Rarotonga school Apii Nikao makes it three straight at Auckland youth sports camp

Students from Rarotonga’s Apii Nikao School have claimed their third straight title at Auckland’s Y Sports Camp.

But their annual trip to Aotearoa is about much more than winning.

The 39 Cook Islands tamariki travelled to Tāmaki Makaurau last week to compete against South Auckland schools and secured the overall championship title for the third year in a row.

Principal Michael Mokai said in a joint-statement exclusively provided to PMN that the real win is what the students take back to Rarotonga.

“The opportunity for our tamariki to have a shared learning, cultural, and sporting experience alongside their own schoolmates and those from a variety of other schools is an invaluable experience,” Mokai said.

“They are truly creating lifetime memories and growing their own resilience and understanding of the world.”

Apii Nikao School make it a three-peat at the 2026 Y Sports Camp. Photo/Supplied

The students train at Camp Adair, the Y’s 100-acre outdoor education facility on the edge of the Hunua Ranges where they get to try sports and activities that are not always available at home.

That includes Māori games like kī-o-rahi, as well as archery and lacrosse. Mokai says being outside their usual sporting environment is one of the highlights.

“Learning new skills to play new games has been a highlight. Being adaptable to new experiences and giving things a go has provided real learning. Being exposed to a much larger sporting environment than is available in Rarotonga has been invaluable and opened the eyes of our students to new opportunities.”

For Apii Nikao, the relationship with the camp has grown quickly.

The school first competed in 2023, finishing second overall. It has since returned each year and now holds three consecutive titles.

But the Cook Islands connection is also part of what makes the camp different.

Rebecca Russel, the Y CEO, says the programme is designed to give young people space to try new things and meet people outside their usual communities.

“Sports Camp is about giving young people the opportunity to participate, try something new, challenge themselves, and connect with others. It’s about much more than competition,” Russel says.

“For a school travelling from Rarotonga, the opportunity to experience a different sporting environment, meet students from other communities, and try activities that may not be available at home makes the experience particularly special.”

The future Kūki Robin Hood. Photo/Supplied

The camp brings together more than 880 Year 7 and 8 students over four weeks, with rural and urban schools taking part.

Apii Nikao, the second largest primary school in Rarotonga, first joined the tournaments in 2023. Having placed second overall in their debut, the school has returned every year since.

This year’s victory saw them finish ahead of Manurewa Intermediate and Māngere Central School, both known as powerhouse competitors at the event.

Second-runner-up Māngere Central School highlighted how the event pushed their tamariki to adapt and grow alongside their Pacific peers.

“Competition can bring excitement, pressure, and challenges, and it was pleasing to see students learning how to respond when things did not always go as planned,” the school shared in a social media post.

“Most importantly, students were encouraged to step outside their comfort zones, try something new, and discover that they were capable of more than they may have initially thought.”

Mokai says families help with the costs while the school runs fundraisers throughout the year to pay for flights, accommodation, equipment and meals.

Schools taking part this week include Ramarama School, Mangatawhiri School, Clevedon School, Hunua School, Brookby School, Alfriston School, Ararimu School, Paparimu School and Waiau Pā School.

The final week of September Sports Camps will see students from Papakura Normal School, Hingaia Peninsula School, Glen Innes Primary School, Koru School and View Road School take part.

With support from Grassroots Trust, the camps continue through to late September, bringing rural and urban schools together to build meaningful connections on and off school grounds.