Mauri ki te rangi, me te whenua
Ngā kapua whakapipi
Mai ngā maunga tītia – Hi a haha

He mema tawhito a Whetu Tipiwai o te Poari Whutupōro Māori o Aotearoa, ko ia hoki te Kaumātua mo te Kapa Ōpango Māori. Me mihi ka tika ki a ia mo aua mahi, me ōna mahi mo te titonga o te haka o Ngā Mamaku kua whakaīngoatia Ko Uhia Mai. 

Ka whakaaturia taua haka i ngā painga ka puta ina mahitahi ai te mana tāne me te mana wāhine. Koia ra te kaupapa i horahia ki te ao i te tau 2022. Ko tā te whiti o runga ake nei, he kupu akiaki, kia tō mai te mauri no runga (ngā rautaki me ngā pukenga mana whakahaere) me te mauri mai i raro (te wairua kotahitanga o te hapori me te whānau). Ā, kia whakatōpūtia ngā mauri me ngā pukenga rau kei waenganui i a mātau mo ngā kaupapa whakahirahira e tū mai nei, kia tutuki ai ngā wawata. Te maha hoki o ngā wawata tā te Māori e tākaro whutupōro ana, tā Whutupōro Māori anō hoki i tērā tau. 

E whā ngā pou o te Rautaki Whutupōro Māori i whakarewatia i te Tihema 2021, kātahi i whakatinanahia i te 2022:

• Tātakitanga: Whakahiki i ngā Kaiārahi Māori
• Puawaitanga: Kia puawai a Ngai Māori i te whutupōro
• Hauoratanga: Toko ake i te ora
• Angitutanga: Whakahiki i te oranga pai a te Māori

Tātakitanga – Whakahiki i ngā Kaiārahi Māori

I te 2022, i hāngai atu a mātau mahi ki ngā tīnitanga o roto o Whutupōro Aotearoa kia tutuki pai ngā whainga ahurea, ngā whainga whakawhanaungatanga me ngā whainga pakihi.

Ka whakamanahia te Tiriti o Waitangi me te Iwi Māori hei hoa whutupōro ki Aotearoa nei. Koia rā te take i whakatūwhera tauruatia te Rautaki Whutupōro Māori me te Rautaki Whutupōro Aotearoa 2025. Mai raano te Ahurea Māori, te Iwi Māori me ngā wāriu Māori e whai wāhi ana ki Whutupōro Aotearoa. Ā, i whakatauiratia tērā e ngā mahi whakatakotoranga whakaaro i te wā o te whakataetae o te Kapu Whutupōro o te Āo 2021 (i whakahaeretia i te 2022), kei ngā kēmu Ōpango Māori, kei te taiao whutupōro Māori anō hoki. 

He pai rawa te tīmatanga tau me ngā Wānanga Rangatira i tū ki Rotorua i te marama o Pepuere. Neke atu i te 80 ngā kaiako, ngā kaiwhakahaere me ngā tuāo ināianei. Ka karangahia ko rātau te ‘rua kūmara’ e kaha nei ki te whakaako i ngā kaupapa Whutupōro Māori. Ka nui anō hoki ngā wāhine i waenganui i tēnei hunga. I kaha ngā mahi whakanui i te wahine i te ao whutupōro i taua tau, kātahi te kitenga mīharo ko tērā.

Ka mihia ngā kanohi hou. Tokorua ngā mema hou o te Poari, ko Warren Alcock rāua ko Ahorangi Anne-Marie Jackson. I whakawhiwhia te tūnga o te Tauira Kaitohutohu ki a Jacob Ellison. He tangata e matatau ana ki ngā pānga o te Tiriti me te ture. He tinimano āna hononga tāngata hei whakakaha i a mātau. Me mihi ka tika ki te Poari Māori katoa, otirā ki a rātau e puku mahi ana kia hāpaitia a mātau rautaki me ngā wawata. 

