Pathways success celebrated at Māori Rugby Board Annual General Meeting

English translation to follow below.

I whakanuia ngā kaupapa whakawhanake whutupōro i te ao whutupōro Māori e te poari matua i te hui-ā-tau i tēnei pō.

Kāore te kapa Whatukura U18 i hinga i tēnei tau, he toatanga tuatahi ki te kapa New Zealand Schools, ā, i toa hoki te kapa Māori XV tuatahi ki te kapa Heartland XV, me te aha e mihi tonu ana ngā ekenga i te ao whutupōro Māori.

Neke atu i te 350 rangatahi puta i te motu i tae atu ki te kaupapa o E Tū Toa mō ngā hōpuni ā rohe, me te aha ko te whāinga kia huri ēnei rangatahi hei rangatira. E ono ngā raukura o tēnei kaupapa i eke ki te poraka pango i tēnei tau, ko Cortez Ratima rāua ko Ruben Love hei Ōpango, ko Justine McGregor ki te kapa takiwhitu, me te aha ko Benet Kumeroa rātau ko Daniel Rona ko Nikora Broughton i eke ki te kapa Ōpango Māori mō te wā tuatahi, ā, ko Rameka Poihipi, ko Te Kamaka Howden me Tyrone Thompson i eke anō ki te kapa he raukura ō mua o te kaupapa nei.

Hei tā te tiamana o te poari matua a Anne-Marie (Ngāti Whātua, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Kahu, Te Roroa)

“Kua roa te kaupapa o E Tū Toa e tū nei hei pou mō te whutupōro Māori hei painga mō ngā taiohi me ngā rangatira o te kaupapa. He taiao kua whakaritea kia aro ki te whakapapa me te ao Māori, ā, ko te whutupōro te waka. Mā te whakarite taiao e hono ai te taiohi ki tōna tuakiritanga, e ako hoki ai ētahi pukenga hou, ka puta ēnei taiohi i te kaupapa kua pai te hauora kia whai oranga ai rātau ko ō rātau whānau ki ngā whīra tākaro ki wāhi atu anō hoki”.

I tipu te hunga whai wāhi ki te whutupōro i roto i ngā hapori, he 43,272 ngā kaitākaro he 5.3% te tipu i te tau kua hori. I tino whanake te nui o ngā kōtiro, ngā māreikura me ngā wāhine tākaro whutupōro mā te 13.3%, ā, ko ngā tama, ngā whatukura me ngā tāne i tipu mā te 2.7%. Ko te mea nui i tipu ngā kaiako whutupōro Māori mā te 15% hei manaaki i te tipuranga o ngā kaitākaro Māori.

Hei tā Jackson,

“E harikoa ana te poari i te aupiki o ngā kaitākaro puta i te motu. E mihi nei mātau ki ngā poari-ā-rohe me ngā whānau mō ā rātau mahi i roto i ngā rohe kia whanake ai tēnei kēmu i ngā rohe, me te aha koia nei tā tātau koha ki te whutupōro i Aotearoa nei.

I tohua e rua ngā mema hou kia whai wāhi ai ki te hui. I tonoa anō a Jackson, ā, i tohua a Dr Daryn Bean mō te wā tuatahi. Ki ngā rohe, i poroakitia a Andre Baker te tiamana o Te Tini-a-Māui, ā, ko Stewart Whyte te tiamana hou kua whai wāhi hoki ki te poari whutupōro Māori.

I whakanuia te angitu o ngā kaitākaro me ngā kaiako Māori, e waru ngā toa ki te Māori Sports Awards, i toa hoki te kapa whakawhanake i te taonga Ngā Ika ā Whiro Māori kapa o te tau, ngā kapa o Aotearoa me ngā kaitākaro o te kapa takiwhitu o Aotearoa i riro mētera kōura i ngā Orimipiki i tū ki Wiwi 2024.

I mihia anō ngā mahi nui a te kaumātua a Luke Mikaire Crawford (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Porou and Ngāti Toa via his ancestor, Puhiwahine) i hinga atu i te marama o Hakihea. Ko ia te kaihautū Māori me te kaumātua o te whutupōro Māori, ā, ko ia te pou ārahi i te ao Māori me ngā tikanga Māori i te ao whutupōro. Ka maharatia tōna manawanui, tōna ngākau mahaki me āna mahi rangatira mō te whānau whutupōro.

