Matariki Team 2023 - Waitā
Posted July 04, 2023
IHNZ News
Matariki
Within the Matariki star cluster, the Waitā star surveys our vast oceans, Te Moana-nui-o-Kiwa (the Pacific Ocean) and Te Tai-o-Rehua (the Tasman Sea). The variety of life in these waters is diverse and covers different species of marine plants, whāngote (mammals), manu (birds), and ika (fish).
Waitā encourages us to respect our coasts and oceans, and treat their inhabitants like the taonga (treasures) they really are.
Scott Henry leads the Waitā team consisting of:
- Josh Kingi
- Flint Roderick
- TJ Drysdale
- Brooklyn Langdon-Poutoa
- Samuel O’Garro
- Troy Borthwick
- Zane Cooper
Scott Henry has been playing inline hockey for the last 19 years for the Mt Wellington Panthers and currently plays for their Premier team.
Scott has represented New Zealand on numerous occasions in both Junior and Senior men competitions including FIRHS, the World Champs, NARCh and AAU.
Scott plays in the NZIHL National league for the West Auckland Admirals Men’s team and the AIHA Senior Men’s A League and is a keen golfer in his spare time.
Josh Kingi started playing hockey when he was six years old. He first represented New Zealand when he was 10 playing in the 12U in Moe, Australia at the Oceania tournament.
He has represented the country, traveling to Hawaii twice for the AAU Junior Olympics and playing Oceania’s a second time in Hamilton. Josh was appointed captain of the 12U New Zealand team, and won the series against Australia 4-1.
Josh was also in the 18U team representing New Zealand that playing at NARCh 2023.
Flint Roderick is 17 years old and while a student at New Plymouth Boys High School was part of their winning National NZSSC team. He has been playing Inline Hockey for the Ravens club since he was 9.
He has attended numerous national competitions and has regularly been selected for the Central Region team.
Flint says he loves the speed of inline hockey and is alsoa sprinter and does parkour.
TJ Drysdale started skating at 6 years old and joined his first team at 7 and says he has loved hockey ever since!
TJ plays Inline Hockey for the New Plymouth Ravens. He has represented Ravens at Nationals, the Central Region at Inter Regionals and NPBHS at the 2021 and 2022 NZSSC Nationals
Brooklyn Langdon-Poutoa has been playing Inline hockey for Levin Thunder since he was 8yrs old.
He has played InterRegionals for lower North Island in the U10s, U12s, U14s, U18s grades.
In 2019 Brooklyn was selected to represent New Zealand in Hawaii and in 2020 against Australia.
Zane Cooper is 18 years old and started skating when he was 8.
He joined Northland Stingrays originally playing out but was persuaded to have a go in goal when they had no goalie and really enjoyed stopping pucks.
For the next few years, he alternated between playing out and in goal before deciding to concentrate on goalie.
Zane represented the Northern region in goal for 12U, 14U and 16U, and was selected for the 14U NZ team for the AAU Junior Olympics held in Hawaii in 2019. He was selected for the 14U NZ Oceania team in 2020 (which did not go ahead due to Covid.)
Zane also represented the New Zealand 18U team at NARCh 2023.
Zane recently played for Kerikeri High School at the NZSS tournament in New Plymouth and is looking forward to playing at his second Matariki tournament.
Samuel O’Garro started playing Inline hockey when he was 8 years old, for the Northland Stingrays.
In 2021 he took a year out to play football, but got back into his skates and realised his love was hockey. Since then, he wishes every day was a hockey day!
Samuel plays in the Kōkako Inter Conference team, has represented Kerikeri High School at the 2022 and 2023 NZSSC Nationals, and assists with the Stingrays rookies coaching sessions.
Troy Borthwick has played for the Levin Thunder the entire time he has been playing hockey although says he occasionally plays for other teams, such as the Waihi Miners, Auckland Vipers and Kerikeri Stingray at some tournaments. Troy has played both as goalie and as a player and now prefers playing out.
Troy recently went to Los Angeles to compete in the NARCh tournament as part of the New Zealand 16U team and is now wanting to play in other places all over the world.
Troy was part of the KBT Levin Senior team that won gold as well this month.