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December 09, 2024
Māori values thrive in Kiwi Women’s sport
Gideon Porter
Posted On December 9, 2024
Download AudioMere Rangihuna, a wāhine Māori with 30 years of experience in sports event organizing and administration, says she’s thrilled by how much Kiwi women’s sport has embraced Māori concepts and practices, even amid the current political climate.
Rangihuna found it especially thrilling to watch the Kiwi White Ferns singing a Māori waiata after their T20 Cricket World Cup win, even though their squad doesn’t include many wāhine Māori.
She says the success of women’s sport, both locally and internationally, shows they must be doing something right.
“You know they’re not just the athlete that’s turning up. And if we want the best out of them we’ve gotta bring all of the other elements that our wāhine have to navigate and juggle, and our mums have done for so long. We just have to multi-task and they do that really, really well,” says Rangihuna.
Mere Rangihuna, says it’s great to see sports like cricket, basketball, and football joining rugby, league, and netball in celebrating the country’s Māori roots as an integral part of being New Zealanders.
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