Anei anō ngā mihi kei te pae kaiwhakahaere, arā, ki a Cushla Tangaere-Manuel - Kaiwhakahaere Kaupapa Whutupōro Māori. I tau mai ki waenganui i tā mātau rōpu pakupaku nei o Whutupōro Māori, o Whutupōro Aotearoa. Nāna, rātau ko te pakihi a Mather Solutions te mahi nui ki te uiui i te hunga whaipānga kia arotakengia te Rōpu Whakahaere o Whutupōro Māori i te tau 2022. Nā tērā, ka mōhio mātau me pēhea te whakakaha i ngā whakahaerenga matua, me pēhea hoki e kōkiri whakamua ai ahakoa ngā rerekētanga o te ao o Whutupōro Aotearoa, me ngā whanaketanga kei ngā hapori hoki. Ka haere tonu ēnei mahi i te tau 2023.

He mea whakaharahara te Hui Motuhake i tū i te Hune. I hua mai tērā hui i ngā mahi whakariterite o Project Futures i roto i ngā tau e rua. I taua hui, i pōti te hunga whaipānga o Whutupōro Aotearoa (ko rātau anō ērā o te Poari Whutupōro Māori) kia tautokohia ngā pūtea penapena a Silver Lake ka hōmaingia ki a Whutupōro Aotearoa. I tautokotia hoki te whakatūwheratanga o te wahanga pakihi e mōhiotia nei ināianei ko New Zealand Rugby Commercial (NZRC).

E tū whakahīhī ana mātau i wā mātau mahi āta tātari mo ngā whakawhitinga. Ko ngā ripōata ērā, ngā mahi arotake, he kanohi i ngā wā whakatakoto whakaaro, he reo i ngā hui o te hunga whaipānga anō hoki, nau mai e ngā hua o tērā mahi āta wetewete. He $2 miriona tāra te nui o te pūtea i hōmaingia ki a Whutupōro Māori e te Pūtea Penapena a te Hunga Whaipānga, he whakaaetanga ā-tuhi tā NZMRB, NZR and NZRC kia tiakina te mana whakairo hinengaro Māori, he mema i whai māhi ki te Rōpu Kaitohu Tūnga o NZRC, i whai tūnga hoki ki ngā whakawhiti tohatoha pūtea o te Pūtea Taonga Tuku, mo ngā rā e heke mai nei. Ko tētahi o ngā whainga ko te mōhio i ngā wāriutanga o ngā whakairo hinengaro Māori, me ngā wāriutanga o ngā tohu Māori kei NZR, nā reira na mātau i whakatakoto tono ki te Rōpu Motuhake e whakahaere ana i te Arotake o te Kāwanatanga Whutupōro Aotearoa. I rangahautia e mātau me pēhea e ora ai te Rautaki Māori ki ngā wāhi rangatōpū, i whaiurunga hoki ā mātau kōrero ki ngā kaupapa pērā i te Hui mo te Kāwanatanga Tāpiripiri, te Hui Whutupōro o te Ao, me ngā whiriwhiringa mo ngā Wāhine me ngā Kōtiro o te Whutupōro. 

Puawaitanga: Kia puawai a Ngai Māori i te whutupōro

E kaha tonu ana mātau ki te aro ki ngā whanaketanga a Ngai Māori ki te ao whutupōro kia eke, kia tutuki pai ngā mahi mai i te kāinga, puta noa ki te ao. Ahakoa i heke te tokomaha kaitākaro i te tau 2022, o ngā kaitākaro whutupōro a motu, 27% o rātau he Māori. Ā, i kaha ake te whutupōro kei ngā Uniana a-Rohe, he tohu tērā i nui ake ngā kaitākaro Māori. I kaha anō hoki ngā Poari Māori i ngā rohe ki te whakarite whakataetae a rohe, nā te kaha o ngā pānga o te mate Kowheori me ngā utu taumaha o te wā. 

Mai i te wā tīmata ai ngā kaupapa whakaako whutupōro a Whatukura (2016) me Mareikura (2018) kua tino pupū ake ngā whakaritenga U18. Ko tētahi mea manahau, tokowhā rātau i uru ki ngā whakaritenga Mareikura o mua i eke ki te taumata o te whakamau i te tīhāte pango. Ā, 17 rātau kua whakakī tūnga i te whakataetae o te Kapu Farah Palmer.  

