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Aotearoa NZ Māori Rugby League has been given full voting member status in New Zealand Rugby League.
The constitutional change decided at the NZRL AGM also gave the Aotearoa League chair a permanent seat on the NZRL board.
It has previously been an associate member with no governance rights.
New Zealand Rugby League chief executive Greg Peters says honouring bi-cultural governance, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and the role and influence Māori rugby league has on the game is long overdue,
The constitution will be amended to uphold the mana of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the principles of Partnership, Protection and Participation and to promote, support and foster te iwi Māori me ona tikanga.
The first national Māori team was assembled in 1908, and the original New Zealand Māori Rugby League Control Board was formed in Huntly in October 1934 with the support of the Māori king.
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