March 18, 2013
Irish invite thrills ki-ō-rahi enthusiasts
Ki-ō-rahi revivalist Harko Brown has asked Māori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples for help getting a team to Ireland this year for a tournament marking an important connection between Aotearoa and the Emerald Isle.
The tournament is being played at the Dave Gallaher International Summer School in Donegal, which commemorates the birthplace and work of the 1905 All Black captain.
Gallagher and his vice-captain Billy Stead, a Southern Māori, developed the tactics for the team's stunning successes in Great Britain.
Mr Brown says the Irish want to introduce the game to their schools.
“They didn't actually have a history of Ki-o-rahi. That’s why I think it’s really important that we go over and do the tuku iho, actually hand over our tāonga to them for the safe keeping within the bosom of the Irish. Typical Irish have only given us four months notice, but that’s good. We’re strong here and quite capable with dealing with that type of timeframe,”
Harko Brown says the cost of getting to the tournament is beyond his Bay of Islands club, Ki-o-Rahi Akotanga Iho, so the begging bowl is out.
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