I ara mai tētahi āhuatanga i ngā whakaritenga o Whutupōro o te Ao, he tukinga o tētahi kapa wahine Māori ki Fijiana i mua tonu i te tīmatanga o RWC. Ahakoa kāre i roa te wā hei whakarite i tētahi kapa, na Te Hiku o te Ika tērā mahi i tutuki. Nā rātau hoki i whakarite kia tākarotia te kēmu ki Suva. Kāti ake, he wāhine katoa te tira haere, mai i te 25 wahine o te tīma tae noa ki tā rātau rōpu whakahaere. He kaupapa nui tēnei kia tino rongona te mana wahine, kia rongo anō i te manaakitanga no te iwi o Whītī. 

I te whakataetae o te kapu Whutupōro o te ao, i tino kitea te mana wahine ki ngā wāhi atu i te whīra ma ngā whakaritenga o te wā poi, me ētahi atu tikanga e hāngai ana ki te wahine, pērā i te karanga, puta noa i te tōnamana.

I tuki ngā Ōpango Māori ki te tīma o Airani ki Kirikiriroa me te Whanganui a Tara. I wikitoria i tētahi kēmu, i hinga i tētahi atu. I tono te Poari Māori kia tuki ngā Ōpango Māori ki ngā tino tīma o te ao, ā, kia tākarotia ēnei kēmu ki te kāinga, na reira, he oranga ngākau te kite i ngā tino tāne o te ao Māori, ngā mea kāre anō kia uru ki te kapa Ōpango, e whakaatu ana i te puawaitanga i te tukinga ki taua tīma whakaharahara, o Airani. 

He rawe anō te kite i a Ngai Māori e whai wāhi ana ki ngā tuku taonga ā-motu, ā-ao anō hoki. He mihi tēnei ki ngā kaiwhiwhi katoa otirā ki a rātau ngā ringa raupa o te Whutupōro Māori, e whakapau kaha ana, e whakapau wā ana, tēnā rawa atu koutou e te hāpai ō.

Hauoratanga: Toko i te ora

Ko tā mātau he toko ake i te oranga pai o te taha hinengaro, te taha wairua, te taha tinana me te taha whānau, na reira kua tuia aua aronga nui ki te katoa o ngā kaupapa whakaako kua waihangatia e mātau, kua tuia hoki ki ngā tīma. I tīmata Te Tātaritanga Ahurea me te Taiao o Ngā Mamaku i te Tīhema 2021, engari, i puta ngā rapunga ki te katoa i te Aperira 2022. Na tērā tātaritanga i whakamōhiotia mai kia aronuitia te tino wāriu o te Ahurea o te tangata i ngā wā whakawhitiwhiti kōrero. He mea nui kia mōhiotia, kia aronuitia ngā pānga o te tikanga, te reo, me te whakapapa ki te whutupōro. Koia e pai ai te whutupōro Māori ki te tokomaha kaitākaro, ā, ka whakatairangahia te oranga pai i roto i a mātau mahi katoa.

Angitutanga: Whakahiki i te oranga pai a te Māori

I te 2022, i whāia ngā huarahi katoa hei whakakaha i o mātau hapori, hei whakakaha anō i a mātau. Ko tētahi o aua huarahi ko te hui Tuitui i ngā Pakihi o Airani me Aotearoa i tū ki te Whanganui a Tara i mua i te kēmu whutupōro o ngā kapa Ōpango Māori me Airani. Ā, ko Eric Rush tērā i noho hei kaikōrero ngahau rawa atu me tana whakapapa Māori, Airani hoki.

Ka nui ngā mea angitū i puta i te whakataetae Kapu Whutupōro o te ao 2021 (i tākarotia i te 2022) kia waihangatia ngā kaupapa ngākaupai, kia poipoi hoki i ngā hapori. Pērā i te urunga o te Ahurea Māori me ngā taonga Māori ki ngā mahi i Whangarei, i Tāmakai Makaurau me te maha o ngā kaupapa e metia nei he taonga tuku te Whutupōro. Kia eke panuku te tōnamana, i mahi ngātahi a Whutupōro Aotearoa, te Komiti Whakahaere o RWC, Whutupōro o te Ao, te mana whenua, rātau ko ngā māngai a rohe o Whutupōro Māori, kia waihangatia tētahi kaupapa whakahiamo. Arā, i whakakōpani ake i ngā wāriu Māori (manaakitanga), ngā mahi toi (ngaru), he rōpu whakangahau (Patea Māori Club), he Rakahinonga (Georgina Latu, Rangatira o Pōtiki Poi), me te kaiwaiata (Rob Ruha).

