Story courtesy of College Sport Media.

It was a family affair at College Sport Wellington’s annual Sportsperson of the Year Awards (SPOTYS) at Te Rauparaha Arena on Sunday night, with the Smiths of Naenae College winning three separate awards.

Year 12 Kobe Smith was the winner of the male All-rounder of the Year award, Year 13 Hannah Smith won the Service to Sport award and their father Hoani Smith won a Volunteer of the Year award.

What’s more, older brother Hoani Smith Junior, who has since left school, won the same award as sister Hannah last year, and their mother Nora would also be just as deserving of an award on a different occasion.

The Smith family have been integrally involved in Naenae College Sport for the past five years. Together they play, coach, umpire and referee and convene and manage a number of sports and codes. There is never an idle moment in the household.

Kobe’s All-rounder of the Year award reflects his playing and student officiating involvement in several sports. His main three being basketball, touch and netball. He is captain of Naenae’s Senior A boys basketball team, is co-captain (with his sister Hannah) of the Senior A mixed touch team that went to nationals last December and earned the tournament’s respected team culture award and his netball earned him a black uniform this winter when he travelled to Melbourne with the New Zealand U17 netball team.

So winning the all-rounder award perhaps wasn’t a surprise to others. “I was very shocked to win though, coming from an underdog school I never thought I would win that kind of award,” Kobe said.

“In Australia with the New Zealand U17s netball side, we played in the Horizons Cup and played Australia, which was a good experience. Unfortunately we lost, but we gave them a run for their money.”
 

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Last December the Naenae College Mixed Touch side competed at the NZSS top tournament for the first time.

In their first game they beat Taupo-nui-a-Tia College and also had a draw and another win over other schools in their first appearance on the national stage.

They made their mark on the tournament off the field too, winning the tournament’s culture award, out the approximately 150 teams there at the event.

Naenae College also won the College Sport Wellington Premier Mixed touch tournament for the first time.

“Our teams are definitely young, we have been playing together since our junior years, so hopefully we can continue next year and beyond when I leave school and the next group comes through.”

Kobe is also a netball and basketball umpire. He is now at the ‘whitecoat’ netball umpiring level, meaning he can umpire up to a regional level and at representative tournaments.

Kobe admits that if he stops to think about it, he wonders how he finds the time to fit everything in, but it is just what he has done over the past several years so it’s all part of the lifestyle. “I rarely get breaks, it is pretty full on for me every year, but I enjoy it.”

Kobe also does athletics (a solo and relay sprinter) in the summer, is interested in crossfit and plays table tennis and badminton as well. Although the latter two are just social sports for him.

Like brother Kobe, Hannah is also involved in sport as a netball and basketball umpire.  As well as being a mentor and role model to younger students at her school, she is captain of several teams she plays in.

Like brother Kobe and his award, Hannah’s Service to School Award came as a surprise. “I was a finalist last year as well and my older brother won then. So to win after my older brother made me really happy.”

This award is for helping and supporting others off the court and field – a student volunteer, coach and umpire, which she loves doing as much as playing.

Hannah is also heavily involved in a playing capacity. “I play a variety of other sports as well but mainly netball, basketball and touch – and I was captain for each of those sports. I was also captain for many club teams I play in as well.”

Next year, Hannah hopes to head to Otago University to study physiotherapy, where she can also pick up her sporting playing and officiating career where she leaves off at the end of 2025.

Father Hoani is the head coach of the mixed touch team that Hannah and Kobe play in, as well as being sports convenor and helping to assist and guide the school in building its sporting programmes.

He is the sports convenor and head coach of the Junior and Senior basketball programmes, for the Junior and Senior touch programmes, for the First XV rugby programmes. He also coaches at a representative level for the Wellington Touch Association and Touch Kapiti Horowhenua.

Hoani explained the philosophy behind Naenae College Sport.

“We attribute our success God being at the centre of all that we do.

" We run everything by a ‘jungle concept’ – that is a word is from Psalms 133 and Psalms 134. It has a mantra where we meet you where you are and we take you to where where you can't see."

“Everything about it is connection first focused, we utilise fun to develop all the students, we create spaces that cater for all levels and that we are development-focused ahead of being win-focused.

“The intention being that if we set in place the development right the winning will just happen.”

For example, they have built their basketball programme up from two to eight teams in three years. “This year four out of eight teams won championships. We have produced two level one basketball umpires, with several young developing umpires.”

Hoani thanks some other key people around him for being integral to Naenae College sport.

“My wife Nora is the manager and one of the leaders and the person in the background making sure the Is are dotted and the Ts are crossed. She is also a head coach herself in netball, basketball and touch with lots of success.”

“The involvement of the other half of our touch coaching team is massive. Zinh (nutritionsit) and Tetauhou (head trainer/assistant coach) Nohotima and their twin sons have been on this journey with us.”

Last but far from least is the ongoing work that Naenae College’s Sports Director Yvonne Manuel puts in. “Without her support it wouldn’t be possible,” Hoani concluded.
 

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Article added: Wednesday 05 November 2025