A New York Yankee held a free skills clinic at Wellington’s Wakefield Park.

Didi Gregorius joined the Yankees two years ago and has been running training camps around the country with the help of Baseball New Zealand.

Baseball New Zealand boss Ryan Flynn says he hopes the training clinics will inspire and motivate young players.

Didi Gregorius motivating young players

There are several Major League Baseball scouts in New Zealand at the moment.

They’re touring the country as part of Didi Gregorius training camp.

San Diego Padres management AJ Preller and Riley Westman are viewing the local talent on display in Auckland, Levin, Wellington and Christchurch. 

Baseball New Zealand CEO Ryan Flynn says he’s spent three years working towards getting scouts to give New Zealand a chance.

San Diego Padres invest in New Zealand

Victoria University has teamed up with Radio New Zealand for a unique podcast series.

The idea for the podcast was inspired by discussions around coursework in the Humanities and Social Sciences class.

Each episode covers a different aspect of history including revolution, language, and the origin of democracy.

Victoria University’s Dr Anita Brady says the podcasts will spark an interesting conversation between a panel of experts in various fields.

RNZ and Victoria University

One of Australia’s biggest mixed martial arts promotions is expanding to China.

Australian Fighting Championship announced they will be holding their first international fight card in Shanghai on March 12.

Kiwi fighter James Bishop will be headlining the card, takingon Aussie Rob Hill for the AFC lightweight title.

AFC CEO Adam Milankovic says it’s his fighters that will benefit most from the brand extension.

AFC CEO Adam Milankovic

League fans will have an opportunity to meet some of the biggest names in the game before the NRL Nines tournament kicks off this weekend.

Kiwi Ferns, Australian Jillaroos and players competing in this weekend’s tournament will be Aotea Square on Friday.

Event spokesperson Craig Stanaway says this year’s event will have more star players than ever before.

NRL Nines Craig Stanaway

NRL Nines players might not be the only ones looking to score at this weekend’s tournament.

A singles zone aimed at fans wanting to mix with like minded singles has been set up for the first time at the Nines.

Event spokesperson Craig Stanaway says the new singles zone has captured the attention of fans and rival event promoters.

NRL Nines Singles Zone

Wellington City Councillors were told this week that some of their newly installed play spaces are not up to scratch.

Through public consultation the committee heard ideas for maintenance and installation of future play spaces around the city.

Playground user Lynn Cadenhead highlighted one play space that needs urgent attention.

Wellington play spaces

An Island Bay resident has come up with a different way for Wellington City Council to look at outdoor play spaces.

Film maker Joe Bleakley presented a submission to Wellington City Council’s strategy committee hearing on Draft Play Spaces earlier this week, is suggesting parents and adults should be the priority when creating new play areas for children.

He says he would like parents catered for in these areas so they are motivated to take kids to the park.

New ideas for play spaces

Gangs in New Zealand continue to show no signs of disappearing. Earlier this year Mongrel Mob and Black Power members clashed in Whakatane over a funeral procession where shots were fired. 
Mongrel Mob and Black Power are New Zealand’s largest gangs which began to rise in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
One factor which caused the introduction of gangs is a disconnection for some Maori from their culture, and looking for a sense of belonging which was found in gangs.
“Gangs provide a sense of Whanau, a sense of status, suddenly you become something,” says Jarrod Gilbert, a New Zealand gang expert.
“We all have those things that make us feel good about our lives; well if you don’t sort of have that the gang can provide it and provide it quite simply.”
Martin Cooper (Tainui) has experienced the challenges of gang life. He joined the Black Power in 1977 for a sense of belonging after becoming disconnected from his marae and culture.
This was a strong contrast from the way Martin was raised in Taukau, a small township in the Waikato where he spent a large amount of his childhood on his marae. 
“My parents were strong into Kingitanga,” Martin says proudly.
It was through skipping school and staying out late that changed everything for Martin. He was taken into state care; where he was moved from house to house, eventually being placed in Mangere where he would join Black Power through a friend from school.
“If you remember back then, none of the culture was being promoted,” Martin says.
“I spent all my time in the pub drinking and smoking drugs.”
It was through heading home for his father’s Tangi that he was reintroduced to his culture by attending marae meetings and reengaging with the community.
After ten years fully reengaged with his culture, Martin is now the Co-Chair at Manurewa marae and is “pretty well involved on everything that goes on at the marae.”
He still keeps in contact with the Black Power, but now uses his time to help young Maori stay away from crime and drugs.

Marae and Gangs

It’s been a long journey for the Deaf community of New Zealand to raise awareness of New Zealand Sign Language but efforts are finally paying off. 

NZSL joined Māori as an official language of New Zealand in 2006 and has over 24,000 users daily, but further progress was made last year when NZSL became a NCEA level one to three subject in New Zealand high schools. 

Sign language user Pam Witko is amazed to see NZSL now being taught in schools as she had no access to interpreter aid and was not allowed to use sign language when she was attending high school.

“Years ago if we signed we were classed as rude,” Pam says.

“Out in public don’t sign, that’s what my parents were taught.”

Due to the lack of awareness of sign language at the time, Pam did not know it was an actual language till she was in her 40’s.

But the awareness and education of NZSL was beginning to improve even before being introduced to the New Zealand curriculum in 2016.

First Signs, an early intervention programme for children under five, was created in 2014 by the Ministry of Education and the national deaf organisation Deaf Aotearoa.

The service puts an advisor on deaf children in touch with a baby or child that is born deaf or suffers hearing loss issues.

Bridget Ferguson was the Project Manager for First Signs, and is its current Team Leader.

“We have a deaf sign language user who comes into the home and just works with the family to support them to include NZSL in their everyday interactions,” Bridget says.

The teaching and classes are available for anyone in the family who is going to be around the deaf child.

“It’s whoever in the family and the more the better, who can get more NZSL happening around that little one, the more language is going to come into that little ones life.”

AbeLeach