New Zealand Maori Rugby Board AGM celebrates development pathways

New Zealand Māori Rugby Board (NZMRB) Chair Dr Farah Palmer took the opportunity at their Annual General Meeting in Wellington to celebrate the growing number of Māori playing at representative level in Aotearoa, many of whom have come through their regional development programmes.

“It’s a great source of pride to look at provincial and Super Rugby sides as well as the Teams in Black and see such strong Māori representation,” Dr Palmer said.

“This speaks to the talent, skill and dedication of our people, and the support structures that enable them to represent their culture at the highest levels of rugby.”

In particular, Palmer reflected on the importance of regional development camps, which have been in place since 2015. The E Tū Toa Under 18 programme has played a vital role in the lives of rangatahi on and off the field, and 2021 saw more than 60 alumni of the programme playing representative rugby.

“We aim to use rugby as a way to encourage young Māori to be proud of who they are and to reach for higher peaks. To see such a large number of kōhine and tama graduate from the E Tū Toa programme and excel in the game as tāne and wāhine is validation that our mahi is making a difference for the young people involved.”

Fifty-three tāne who had attended E Tū Toa played across the Bunnings NPC, Super Rugby, All Blacks Sevens and Māori All Blacks during 2021, while 14 wāhine graduates played across the Bunnings Farah Palmer Cup, Black Ferns and Black Ferns Sevens.

Dr Palmer also acknowledged the recovery of participation numbers, with 25 percent of rugby participants in Aotearoa having Māori whakapapa – 26,551 wāhine and 120,879 tāne.

Departing Board members Rick Steedman, Chair of Te Hiku o Te Ika (Northern Region), and Richie Milner (Appointed Board member) were also farewelled at the AGM, although both will stay involved in regional Māori rugby. Rick’s enthusiasm for rangatahi development through Māori rugby was infectious, and he was a champion for the benefits of the Rangatira workshops. As Chair of the Rugby Committee, Richie initiated a survey to determine the state of provincial and Māori rugby relationships, and his aroha for his community through rugby and the Covid-19 pandemic kept the NZMRB focused on their ‘why’.

Newly appointed Board member Associate Professor Anne-Marie Jackson was welcomed, and her strong connections to Māori rugby in Ōtākou, the Otago Rugby Union and the Highlanders will provide great insight for the Māori Rugby Board as it looks to activate its new four-year strategy for 2022-2025.

“In 2021, we took the opportunity to review our strategy so that we could reimagine rugby to further enhance positive outcomes for Māori. This is especially important as rugby emerges from the pandemic, and we seek to keep Māori rugby relevant and transformative into the future,” Dr Palmer said.

Whanaungatanga – Unify and connect

In what was a challenging year for Māori wellbeing, Dr Palmer reiterated the importance of whanaungatanga and and a sense of kotahitanga through Māori rugby.

“Through our camps, workshops and online wānanga we were able to provide the social and cultural connections Māori were craving. We became even more acutely aware of the importance of connection as we grieved the passing of Rangiora Reweti and Sean Wainui, two amazing young people that we became close to through rugby, taken too soon.”

Poutamatanga - Achievement

Regional and provincial Māori boards demonstrated resilience in 2021 by organising local derby games when and where they could. Some coveted trophies were contested, with Te Upoko o Te Ika Senior Tāne side claiming the Sir Eruera Tihema Tirikatene Shield, and the Waitaha Colts winning the Matt Moeahu Taonga in Te Waipounamu. Games of three halves also featured throughout the year, offering the opportunity for numerous teams to take the field in an increasingly condensed rugby window.

“It was great to see the determination of our regions to run their own local matches. It gave people the opportunity to represent their whakapapa and talents while also having fun.”

Taumatatanga – Excellence

The Māori All Blacks celebrated their 125^th match as part of their two-match series with Manu Samoa. “The festival atmosphere in Auckland was an amazing evening celebrating all that Māori and Pasifika bring to rugby on and off the field.”

The assembly of the inaugural Ngā Māreikura Under 18 team in 2021 was another indicator that investment into Māori development pathways is paying dividends. “It is a team for wāhine, by wāhine, with female coaches, management and kaihautū all volunteering to invest their time and energy into this amazing kaupapa. As we look ahead to Rugby World Cup 2021 (playing in 2022), Ngā Māreikura is just one of the programmes we will be championing in a year to celebrate women and girls in rugby.”

The achievements of multiple Māori players were recognised with respective awards over the year, with two in particular being highlighted by Dr Palmer.

“Sarah Hirini had an exceptional year as captain of the Olympic gold medal winning Black Ferns Sevens and it was wonderful to see Sir Wayne “Buck” Shelford being knighted and inducted into the Māori Sports Hall of Fame. He has demonstrated rangatiratanga on and off the field for a long time, and these honours acknowledge his mana.”

Rangatiratanga – Leadership

The contribution of New Zealand Rugby staff members Luke Crawford (Kaihautū Māori / Māori All Blacks Kaumātua) Tiki Edwards (Māori Rugby Development Manager) and newcomer Kahu Carey (Māori Rugby Development Officer) were also praised.

“The commitment of Luke and Tiki plays a significant role in the success of Māori rugby programmes from grassroots to high performance,” said Palmer. “Tiki continues to be the backbone of our development of players and rangatira in the game, and he is now ably supported by Kahu, meaning their impact will continue to grow across the motu.

“Luke continues to be a champion of tikanga, te reo and taonga for all environments within New Zealand Rugby. He has provided invaluable input into strategic and commercial projects, Teams in Black campaigns, and demonstrated exceptional leadership through our times of grief.

“As Chair, it is a wonderful feeling to know that Māori rugby is in such good hands, and that our partnership with NZR was strengthened in 2021 with the mutual launch of our strategic plans to our stakeholders in December. I give my thanks to our regional committees and kaimahi who continue to dedicate themselves to the hauora and aspirations of our people in and through rugby.”

New Zealand Māori Rugby Board as at 27 April 2022

Farah Palmer - Chair
Rob Clarke – Te Hiku o te Ika Chair
Andre Baker – Te Tini Māui Chair
Andre Thompson - Te Waipounamu Chair
Doug Jones – Appointed Member
Anne-Maire Jackson – Appointed Member
Cushla Tangaere-Manuel – Appointed Member
Merewaakana Kingi – Independent Member
Arran Pene – Independent Member