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Caroline Leakey and her son Rea. Brothers Hamish, left, and Ethan Greenwood were among the first to get back on turf.
Under Alert Level 2, team sports are back. However, the hockey turfs in Millwater were in a unique position to enable groups of people, within a bubble, to play games at the start of Level 3.
The brand new turfs have a gated security system in place that allowed them to meet those tough restrictions – something that Hibiscus Hockey chair Merv Huxford believes could be a first for hockey in New Zealand.
There was a big waiting list of members keen to get back in action, and the first to have a hit-out were teenage brothers Hamish and Ethan Greenwood. The Orewa College students are keen players, both in the college’s First XI as well as playing in age group rep teams for North Harbour. During the lockdown, they used two hockey turf offcuts at home for skills practice and fun – including games of ‘hockey tennis’ in the garage.
Their father, Hibiscus Hockey trustee, Ian Greenwood, says the Trust was lucky that the final part of its swipe card security system arrived two days before lockdown.
He says once permission to start up under Level 3 was obtained from the Ministry of Health, Harbour Hockey and the Waitemata District Health Board, the trustees had a meeting.
“Just because we could operate, didn’t mean we should,” Ian says. “But we agreed it was in the interests of our members and was safe to proceed.”
The turfs were separated into zones where bubble groups could play, separated by 20m ‘no-go’ areas.
Players booked 50 minute time slots with 10 minute gaps in between, to keep the non-contact rule.
Security cameras and the electronic security system ensure traceability.
“The measures go way beyond what was required of us under Level 3,” Ian says. “Unfortunately, most facilities around the country have to be either fully open, or fully closed, as they have no real means of controlling individual users.”
He says while the preparations that had to be made may seem like a lot of effort for only two weeks at Level 3, the Trust is now prepared in case the country ends up going back to that level at some stage.
