Jonty Howland already has an impressive swimming medal collection - “mostly golds” - but now he has his eye on bigger things.

The 12-year-old Manawatū para-swimmer added to his collection at this year’s week-long Zespri AIMS Games and is hoping his AIMS Games campaign will set him up for his sporting dream of representing New Zealand at the World Dwarf Games.  

The Halcombe School student from Manawatu has been swimming for about 11 years - competitively for two years - and has steadily improved.

His sporting idols, New Zealand Paralympic swimmers Dame Sophie Pascoe and Cameron Leslie, helped inspire Jonty and he dreams of competing in the World Dwarf Games – an international sporting event exclusive to athletes with dwarfism.

Jonty says he was excited to be competing in the AIMS Games in Tauranga this year, alongside nearly 12,000 intermediate-aged athletes from around New Zealand and the Pacific.

“The best part of AIMS is being able to show off my skills that I’ve developed in the years that I’ve been competing,” he says.

“It’s an opportunity to compete against the best of the best of Year 7s and 8s from schools around the country.”  

His favourite swimming stroke was the 100m breaststroke - “that’s where most of my medals have come from,” - and usually swims twice a week, although he’s doubled his training in the weeks leading up to the games.

His hard work was evident as Jonty showed off his skills in the Baywave pool at AIMS, with a big crowd cheering him.

Megan Wishnowsky, a team parent who traveled with the swimmers to Tauranga, says the support for Jonty was incredibly well-deserved.  

“Jonty is so dedicated to all his sport - anything that’s going, he puts his hand up for,” she says. “He has the most beautiful backstroke and all his medals are getting heavy!”  

Wishnowsky says the AIMS Games have been an “awesome” experience for the young athletes.   

“The kids are so supportive of one another and it’s really not singular; they’re all cheering each-other on.  It’s been such an awesome atmosphere. Really well organised, everyone’s super supportive- they’re not sitting there on phones, they’re all totally involved.”  

Zach Graham competing in indoor bowls at the Zespri AIMS Games in Tauranga. Photo: AIMS Games Media.

Meanwhile, fellow Athlete With Disability Zach Graham picked up from where he’d left off last year, adding a gold and a bronze to his AIMS medal haul after competing last year.

Zach, who has low-vision, broke new ground by competing in indoor bowls last year but this year decided to add cross country to his week, winning the athletes with disabilities category.  Not only that, he was also enlisted into the Highlands Intermediate relay team, competing against all-comers in the school team race.

The Year 8 student says he was excited to share the news with his classmates at home.

“I won’t be screaming it out to everybody but I’ll get to be like ‘I got first place in cross country and third place in bowls’!”

Zach and his dad Peter made the trip from New Plymouth for the week-long tournament and says he had enjoyed having a week off school.  

He says trying something different by competing in the cross country had been an “exciting” highlight, as he didn’t compete in the sport at last year’s games.

Zach Graham competing in cross country at the Zespri AIMS Games in Tauranga. Photo: AIMS Games Media.

But he says he still would put indoor bowls – and chess - over cross country on his favourites list.

“It’s not as tiring, you can do it for longer, and it doesn’t use your vision as much… and bowls is still exciting. The games can get really close to a matter of points.”

Zach began playing bowls around three years ago, after going to an indoor bowling club after school.

“I think I was quite good, and then I just kept going. I did it for AIMS games last year too. It’s been quite fun.”

He plays regularly with his family at their local bowling club in New Plymouth, and dad Peter says it was a special way to be together as a family.

“It’s mostly friendly – but there’s a bit of family rivalry there too,” he says.

Graham says it had been an “exciting” few days at AIMS. He says Sunday’s cross country was a proud moment, and Monday and Wednesday’s indoor bowls games had included some exciting head-to-heads.