Whānau touch continues to make families smile year after year and the 2024 edition was no exception.

Four open teams took part alongside 13 social teams and 13 children’s teams, making for a fantastic day out on December 27 at the Poroporo Rugby Club.

While it is seen as a fun tournament, it has gone a long way to helping unearth some Eastern Bay stars, such as the Paul siblings, Mahina and Mererangi, who played in many of the tournaments when younger.

This year, the spoils went to Pirini Merito in the open division, while in the Social A grade, the Waaka whānau took the honours.

Social B resulted in victory to the Merito ki Wairaka whānau, which also captured the children’s B grade.

In the children’s A grade, top spot went to Tunui whānau, while Aio Jones-Hidson was named the most valuable young player.

Tournament committee member Erina Brown said it was once again an amazing tournament enjoyed by many different families.

"The day itself was awesome. With the festive season, it sees a lot of our whānau come home to celebrate so it’s a great time of year to hold our tournament."

The event has been a staple on the Eastern Bay calendar for many years.

"Our whānau touch had humble beginnings in the late 80's when whānau would get together at Christmas time at the Poroporo School field and play against each other. This funsy touch tourney evolved over the following years with the Sig Paul Whānau presenting the Trevor Paul Memorial Trophy in 1992 and so began the Ngāti Pukeko Whānau Touch Tournament."

She said whānau were still loving the tournament and it was exciting to see so many young children running around.

"Our competition is growing and thriving, the highlight being our tamariki. We had 13 kids teams this year."

Tournament director Candy Turner said it continued to be a great family day out, enjoyed by many.

“It is great to be able to spend time with whānau in this positive environment.

“Our tamariki and mokopuna can also build connections with their larger whānau over the years."

Families are already looking forward to the 2025 edition of the event.