Waikato schools get free rugby gear from Waikato Museum

Waikato schools thrilled to get free rugby gear from Waikato Museum

5 June 2012

More than a hundred quality rugby balls, a set of goal posts, nets, passing hoops and exercise pads were welcomed by Waikato schools this week after Waikato Museum ran a competition to divvy up the spoils from the recent Red, Yellow and (All) Black rugby exhibition.

The only requirement was that schools write in and say how much they needed the gear, said Acting Director Andy Lowe.

“We have local schools who share one ball and a lot of potential All Blacks who needed the gear to launch their careers,” he said.

“Some of the entries were witty; one school sent us an outstanding film clip but all were simply a plea for help. We are just happy to recycle some great quality gear back into the community.”

The Red, Yellow and (All) Black exhibition was launched in September to celebrate the Rugby World Cup and closed in February. Many of the props used in the exhibition were returned to their original owners, recycled or sold on Trade Me.

Details of the competition were sent to all schools on the Waikato Museum’s mailing list, via an email newsletter and promoted on the Museum’s website. The message to schools was ‘Don’t hold back – tell us what you need’.

Seventeen schools have been supplied with a range of gear depending on their request.
The following schools have received rugby gear:
Goodwood Primary School, Hillcrest Normal School, Kinohaku School, Kiokio School, Matamata School, Matangi School, Ngatea School, Ngutunui School, Ohaupo School, Otewa School, Otorohanga Primary School, Patricia Avenue School, Piripiri School, Rhode Street School.

In April this year, Red, Yellow and (All) Black was awarded the Project Achievement Award: Exhibition Excellence – Social History in the Museums Aotearoa National Awards. The judges described Red, Yellow and (All) Black as, “by far and away the best of the 2011 rugby exhibitions."

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