A $300,000 grant for gym seating at Porirua College will give whānau somewhere to sit while they cheer on students, with permanent spectator seating planned for a space where supporters have had to stand.
The New Zealand Community Trust grant, reported by Porirua News earlier this month as funding towards construction costs, will pay for the purchase and installation of sideline seating.
The gym hosts sport, cultural activities, performances and community events. Without permanent seats, attending has been difficult for older people, disabled people and larger whānau groups.
For Year 13 student leader and senior girls’ basketball player Vanessa-Jane Lolagi, the change is also about how it feels to play in front of family and friends.
“With volleyball and basketball growing, it’s great that we’ll finally have proper seating. Families and friends will have space to support us, which will bring a much better atmosphere to the gym. Students used to feel bad that there was nowhere for supporters to sit. I’m glad younger students will get to enjoy it.”
Principal Ragne Maxwell says the college’s teams regularly compete in local inter-school competitions, but their supporters have not had a comfortable place to watch.
“The new bleachers will create a safer, more functional, and inclusive gym where more people can sit together and support our athletes.”
The project is intended to reduce the risks created when spectators and players gather around the sidelines, as well as make the gym more accessible to those coming to watch.
Its use extends beyond school teams to community groups and amateur, non-profit sporting organisations. The seating is expected to help the college open the gym to more groups at weekends and during school holidays, when it has previously been largely unused.
College activator Phil Townley says bringing more students, whānau and staff to events will also make sport and other activities more visible within the school and encourage participation.