Moutere Hills Community Centre

During the recent school holidays, the OSCAR funded Moutere Hills Holiday  Programme was one of the best ever. The fantastic week-long programme culminated in a special final day which included archery by popular demand.  The children made their  own target depicting a fox and showed their skill as their arrows hit the target or sometimes just the giant hay bales. Mike Hurst from the Nelson Medieval Society really added to the day as not only is he an archery expert but he came dressed in traditional battle field garments – our very own Robin Hood.

Go Sam, show him how it's really done!

Over the five days, thirty-four children from six different schools came together, made new friends and played hard together from start to finish. Lead by Samantha Slade, the staff were outstanding and extremely enthusiastic from 8am to hometime!

We made some really cool stuff!

This holiday the children played hockey, learnt to play the drums, worked on their soccer skills, did lots of winter crafts, made giant puzzles, practised First Aid, baked, played bingo, ten pin bowling, mini-golf, basketball with the Nelson Giants, enjoyed Silly Winter Olympics and of course there were games, a quiz and something that everyone looks forward to: the treasure hunt finale!

Planning is already underway for the next school holiday adventure which will be at Moutere Hills from 4th – 8th October and is set to include a spectacular African culture day.

Can't wait for the next Holiday Programme!

Samantha Slade may be a new arrival to the Moutere area, but she has certainly made her mark. With 20 years experience coaching gymnastics and a genuine love of the sport, she runs a fantastic ‘whole body movement programme’ in three venues in the Tasman district (Upper Moutere, Mapua and Riwaka).
Sam is also a course presenter for GymSports New Zealand (the national gymnastics governing body), teaching the next generation of play gym coaches around New Zealand.

The sessions are called ‘whole body movement programme’ because they do just that. By focusing on all seven fundamental movement patterns (swing, spring, landing, rotation, manipulation skills, balance and locomotion) they develop the mind and body. No other sport encompasses all seven movement patterns needed for the global development of a child. Each week the skills progress and change by using different equipment at different heights.
The structure of the sessions is kept the same so that children know what to expect. They start with some group mat time using hand apparatus, music or game depending on the age and focus of the session followed by a few simple stretches to prepare the body and mind for the harder tasks ahead. Then the children move to the equipment and have four or five goes on each circuit. This means the children do not have to stand in queues waiting for their turn, but can keep moving and practicing the skills they have learnt. The session finishes with a cool down as a group on the mats.

All this helps develop the child’s coordination, confidence and self esteem, teaching them exercise is fun and they are capable of doing all sorts of things as long as they give it a go. One of Sam’s greatest pleasures is in seeing these children grow to be healthy,  happy people full of enthusiasm and enjoying a wide range of sports.

For more information about times of sessions please contact Sam on samantha_slade@hotmail.com or 03 543 2521

We continue to grow as a popular venue for large sporting, family and commercial events and we plan to expand our website to include a section on local accommodation and caterers. If you are interested in having a link on our site for a small donation of $10.00 per year, please be in touch.