Top Team Competition

Last Friday was Top Team Day at the children's school — an outdoor afternoon where the school's four houses gather and compete for the title. The kids leave their uniforms at home and turn up in their house colours, and the day rotates through three games by year group: tug of war on the outdoor court, Rob the Nest on the intermediate field, and Fill the Bucket down on the primary field. All three are built around teamwork — none of them works without it.

As with so many things at New Zealand schools, fundraising and parent involvement were part of the day. Penny went along after lunch to watch the afternoon rotations. Our youngest, in her red tee, finished her stretches with surprising seriousness before stepping up for Fill the Bucket. She looked every bit the proper primary school kid, and we couldn't help laughing.

There are four houses at the school, and a child's house is decided when they first enrol. From there, every sibling who follows is placed in the same house — a family stays together. Min started us off in red Pōhutakawa, so Hyun, who began the following week, joined her, and Jin became a Pōhutakawa too when she started this year. It's a quiet bit of care built into the system: when the houses compete, no family ends up split between a winner and a loser. Each house has its own student leadership team, and points are awarded throughout the year whenever a child does something noteworthy. If Harry Potter comes to mind, you've got the idea.

Through days like this, the children learn what a fair contest looks like. The Overall Winner this year was blue Tawa, who took home the trophy. Because the day was a fundraiser, yellow Kōwhai received their own trophy for Most Money Raised — together, the school raised $10,909. Pōhutakawa, the children's house, took out the Spirit Award. Rimu, the green team, won Best Chant.

Everyone is recognised, but the trophies are clearly different sizes. There are no engineered ties. The children settle the scores themselves, fairly. They celebrate the wins they share, sit with the disappointment of losses, and clap for the friends who beat them. Somewhere there are bitter tears too, no doubt — but those tears tend to turn into next time, into next year. Not into something permanent.