Matiu Pouri-Lane, Wrestling Champion

In mid-2011, we had a number of boys that medalled at the NZSS Championships, with Matiu Pouri-Lane (Year 11) our sole national champion last year, and member of the NZSS team that toured Australia in September.

Matiu was selected into the NZ Men’s Wrestling team to compete in the 2012 Oceania Championships in Sydney a fortnight ago.  There were wrestlers from throughout New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands competing, and Matiu defeated a top Australian wrestler to win a gold medal in the 58kg Male Cadet Freestyle category.  At the conclusion of the week-long competition, Matiu was also awarded the Top Male Cadet for the tournament, ahead of all 14-17 year old males competing from around Oceania.

We thank Matiu's parents, Pete and Marlene Pouri-Lane, for their unstinting support of wrestling as an emerging code at HBHS, and their efforts to coach and manage our boys in both local and national competitions.