I kōrerohia ngā panonitanga ki ngā whakahaere o te whutupōro i puta i te NZR Governance review: I mihia te mema poari Māori o mua i tana eke ki te poari whutupōro matua o Aotearoa, me te aha i mihia te tautōhito o te poari Māori a Kahurangi Farah Palmer mō āna mahi nui.

Kia kitea te ripoata o te tau a te poari whutupōro Māori, tipakohia tēnei:

The strength of development pathways within Māori rugby was celebrated at the New Zealand Māori Rugby Board (NZMRB) Annual General Meeting (AGM) tonight.

In a year where the U18 Ngā Whatukura Boys team went undefeated, including an historic first win against the New Zealand Schools team, and the inaugural New Zealand Māori XV side defeated the New Zealand Heartland XV, the continued impact and achievements of Māori rugby were acknowledged as a highlight.

The E Tū Toa programme saw over 350 youth from across the motu attend regional camps, with the aim to turn rangatahi into rangatira. The programme celebrated six players making debuts for Teams in Black in 2024 - Cortez Ratima and Ruben Love became capped All Blacks; Justine McGregor debuted for the Black Ferns Sevens; and Benet Kumeroa, Daniel Rona and Nikora Broughton were selected in the Māori All Blacks for the first time, joining Rameka Poihipi, Te Kamaka Howden and Tyrone Thompson as players who have come through the kaupapa.

New Zealand Māori Rugby Board Chair Anne-Marie Jackson (Ngāti Whātua, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Kahu, Te Roroa) said:

“The E Tū Toa Māori Rugby Development programme has long been one of the pou (pillars) of Māori rugby for our taiohi (youth) and rangatira of the Kūmara Patch. It is an environment which prioritises connection to whakapapa and te ao Māori, with rugby as the vehicle. By creating a space where taiohi can connect to who they are, build life skills and develop their rugby abilities at the same time, these taiohi come away from the kaupapa with their hauora flourishing, which benefits them and their whānau on and off the field.”

Participation in community rugby continued to grow, with 43,272 Māori players a 5.3% increase on the previous year. Within that, the number of kōtiro, mareikura and wāhine grew significantly by 13.3%, and tama, whatukura and tāne increased by 2.7%. Importantly, Māori coaching numbers saw 15% growth to help support the growing playing base.

Jackson reflected on this growth with pride:
“As a Board, we’re thrilled to see this growth in the player base across the motu. We thank our regional boards and whānau for their mahi in their respective rohe, doing important work to support the grassroots game, and this highlights our contribution to rugby in Aotearoa.”

Two appointed positions on the Board were confirmed as part of the Meeting. Jackson was reappointed, and Dr Daryn Bean was appointed for the first time. At the regional level, Andre Baker was farewelled as Te Tini-a-Māui Chair, with Stewart Whyte stepping into the position and onto the New Zealand Māori Rugby Board.

The wider success of Māori players and coaches was celebrated, with eight winners at the Māori Sports Awards, including the Development team winning Ngā Ika ā Whiro Māori Sports Team of the Year, along with Teams in Black and players who brought home a gold medal as part of the Black Ferns Sevens’ triumph at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The impact of Māori rugby kaumatua Luke Mikaire Crawford (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Porou and Ngāti Toa via his ancestor, Puhiwahine) was acknowledged following his passing in December. As Kaihautū Māori and Kaumatua for Māori rugby, Crawford ensured te ao Māori and tikanga Māori were followed across rugby. He was remembered as a kind, generous and reassuring leader for all in the rugby whānau.

The evening also noted governance changes in rugby as a result of the recent NZR Governance Review; previous New Zealand Māori Rugby Board director Doug Jones was congratulated after his successful appointment to the NZR Board, and the Meeting noted the retirement of long-standing New Zealand Māori Rugby Board member Te Kahurangi Dame Farah Palmer.

To view the New Zealand Māori Rugby Board Annual Report, please click here:

Members of the New Zealand Māori Rugby Board in 2024
Kahurangi Dame Farah Palmer – Chair
Rob Clark - Te Hiku o te Ika Chair
Andre Baker – Te Tini-ā-Māui Chair
Dayveen Stephens - Te Waipounamu Chair
Doug Jones – Appointed Member
Anne-Marie Jackson – Appointed Member
Arran Pene – Appointed Member
Warren Alcock – Independent Member
Merewaakana Kingi – Independent Member
Jacob Ellison - Emerging Director