Kia ora koutou katoa,

A very warm welcome to you all.

Since our founding members formed the Condor RFC (Inc.) in 1983, and our very first Condor Sevens Nationals was hosted at Eden Park in 1986 with 16 boys’ teams, the only incident we suffered was the cancellation of our 1999 tournament due to inclement weather which forced most outdoor events to be cancelled in Auckland that day.

The uncertainty of when we might be forced into another Covid-19 lockdown from March 2020 meant our planning was thrown into disarray several times, creating uncertainty with regard to available funding from sponsors and gaming trusts alike however, we are extremely pleased that we are able to host this, our 34th National Secondary Schools Sevens event at the prestigious King College in Otahuhu once again.

This threat is ever present until the first kick is taken on Thursday 10 December 2020 with Open Grade, and the referees whistle is blown to end the last U15 Final on Sunday 13 December 2020.

In this regard we ask that all our stakeholders bear in mind that this uncertainty will continue into 2021 until an extremely reliable, approved, and safe Covid-19 vaccine is discovered, and this uncertainty has already affected our 2021 tournament, which we have moved from April 2021 to December 2021.

We have the great privilege of partnering again with YOUTHTOWN, and are most fortunate indeed to have their support again this year. Our sincere thanks to Fay Amaral, CEO, and Amie Reynolds for their ongoing support.

Once again we exceeded all expectations in terms of delivery of the 2019 Youthtown Condor Sevens tournament and without the generous support of YOUTHTOWN, this would have been extremely difficult,

Also we welcome sponsors, NZ Sport Collective, and Rob Waddell, along with our new Broadcasting Sponsor, Sky Sport Next in this their second year with Condors Sevens.

Good luck and best wishes to all students taking part over the next four days, and I hope you will take away many fond memories of your participation in our Finals event.

My thanks to all sponsors, gaming trusts, stakeholders, referees, parents, supporters, and Condor staff and helpers who have, and will continue to contribute to the success of our 2020 event..

I would like to take this opportunity and thank Garry Carnachan of School Sport NZ very much for his continued support of Condor Sevens over many many years, and wish him all the very best for the next challenge he has chosen to pursue in the future. Kia ora Garry from Condors!

Ngā mihi

Eddie Mei - Condor Chairman