Hei whakatepe, 2022 – he tau i whakanuia te mana wahine e Whutupōro Māori, he tau whakareri mo ngā whanaketanga i te ao whutupōro, kia pakari ake a Ngai Māori, kia ekeina ngā taumata teitei i te ao whutupōro, kia puawai ma te huarahi whutupōro hoki. Tērā te whakamāramatanga o ngā kupu akiaki a te whiti whakamutunga o te haka a Ngā Mamaku, me haere tonu ngā mahi, me koke whakamua, me huihui mai, me whakakotahi mai:

He tia, he tia – let us proceed
He ranga he ranga – press on, press on
Tūruki, tūruki – yes move it, move it
Paneke, paneke - move forward, forward
Haramai te toki – when the challenge arrives
Haumi e, hui e – we will gather and unite
Tāiki e – strength together
Hi! – it will be done

Tākuta Farah Palmer

Tiamana o te Poari Whutupōro Māori ki Aotearoa

Mauri ki te rangi, me te whenua
Ngā kapua whakapipi
Mai ngā maunga tītia – Hi a haha

Whetu Tipiwai, a previous NZ Māori Rugby Board member and Kaumātua for the Māori All Blacks helped compose Ko Uhia Mai – the Black Ferns haka that demonstrated to the world in 2022 how mana tāne and mana wāhine can achieve great things together. The verse shared here encourages us to gather lifeforce from above (strategy and governance) and below (community and whānau), and to combine all our gifts and talents when important kaupapa arise so that we can achieve lofty aspirations. Māori Rugby and Māori in Rugby had plenty of important kaupapa and lofty aspirations in 2022.

The Māori Rugby Strategy launched in December 2021 and implemented in 2022 includes four strategic pou:

• Tātakitanga: Uplifting Māori leaders
• Puawaitanga: Enhancing Māori through rugby
• Hauoratanga: Promoting holistic wellbeing
• Angitutanga: Uplifting Māori lives

Tātakitanga – Uplifting Māori leaders

Much of our focus in 2022 was about building imminence within the changing New Zealand Rugby landscape to achieve our cultural, social and commercial objectives.

The dual launch of the Māori Rugby Strategy alongside NZ Rugby's 2025 Strategy was a purposeful step toward acknowledging Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Māori as partners in rugby in New Zealand. Māori culture, values and people have always played a significant role in New Zealand Rugby and that was on display in 2022 in decision-making processes, during the Rugby World Cup 2021 (played in 2022), at Māori All Blacks games, and in our Māori rugby environment.

The Rangatira Workshop in Rotorua in February was a great way to kick off the year. There are now well over 80 coaches, managers, and volunteers often referred to as the 'Kumara Patch' who help to deliver Māori Rugby programmes and this includes an increasing number of wāhine which is wonderful to see in a year that celebrated women in rugby.

We also welcomed two new Board members – Warren Alcock and Professor Anne-Marie Jackson as well as an Aspiring Director Jacob Ellison, who brought to the table their extensive knowledge and experience of Te Tiriti, law and player networks to uplift our impact. I'd like to thank all of our Rangatira on the Māori Rugby Board and in Māori rugby generally who work behind the scenes to promote our strategic focus areas and aspirations.

At the management level, Cushla Tangaere-Manuel - Kaiwhakahaere Kaupapa Whutupōro Māori –joined our small but passionate Māori Rugby team in NZR. With Mather Solutions she consulted with a range of stakeholders to complete a Māori Rugby Governance review in 2022. This allowed us to understand what is needed to future proof our governance structures at a time when New Zealand Rugby is transforming, and our community needs are changing. This important work will continue in 2023.

Two years of Project Future negotiations culminated in a Special General Meeting in June, where NZR stakeholders (including the Māori Rugby Board) voted in support of Silver Lake investment in New Zealand Rugby and the establishment of a commercial entity now known as New Zealand Rugby Commercial (NZRC).

We are very proud of our due diligence during these negotiations which involved reports, reviews and representation in key decision-making roles, and stakeholder engagements. As a result, Māori Rugby received $2 million of the Stakeholder Investment Fund, have a written agreement between NZMRB, NZR and NZRC to protect Māori intellectual property, had a member on the NZRC Appointments Panel, and have a role to play in how the Legacy Fund will be distributed in the future. We continue to push for a valuation of Māori IP and branding in NZR and made a submission to the Independent Panel conducting the New Zealand Rugby Governance Review. We have also explored how to imbed Māori strategy into corporate environments, and had input in initiatives such as the Inclusive Governance Summit, the World Rugby Summit, and Women and Girls in Rugby consultations.

