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August 09, 2022
Haka big lift for kiwi games athletes
Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira
Posted On August 9, 2022
Download AudioAs the curtain goes down on the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Te Karere’s producer in Birmingham says the sports fest was a big win for Māori.
Aotearoa placed fifth overall in the games’ ranking with 49 medals – 17 bronze, 12 silver and 20 gold.
Rapaera Tawhai says about 20 percent of the athletes wearing the black fern were Māori, with the best performers being Lewis Clareburt from Waikato Tainui with three medals in the pool and squash double gold medallist Joelle King from Ngāti Porou.
King’s performance was boosted from the stalls by a new haka composed by Derek Lardelli and commissioned by New Zealand chef de mission Nigel Avery.
“(Nigel Avery) said it’s a point of difference for New Zealand and gives them an extra edge which you would have seen when you see the families, when you see this pou tikanga, when you see the athletes, Maori and non-Maori, performing this haka the on the world stage. It’s amazing,” Mr Tawahi says.
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