When Carncot Independent School hosted the Halberg Mile, it was more than a day of running and obstacle courses. For Barney Triggs, it was a chance to take part alongside his friends – and for the school, an opportunity to experience what inclusion can look like.

The Halberg Mile is a nationwide fundraising event that brings schools across New Zealand together to make sport and play more inclusive. Students can run, walk or roll a mile: 1.6km. Inspired by Sir Murray Halberg and his famous mile-running legacy, the event celebrates his connection to sport while helping support Halberg Foundation’s work to remove barriers for young people with physical disabilities. Funds raised help provide schools with training, practical resources and support to make participation in sport and physical activity more inclusive.

But for Carncot School, the Halberg Mile was about more than raising money. It was an opportunity to put inclusion into practice.

For Barney Triggs, being included means being able to do what others can do. The Year 4 student lives with Ollier Disease, a rare condition that affects the way his bones grow and can make movement more difficult. His right leg is shorter than his left and he uses a walker to get around.

Barney doesn’t see that as a reason to sit something out. “I just want to be a child who can do everything possible,” he says. Having heard about the event from teacher, Hayley Childs, he was excited to take part with his friends.

“It felt really good to be part of the Halberg Mile and it was fun,” Barney says. It was meaningful as he could complete every part of the obstacle course. Rather than having a separate course or being told there were activities he couldn’t do.

“I wasn’t given a separate course or told that I couldn’t do something. I was able to take part in the same activities as everyone else. There was even a moonwalk section – a particular highlight for me, as it is my favourite dance move,” Barney says.

For Hayley Childs, the experience reflected an approach to inclusion she believes should be part of everyday education.

“We know that effective teaching begins with knowing and understanding our learners and we need to ask: “What could we change, adapt or provide so that this learner can participate and experience success?”

Barney has been an important part of that thinking at Carncot. Hayley first met him when he was in Year 2 and says his positive outlook, resilience and determination have stayed with her.

“He doesn’t define himself by what might be difficult for him. He is much more interested in what he can do, what he enjoys and what he might try next.”

Working alongside the Halberg Foundation has helped the school turn that thinking into action. Early on in her journey with Barney, Hayley connected with Halberg’s expertise to explore how he could participate fully alongside his peers.

That relationship became particularly valuable when the idea of bringing the Halberg Mile to Carncot began to take shape.

The school used the Halberg resources before the event to introduce students to the Foundation and explore themes including inclusion, empathy, belonging and participation. Younger students designed Halberg T-shirts and created posters about what inclusion looks, sounds and feels like.

“The students weren’t focused on who could or couldn’t do something. Instead, they were focused on having a go, encouraging one another and celebrating each other’s successes,” Hayley tells us.

On the day, all of those ideas came to life. Students moved through different parts of the school, including the turf, field, hall, courtyard and junior playground. The course was designed with multiple ways to complete each section, allowing students with different abilities to challenge themselves and experience success.

The event also brought together expertise from across the community, including Kelly Sports, ParaFed and Sport Manawatū. Older students supported younger buddies through the course, creating opportunities for tuakana-teina relationships.

The Halberg Mile gave the students of Carncot an opportunity to adapt, problem-solve, encourage one another and discover that there is more than one way to participate in sports.