After 30 years competing in Top School, Tāneatua School stepped back into the arena for the event’s 40th anniversary and found itself dominating the podium.

Tāneatua has consistently finished in the top four in recent years, including securing second place in 2022 behind Awakeri, but has never quite managed to take the top spot – until now.

Team coaches Whetu Wiremu and Te Ahuru Waititi, the school’s sports co-ordinator, credit their success to the team’s ability, their experience at the AIMS Games in Tauranga where they claimed top golf honours, and their Top School competition history.

“They’re experienced in competition, so they know how to perform under pressure. Their experiences on the golf course were transferable to many situations, including Top School. There are so many angles and targets, so it’s hard to train specifically for it, but the other sports the team play meant they already had the essential skills,” said Ms Waititi.

Having come close in previous years with what were considered strong teams, the focus this time was simply to participate and enjoy the day, with no real expectations.

“We knew this team was talented, but they kind of flew under the radar. We were still chopping and changing team members, even on the day we had a no-show and had to pull in a student spectator at the last minute. We barely managed to get a full team together, and on top of that, we arrived late,” said Mr Wiremu.

The team arrived just five minutes before the first event began. After a quick team talk, they stepped into the arena.

“To the coaches’ surprise, the team excelled in challenges that had proven difficult in previous years. Communication and strategic decision-making flowed naturally, allowing the coaches to step back and let the team take control.

With no live leaderboard and the belief they were off the pace, the team began to pack up and leave only to be stopped by the announcement that they were this year’s winners.

The Top School trophy is now a proud addition to the school’s cabinet.

And even with several team members ineligible for next year’s competition, it would be unwise to rule out Tāneatua repeating the result in 2027.