are back out there this weekend doing their thing — learning, growing, having fun and representing United with pride! 🌟❤️🖤

⏰ REMINDER: All games are back to NORMAL GAME TIMES this weekend. 9.30am and 10.30am starts

This weekend let’s show what it means to be United whānau — standing together with kotahitanga, manaakitanga and pride in our club.

❤️🖤 Be loud, positive and proud.
❤️🖤 Encourage our tamariki and celebrate their mahi.
❤️🖤 Show manaakitanga to our players, coaches, refs and whānau.
❤️🖤 Back our teams from the first whistle to the last.

We need our United whānau out in force. Fill the sidelines, bring the noise and back ALL our tamariki! 🔥❤️🖤

Check out this week’s match schedule below 👇

**GO UNITED!** 🏉❤️🖤

❤️🖤 THE U9 TE AHI KAHA TROPHY IS COMING HOME! 🛡️🔥

WE ARE SOOOOO PROUD OF OUR U9s NGA KAHA TEAM!

Earlier this season, it was a bit of a surprise when our U9s first got their hands on the Te Ahi Kaha Trophy — and almost as quickly as it came, we lost it again! 😅

This time around, our kids knew what was on the line and what they needed to do.

And they DID THE MAHI. 💪🏉

They dug deep, backed each other and put everything they’ve been learning at training into action, coming away with a 55–40 WIN and bringing the trophy back to United! ❤️🖤

But as much as we love a win, it’s not just about the score. The growth in these kids as a team is what makes us most proud. A huge mihi to our U9 whānau too — the taxis, sideline crew and biggest supporters. You help make all of this possible. ❤️

U9s — be proud. You earned this one.

🔥 Bring on SEMIS!