Puawaitanga – Enhancing Māori through rugby

We continue to focus on developing opportunities for Māori in rugby to strive and achieve from the local to global stage. Although participation rates overall decreased in 2022, Māori make up 27% of rugby participants and Heartland Unions in particular, demonstrated growth in Māori participation. Regional Māori Boards were also proactive and created opportunities to play games within and between rohe as communities are still dealing with COVID and increasing living costs.

Participation in Whatukura and Mareikura camps continue to grow since these U18 programmes started in 2016 (Whatukura) and 2018 (Mareikura). What is also heartening to see, is that four players who attended Mareikura camps in the past are now wearing black jerseys and 17 are involved in the Farah Palmer Cup.

Through World Rugby an opportunity arose for a wāhine Māori team to play Fijiana prior to the RWC kicking off. Te Hiku o te Ika put together an invitational team at very short notice to play Fijiana in Suva, giving 25 wāhine and an all-female management team an amazing opportunity to promote mana wāhine and experience manaakitanga from their Fijian hosts.

Mana wāhine was also on display on and off the field during the Rugby World Cup, symbolised most aptly through the incorporation of wā poi and other tikanga associated with wāhine, such as kāranga throughout the tournament.

The Māori All Blacks played Ireland in Hamilton and Wellington, and came away with one win and a loss. The Māori Board has insisted on opportunities for the Māori All Blacks to play Tier 1 teams at home, so it was pleasing to see the best of our Māori tāne, not already in the All Blacks, demonstrating puawaitanga against an exceptional team.

It is also uplifting to see Māori participants in rugby being recognised at national and international awards. We want to congratulate all recipients, and also acknowledge many of the unsung heroes who invest their time and energy in Māori rugby.

Hauoratanga – promoting holistic wellbeing

Hauora (holistic wellbeing) is an essential part of Māori Rugby. Te taha hinengaro (mental wellbeing), te taha wairua (spiritual wellbeing), te taha tinana (physical wellbeing) and te taha whānau (collective wellbeing) are imbedded in all of our programmes and teams. The Black Ferns Cultural and Environmental Review that began in December 2021 and was made public in April 2022 highlighted how important it is to communicate with players in a culturally sensitive and safe manner. Understanding the role of tikanga, te reo, and whakapapa within a rugby context is what makes Māori rugby appealing to many of our participants, and we continue to promote this holistic approach in all that we do.

Angitūtanga – Uplifting Māori lives

Every opportunity to build capacity through rugby for our communities and people was taken in 2022. This included an Irish and Māori Business Network event in Wellington prior to the Ireland versus Māori All Blacks game that featured Eric Rush as the highly entertaining guest speaker with Irish and Māori whakapapa.

There were also many opportunities associated with the Rugby World Cup 2021 (played in 2022) to create positive experiences and flourishing communities through the incorporation of Māori culture and taonga in Whangārei and Tāmaki Makaurau as well as in legacy events. New Zealand Rugby, the RWC Organising Committee and World Rugby worked closely with mana whenua and local Māori Rugby delegates to create an amazing atmosphere where Māori values (manaakitanga), designs (ngaru), performance groups (Patea Māori Club), entrepreneurs (Georgina Latu, CEO of Pōtiki Poi) and entertainers (Rob Ruha) were an integral part of the overall success of the tournament.

In closing, 2022 was a year for Māori Rugby to acknowledge and celebrate mana wāhine, and to prepare for a transformed rugby landscape so that Māori continue to thrive and achieve in and through rugby. As the closing verse of the Black Ferns haka explains, we need to proceed, press on, gather and unite:

He tia, he tia – let us proceed
He ranga he ranga – press on, press on
Tūruki, tūruki – yes move it, move it
Paneke, paneke - move forward, forward
Haramai te toki – when the challenge arrives
Haumi e, hui e – we will gather and unite
Tāiki e – strength together
Hi! – it will be done

Professor Farah Rangikoepa Palmer

New Zealand Māori Rugby Board Chair