All Blacks and Chiefs hooker Nathan Harris, who played football at the very first AIMS Games in 2004, gives some pointers to rugby sevens players from Pāpāmoa College, where he is now a teacher. Photo by Jamie Troughton

Article added: Friday 06 September 2024

By Zoe Hunter

When former All Black Nathan Harris signed up to the first-ever AIMS Games 20 years ago, rugby wasn’t an option. So, he played football instead - and lost all but one game.
But, he says, the iconic intermediate-aged sports tournament was never about winning or losing. It was about building long-lasting friendships and wearing the school’s jersey with pride.

The 32-year-old’s impressive sporting career has seen him pull on the All Blacks, Chiefs, and Bay of Plenty Steamers jerseys.

In 2004, he proudly wore the AIMS Games jersey for Te Puke Intermediate football team at a sporting tournament that two decades later has become the “talk of the town”.

“I remember they had created this thing called the AIMS Games and it was pretty much like the Olympics for intermediate kids,” says the now Pāpāmoa College sports teacher.

Captain of Te Puke Intermediate’s Tai Mitchell rugby team at the time, Harris signed up.
“I loved all sports, so I thought I would chuck my name in,” he says. “But when I went to sign up, there was no rugby.”
The first-ever tournament had 17 schools with 760 competitors playing in just four sports: football, netball, hockey, and cross country.

It was Harris’ “sports mad” English teacher who came up with the idea of entering a football team.

“We had three quarters of us who were legit football players and the rest of us were rugby players,” Harris says.
Harris had played football once before as a five-year-old.

“I was left-footed,” he says. “I used to practice kicking a ball around the house.”

With rugby in his DNA, Harris remembers being “courageous” and “brave enough” to play a sport outside his field.
The team “didn’t do our best”, Harris remembers.
“We had some close losses. But on the last day, we won against Fairfield Intermediate.”
But the scores didn’t matter.
“It wasn’t really about winning or losing, but more about the connections and how sport brought people together,” Harris says.

“It’s that sense of community and building those friendships. It was the sense of representing not just myself, my friends, and my family, but my community and my school. Every time I put on that jersey I felt a sense of pride.”

As Tauranga is set to welcome nearly 13,000 athletes from 390-plus schools to compete across 27 sports for its 2024 competition this September, Harris says it’s exciting to see how big the games have become.

“Now, it’s the talk of the town,” he says. “It keeps people coming back to the Bay of Plenty.”
His advice to the thousands of athletes taking part in this year’s games is to simply, “enjoy it”.

“Think about the fun aspect of it, the friends you will make, and the people you will meet,” he says.
“Soak up every chance you get to put on that sporting outfit, and to wear that jersey.”

Adam Milne

Adam Milne knows what it’s like to be the visiting team at a home match.

The former Black Cap fast-bowler is all-too familiar with the nerves and excitement of being pitted against the best-of-the-best in an unfamiliar environment.
Those feelings came flooding back as he remembers 20 years since the AIMS Games was first introduced, giving rising stars just like him the chance to shine on the sporting stage.
Despite becoming famous for firing deliveries of more than 150kph down the cricket pitch, Milne didn’t enter the 2004 inaugural games to play cricket.
Pulling another set of skills from his bag of impressive sports tricks, Milne represented Palmerston North Intermediate in football.
Cricket wasn’t an option in the first-ever tournament, with 760 competitors playing in just four sports: football, netball, hockey, and cross country.

“To be honest, due to it being the first ever AIMS Games I don’t remember too much,” the 32-year-old says with a laugh.
“Obviously, as a football team we were excited to go to a new tournament and test ourselves against other schools that we usually wouldn’t compete against.

“It was all a bit of an unknown as it hadn’t been done before, but the team was excited for the opportunity.”
Milne says the opportunity to play other schools from across the country was an “awesome experience to test our skills and see where we matched up with other schools”.

