It was a sunny Saturday at Whakarua Park in Ruatoria on September 14 when our Gisborne team got together to support Ngati Porou East Coast (NPEC) as they took on Thames Valley in a thrilling match.
We’ve been proud sponsors of NPEC for several years so it was great to be part of the action again this season. Although the scoreboard didn’t swing in NPEC’s favour, the game was high-scoring and full of excitement.
Sadly, not all of our staff could make it to the game — some of the team were still out in the field finishing the planting season, even on a weekend! But those who were able to join made the most of it.
It was a truly multicultural affair with our Ngati Porou representatives introducing Tanya, our Chilean office manager, and her partner Javier, along with Ed, our Malaysian Geographic/Geologic Information Systems Specialist, to the game. It was Tanya’s first-ever rugby match, and while she’s yet to come on board with the offside rule, she didn’t hold back when it came to cheering on the team — she brought a South American flair with her very vocal support for the men in the sky blue!
At Summit Forests, we value community and love getting behind local teams like NPEC. Best of luck to them for the rest of the season — we’ll be there cheering you on!