April 30, 2013
Reward in afterlife for rugby stalwart
The New Zealand Māori Rugby Board has posthumously awarded life membership to Māori and South Canterbury rugby administrator Allan "Smiley" Haua.
Mr Haua died in January last year aged 64 after a long battle with cancer.
Board Chair Wayne Peters says he made an extraordinary contribution over 40 years to both national and club rugby.
The Vietnam veteran played more than 100 provincial Māori games for Canterbury Māori, Otago Māori and South Canterbury Māori between 1970 and 1989, and coached a range of Māori representative sides between 1987 and 2005.
He chaired Te Waipounamu Rugby Board and represented it on the New Zealand Māori Rugby Board for 23 years.
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