“The chance to learn how to perform when not at home and in an unfamiliar environment was a good learning experience, particularly as I’ve gone on to do a lot more of that in cricket over the years.”
Milne, who made his Black Caps debut in 2010, says he’s been lucky enough to represent New Zealand in both one day and T20 internationals in cricket.
The AIMS Games, he says, is a great opportunity for children to gain experience traveling to other parts of the country for sport just like he has been able to do.
“And to test themselves against some of the best athletes in their age group.”

His advice to the 2024 AIMS athletes is to:“Just enjoy the experience, have fun, and do your best”.

Tayler Reid

From AIMS Games multisport champion to one of New Zealand’s top triathletes, Gisborne’s Tayler Reid knows how to aim high.
It all started in 2008 when a young Reid entered in the third intermediate-aged sports tournament in Tauranga.
Representing Gisborne Intermediate, the aspiring athlete competed in both multisport and cross country.
“For me, it was the biggest event of the year,” the now 27-year-old says. “I entered the AIMS Games to compete against the best athletes in the country.”

Reid says the games forced him to improve as an athlete.
“The first year I competed, I was fourth in the multisport races, where I was let down by my mountain biking ability,” he says.
So, in 2009, he went back for more.
“The following year, I learned how to mountain bike and vastly improved my cycling ability, which allowed me to come back and win the next year.”
Fast-forward 10 years and Reid was representing New Zealand at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, winning a bronze medal in the mixed-relay with team mates Andrea Hewitt, Nicole van der Kaay, and Ryan Sissons.
Earlier this year, he returned from the 2024 Paris Olympics after being named as the reserve for the men’s individual race and mixed relay, alongside Whakatāne’s Hayden Wilde, Dylan McCullough, Nicole van der Kaay, and Ainsley Thorpe.

Reid says the AIMS Games is “very important” not just from a sporting opportunity but socially too.
“Some of the friends I made competing are still my friends to this day. Without the AIMS Games, I may not have met some of these people.”
As Tauranga is set to welcome nearly 13,000 athletes from 390-plus schools to compete across 27 sports for its 2024 competition this September, Reid has shared some advice.

“Win or lose, as long as you sent it, be proud of yourself. Make the most of the opportunity. You never know where it may take you.”

Tyla King

She's one of the greatest women’s rugby sevens players to have ever graced the game.

With two Olympic gold medals, a Commonwealth Games gold, two world cups, and seven world series titles to her name, Tyla King has achieved everything possible in the sport.

But 17 years ago, she was just like all of the 13,000-plus athletes gearing up for Tauranga’s biggest intermediate-aged sporting event at the AIMS Games.

Rewind to 2007, and a 13-year-old King was lacing up her boots ready to represent Blockhouse Bay Intermediate in the girls football team.

“I remember wearing a white school kit and running on being super excited to play,” King said.

Not out of character for King, she was playing many other sports at the time - but AIMS Games had just four sports: football, netball, hockey, and cross country.

“I think that was my first time actually coming to Tauranga. We stayed at one of the holiday parks and my mum was one of the parent helpers who had come along to help,” King said.

“I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a cool trip away.”

King said she remembered scoring a goal during one of the games and the excitement from her teammates.

“We weren’t doing too bad. I do remember we were winning but I did get subbed off at one point and the other team came back and ended up winning the game and we were absolutely gutted,” she said.

“I do remember that quite vividly. We must have been a few goals up too I think. Then we got a bit too confident.”

King said it was “pretty incredible” to see how big the tournament had grown.

The Black Ferns Sevens star playmaker has been training in and out of Tauranga for the last 13 years and has called the city home for the last six.

“I’ve seen the games get bigger each year. When rugby was eventually introduced, they played at the field we train at and that was pretty cool,” King said.

“We are literally across the road in the gym looking from afar and going down and watching the kids play sometimes.”

