Matariki Team 2023 - Ururangi
Posted July 04, 2023
IHNZ News
Matariki
Within the Matariki star cluster, Ururangi is close friends with te whānau puhi (the wind family) – including Hauraro (the north wind), Tonga (the south wind), Hauāuru (the west wind), and Marangai (the east wind).
Ururangi encourages us to get to know the winds well, embrace its strength and prepare for any challenges it creates.
Josh Whitston-Lee leads the Ururangi team consisting of:
- Harry Tappin
- Tre Merlo
- Lachlan Robertson
- Aaron Riddell
- Jack Schuler
- Zyran Hirst
- Sam Bayes
Josh Whitston-Lee has played Inline Hockey for the Mt Wellington Panthers and currently plays for the Stingrays Premier team. He has represented the Northern Region and New Zealand on multiple occasions.
Josh is also an extremely talented Ice Hockey player in the NZIHL National League playing for the Botany Swarm Men’s team and in the AIHA Men’s A League.
Josh describes himself as an avid hockey enthusiast!
Harry Tappin comes from an ice hockey family and got into the sport during high school.
Having spent a good few years competing, coaching and developing his game, Harry was privileged with the opportunity to represent New Zealand in the U20 Ice Hockey team as well as Canterbury on multiple occasions.
Recently Harry made the transition to Inline and says he has enjoyed every moment, looking to take his game to higher levels each time he competes.
Harry has represented the Southern region and is looking forward to his first IHNZ Matariki series!
Tre Merlo Ko Tré toku ingoa. Nō Ngāti Kahungunu, Te Ati Awa ōku tīpuna.
Tre has been competing competitively in Inline hockey since 2012 starting in U14’s with the Mt Wellington Panthers and has competed internationally representing the fern on multiple occasions.
Playing in the premier division since he was 16, starting with the Auckland Sabres in 2016 and now playing for the Hamilton Devils.
Tre says Inline hockey is a massive part of his life and who he is, and is grateful for this opportunity to assist in mentoring a younger up and coming generation.
Aaron Riddell has played for the Stingrays since 2013 and has represented the Northern region on many occasions winning gold in each grade!
Aaron has represented New Zealand at the 2019 AAU Junior Olympics in Hawaii and at NARCh in January 2023.
He is the current captain of the Stingrays team and looking forward to his second Matariki series.
Lachlan Robertson has played since the age of 7 for the Hamilton Devils. He has represented the Central Regional from the age of 10 and New Zealand from the age of 14.
In 2022 Lachlan captained the Devils 16u club team and the HBHS team.
In 2023 Lachlan is a valued member of the Devil’s prem team and played for the NZ 18U team at NARCh in January 2023.
Jack Schuler started playing hockey in 2010 for the Waihi Miners in the U10 grade.
Currently playing for the Waihi Miners Premier team and the KIHL Falcons he has played on many other teams over the years such as the Waihi College team at NZSSC and has played for the Central Region All Stars on 3 separate occasions.
Zyran Hirst has been playing Inline hockey for 11 years with the Levin Thunder club. Zyran has represented New Zealand at AAU in Hawaii and for the past 2 seasons has played KIHL.
Sam Bayes was the joint 2022 All Stars Exhibition team goalie and is back for his second Matariki event in 2023!
Sam has been playing for 10 years (6 skating out and 4 Goalie) as part of the Waihi Miners prem team with a year playing in Christchurch.