Listen Now: 
October 23, 2015
Maori rugby league tourney strengthens tribes
Waatea Team
Posted On October 23, 2015
It may be the first weekend of summer, but winter sports that are on top of the Maori agenda.
Not some little game in England but a big one in Manurewa for their iwi or whanau.
Howie Tamati, the chair of New Zealand Maori Rugby League, says the annual Maori tournament is testimony to the influence of Maori in the code.
It’s always well managed, and it’s a chance to show tribal pride, from the pre-match haka to the tough competition on the field.
The former Taranaki coach used to bring teams up as Taranaki Whanui.
"It helped bring the boys together and we brought boys back from Australia who were keen to play for us, and that identification with Maunga Taranaki did great things for the relationships we had with all the tribes around the mountain and I’m sure it’s the same for all the teams that come, if you do it right, if you follow the tikanga, have kaumatua with your teams, do the karakia and so on, it has wonderful ability to strengthen who we are as people," Mr Tamati says.
He and Graham Lowe are also headed south over the weekend to celebrate the centenary of the West Coast Rugby League.
Copyright © 2015, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com
RELATED NEWS