King said the AIMS Games helped bring people from across the country to Tauranga.
“And what a place to come to,” she said. “It’s an incredible place. I am just so grateful I get to live there.”

The tournament allowed the opportunity for King to express herself in sport and the chance to travel outside of Auckland.

“I had been a little girl on a school trip outside of my own city, which was really cool to experience something new and play against schools and people you never thought would be possible.”

It also gave children the chance to experience a more competitive side of sport, King said.
“We all play sports for fun, but it was a cool opportunity to get those competitive juices flowing but not put too much pressure on.

“At the end of the day, we want the kids to have fun and to enjoy themselves as much as possible. Even at the top level, the core of it is you still want to be having fun and enjoying what you are doing.”

Since the AIMS Games, King has worn the black jersey for five different sporting codes on the international stage. That includes touch rugby for the Touch Blacks, Tag World Cup, Black Ferns rugby sevens and 15s, and rugby league for the Kiwi Ferns.

“I am grateful for all my time in different sports, including football. It helped me learn how to kick a ball, which translated quite well into kicking a rugby ball.”

And it certainly paid off, with King dubbed the highest point scorer in the world series tournaments.

“I have achieved some pretty incredible things. I have literally achieved everything possible in the space of sevens,” she said.

“That is down to my own hard work ethic and wanting to be the best I can possibly be, but also having a really good team around me.

“We are a team sport, and none of that is possible without each other going out there and giving it our all.”

King’s message to the 2024 AIMS athletes was to “enjoy the moment and have fun”.

“Don’t be afraid to not be perfect, or to make mistakes. If your teammates make mistakes, get behind them, show them some encouragement, some positiveness, because we all make mistakes at the end of the day,” she said.

“Especially in team sports, get around your teammates, brush it off a bit, and go on to the next job. You’re better for it.”

Mariah Ririnui

Mariah Ririnui grew up around sports.
At just five-years-old, she was already immersed in athletics.

By age 10, she was involved in most events for sprint, long jump, and hurdles.
And just for a bit of fun, she also played representative netball and basketball.

“I’ve always done athletics,” Mariah says. “I grew up going to the Colgate Games.”
She was a staple on the start-line for what is the biggest annual athletics event for children aged 7-to-14.
It’s no wonder the superstar athlete went on to become a New Zealand 100m sprint and five-time long-jump champion.
However, in 2004 when Tauranga hosted its first-ever AIMS Games tournament, athletics wasn’t on the table.

But being an aspiring athlete, and not one to miss out on a big sporting opportunity, Mariah was selected for Tauranga Intermediate's AIMS Games netball team.
“It was a bit scary playing with the Year 8s,” Mariah recalls. “But I remember it being so much fun getting to compete for the whole week.”

The 32-year-old has had a successful sporting career, representing New Zealand at the World University Games, Oceania Regional Championships, Pacific Games and Commonwealth Youth Games.
After rupturing her achilles while applying for the Commonwealth Games, Mariah turned her focus on her health and completed her masters in communication and management studies.
Now, she’s landed a role with Athletics New Zealand as the performance environments and culture manager helping to inspire the next generation of athletes and was the team manager for the Oceania Championships in June.
“I am in the transition phase from an athlete to the management and coaching side of athletics,” she says. “I am having fun putting what I have learned and my experiences into good use.”

Mariah says the AIMS Games is a great opportunity for young athletes to have fun, while also getting a taste of that pathway into competitive sport.
Based in Tauranga, Mariah says it is great to see how much the games had grown in the last 20 years.
“When you’re a kid you don’t realise how big  the tournament is, or going to be. It is so cool to see where it started from and how much it’s grown. It is cool to know I was part of the first one.”

The AIMS Games is also a chance for young athletes to try out all of the different sports that are now available.

“There is something for everyone and athletes with lots of different skills and talents.”

Mariah’s message to this year’s AIMS athletes is to “have fun and enjoy the experience”.

“Just remember, it is the start of so many more opportunities.”