Beyond the Whistle

Through a partnership between Tuia Waitākere and The Y Massey Leisure Centre, West Auckland’s local basketball community is working together to make sure tamariki and rangatahi not only enjoy their sport, but also feel supported.  The partnership builds on Tuia Waitākere’s earlier work with The Y Massey to encourage positive behaviour on the sidelines.

“When communities work together, we can create sporting environments where positive experiences become part of the culture, helping tamariki and rangatahi feel supported, connected and valued,” explains Tuia Waitākere Youth Advisor, Jemma Palmer.

“What stood out was that The Y Massey continued to champion the initiative after the initial kaupapa was completed, showing its commitment to making a difference.”

That led to a second collaboration through the Beyond the Whistle project, with The Y Massey seeking support to develop its sport coordinators, coaches and kaimahi (referees) across its miniball and intermediate basketball competitions, one of the largest junior basketball competitions in West Auckland.

Rather than coming in with a predetermined solution, Tuia Waitākere worked alongside the team during the term 3 competition to understand what was happening on the ground.

“We connected with their Centre Manager, observed competition games, developed a referee observation and insights tool and engaged with coaches, players and whānau to understand their experiences,” says Jemma.

This approach has strengthened the relationship by creating space for shared learning and open kōrero. The Y Massey has been able to share what they are seeing within their competition, while Tuia Waitākere has been able to share observations, development opportunities and community insights.

“The conversations highlighted how everyone involved has a part to play in creating a positive sporting environment. Referees spoke about how support had helped build their confidence and improve communication with players and coaches,” adds Jemma.

For parents, knowing the centre was committed to a positive experience also encouraged them to think about their own role.

“Knowing that The Y Massey want to create a positive experience for everyone makes you think about how you can contribute,” said one parent.

The work has also prompted The Y Massey to look at how it runs its competitions, including the grading process, communication between coaches and coordinators, and opportunities for coordinators to meet before the season starts.

Centre Manager at The Y Massey, Nicola Aalbers, says the project has influenced decisions about how the centre supports young players.  “This has impacted what we have decided to do as a centre, looking at ways that we can support the kids to enjoy their basketball.”

For Tuia Waitākere, seeing The Y Massey take ownership of the kaupapa is an important part of the process. The aim is to support the team running the competition to make changes that work for their community and that can continue over time.

“Collaborative projects like this show what can be achieved when we work alongside organisations like The Y Massey to build sporting environments where young people not only feel supported, but want to keep coming back to play, season after season,” concludes Jemma.