The Star: December 14, 2017

The Star Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Thursday December 14 2017 17
News
Polo comes back to Hagley Park
• By Bridget Rutherford
THE POUNDING of hooves
and the thwack of a polo ball will
return to South Hagley Park in
January for the first time in more
than two decades.
The Armstrong Prestige
Hagley Park Polo 2018 will be
held on January 21.
The free event is the brain
child of New Zealand
polo player
and event owner,
Jimmy Wood
(left), whose father
Roddy Wood
runs Waireka
Polo Centre in
Sefton.
Jimmy Wood and his two
brothers play professional polo.
Event organiser Sophie
Gardner said the Wood family
had dreamed of returning the
sport to Hagley Park, and had
finally got the go ahead from the
city council.
“Jimmy’s family have been
trying to get polo back into
Hagley Park for a few years now.
It’s our first year and we are
hoping to run it year-on-year
and for it to become an annual
social event,” she said.
“It’s about raising awareness
ACTION: Armstrong Prestige Hagley Park Polo 2018, which is the
brain child of polo player Jimmy Wood, will be held on January
21. ​
for the sport and making it
accessible to everyone.”
Polo has not been played in
Hagley Park since the early
1990s, although it was once the
headquarters for the sport in
Canterbury.
The Armstrong Prestige
Hagley Park Polo 2018 will be
part of a two-day invitational
tournament. Hagley Park will
host the tournament finals on
the second day. While the venue
for the first day is yet to be
confirmed, four teams made up
of four players will compete.
The teams would be made
up of professional players from
New Zealand, including Jimmy
Wood, and possibly some
Australian internationals.
Miss Gardner, originally from
West Sussex, said in England
people went along to watch the
polo, took a picnic, and sat on
the grass.
She encouraged people to do
the same at the free Hagley Park
KEY FACTS
•Polo originated in Persia,
although it is popular in Britain,
with the Royals often playing
•Four players on each team,
with have different positions
•Games at this tournament
will be made up of six, 7min
chukkas
•No pony will play more than
one chukka because of the
sport’s speed
event, as there would not be food
vendors. However, there will
be The Club House Marquee,
where groups or companies
can purchase a 10-seat table for
$2500, where they can enjoy
lunch catered by White Tie
Catering.
The subsidiary polo final will
begin at 12.30pm.
At 1.30pm, The Club House
Marquee Lunch will take
place, and there would be
entertainment on the field for
those in the public area.
At 2.30pm, there will be a
team player parade, followed by
the grand-final at 2.45pm.
The games will be made up
of four, 7min chukkas. Miss
Gardner said people did not need
to know the rules. Booklets with
information about the sport, its
•Each rider has a wooden
mallet, used to hit the ball
through the goal
•One goal equals one point
•Teams can be awarded
penalties, where they take a
shot at goal from a distance
dependent on the severity of
the foul
•Polo ponies can travel up to
45km/h. The ball can travel up
to 100km/h
rules and phrases will be handed
out on the day.
A commentator would also be
explaining what was happening.
“It’s really exciting to watch,” she
said.
During the final’s half-time
break, the traditional divot
stomping will happen and the
Veuve Clicquot Best Dressed
Awards will be presented.
After the final, the prize-giving
will be held at 4pm.
Miss Gardner said the plan
was to hold the event every year,
and grow the sport.
“Our dream is to have quite a
significant prize pool to attract
international teams.”
•To book a table in The
Club House Marquee, email
info@hagleyparkpolo.com or
call 021 023 79532
advertorial
Testing their Japanese
skills at the source
Japanese language students at Ara will have
the chance to try out their skills in Japan
in January and February thanks to a new
round of Prime Minister’s Scholarships for
Asia.
The scholarships fund a six-week study
trip to Miyazaki University on the eastern
coast of the island of Kyushu where students
will take language and cultural courses
and join a community internship in the
mountainous region north of Miyazaki,
home to the unique Takachihogo-
Shiibayama Mountainous Agriculture and
Forestry System - a UN ‘Globally Important
Agricultural Heritage System’.
Eight students selected for the opportunity
in early 2017 found that their language skills
prepared them for the experience and they
could talk to locals with confidence.
“Japanese language study at Ara is set apart
by the emphasis placed on oral language
skills, and the intensive nature of the courses
so students quickly become confident at
engaging in conversations in Japanese,”
Director of International Beth Knowles says.
“Graduates of the programme are well
equipped to speak confidently and develop
bilingual skills for a range of situations
- in social, academic and professional
environments - so that they can go on to
study or work in Japan.”
There is nothing like visiting the country
and speaking the language with local
people, Beth says.
“Students benefit so much from this type
of immersion because there is nothing
like practising the language in context and
absorbing the cultural protocols in action
as well.”
Ara is developing its global relationships,
which have so far extended to Japan, India,
South Korea, China, USA, Denmark,
Germany, the Netherlands and Australia.
Study visits, exchanges and visits from
international tutors are all part of this rich
mosaic.
As well as fast tracking students’
professional skills, international visits are
invaluable for stimulating personal growth.
Visiting another culture, especially one so
different to New Zealand, fosters a more
global worldview, as well as tolerance of
other cultures, developing new friendships
and incubating international networks.
Ara offers several Japanese language
programmes - the Certificate in Japanese
(Foundation), Certificate in Japanese and
Bachelor of Language (Japanese).
Find out more at www.ara.ac.nz.