June 02, 2023
Whakapapa celebrated in Māori league tourney
Forty-two teams will take the field this weekend in Rotorua for the Aotearoa Māori Rugby League’s rangatahi tournament, including teams from Queensland’s Gold Coast and Perth.
League chair John Devonshire says what started 23 years ago as a match between Auckland and Wellington selections has gotten so big it’s had to be split, with separate streams for under 15s, 17s and 19s and a separate tournament for younger teina.
He says it’s about the cultural connection as much as the sport, with teams having their own haka and the powhiri and karakia being an integral part of the event.
“We celebrate being Maori and sometimes we have our Matatini and stuff like that and in sport there’s Maori tournaments and Maori teams, netball, hockey, basketball, and this is our opportunity to do that and that is the beauty and that’s the unique difference because it’s not mainstream and there is one criteria, that’s whakapapa,” Mr Devonshire says.
Last year 28 boys went on to trials across the Tasman and many of those were signed by NRL teams.