Athlete Leader Grace Payne Introduces Unified Schools to New Zealand

The inaugural competition in Auckland brought together six students from Parkside Specialist School and ten Unified Partners from Auckland and the Waikato, representing Onewhero Area School, Pukekohe High School and Tuakau College.

Unified Schools is an internationally recognised Special Olympics initiative that brings students with and without intellectual disabilities together to train, play sport and learn alongside one another, helping create more inclusive school communities where everyone has the opportunity to belong.

After getting to know one another through basketball activities, skill sessions and creating team chants and strategies, the students took to the court in two mixed teams — the Red Rockets and the Bananas

The Go Go Bananas claimed a 30–10 victory, but the real success was seeing young people with and without intellectual disabilities encouraging one another, competing as teammates and discovering what inclusive sport can look like.

“This is something I wish I’d had when I was younger,” said Grace.

“The reason I wanted to introduce Unified Schools to New Zealand is because I wanted inclusion to be normalised earlier in life. The earlier young people experience inclusion, the more natural it becomes.”

Grace is a Special Olympics New Zealand Upper North Island Athlete Leadership Council representative and Special Olympics International Sargent Shriver Global Messenger. She has been supported throughout the project by mentor Rowena Massey through Special Olympics New Zealand’s Athlete Leadership Programme.

“Grace had a clear vision of introducing Unified Schools to New Zealand,” said Rowena. “Watching that vision become a reality, and seeing young people experience the power of playing sport together as teammates, has been incredibly rewarding.”

Special Olympics New Zealand hopes the success of the inaugural competition will encourage more schools across Aotearoa New Zealand to adopt Unified Schools, creating more opportunities for students with and without intellectual disabilities to learn, play sport and thrive together.