Rotorua mountain biker Tuhoto-Ariki Pene was named Junior Māori Sportsman at the Aotearoa Māori Sports Awards. Photo / Photosport
Rotorua mountain biker Tuhoto-Ariki Pene was named Junior Māori Sportsman at the Aotearoa Māori Sports Awards. Photo / Photosport
Every year Māori sports stars from around New Zealand take on the world and at the weekend they were celebrated at the 2019 Māori Sports Awards in Manukau. Among them were a host of Bay of Plenty's finest.
The Māori Sports Awards capped off a year in which Rotorua downhillmountain biker Tuhoto-Ariki Pene (Te Arawa) came of age on the world stage.
The 18-year-old won the Te Tama-ā-Ranginui (Junior Sportsman) award, joining an illustrious list of athletes, including Akira and Reiko Ioane, Nehe Milner-Skudder and Reuben Te Rangi.
Having long been an exciting young prospect, Pene took his performance to the next level in 2019, winning a bronze medal in the Junior Men's division at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Canada in September.
Earlier in the year, he finished first at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Italy, on a course described as one of the toughest on the circuit.
Pene's Māori culture and upbringing are a key part of who he is and what drives him. Māori was the first language he learned as a child. That gave Saturday's award even more meaning for him and his whānau.
"I was just stoked, I'm pretty happy. It was kind of a surprise that I won but I'm happy.
He said it was felt good being surrounded by top athletes that he could connect with on a cultural level.
"[Māori is] my first language, I grew up knowing more Māori than English so it was just cool to be around all those other Māori people," he said.
Those he was rubbing shoulders with included other Bay of Plenty stars such as world champion canoe racer Lisa Carrington (Te Aitanga ā Māhaki, Ngāti Porou) and World Cup winning Silver Ferns coach Noeline Taurua (Ngāpuhi) who were joint winners of the Supreme Award.
Bay of Plenty paddler Lisa Carrington, along with Silver Ferns coach Noeline Taurua, was named joint Supreme Award Rongmaraeroa winner at the Māori Sports Awards. Photo / Photosport
Pene said his success this year came down to belief - both belief in himself and from those close to him.
"Everyone believed in me. There was no-one I talked to who said I couldn't do it so it was all in my head, being around the right people.
"I did believe in it and believe I could do it, I didn't expect anything but I was happy to pull through."
While he said 2019 had been his best year to date, in terms of results, he was already looking at how to make the most of that momentum in 2020, having moved into the Elite Men's division. He has made a good start, picking up his first Elite win in race two of the New Zealand Downhill Series in Napier last month.
Everyone believed in me, there was no-one I talked to who said I couldn't do it so it was all in my head, being around the right people.
"The plan now is to get back into training and trying to talk to sponsors to sort out next year's situation - how I'm going to get overseas and how to make it comfortable so I'm not worrying about it as much. Just trying to get that side of things at the moment.
"It's my first year of Elite next year. My times were pretty close in some races but with a bit more practice I think I could get even closer. I definitely want to do some World Cups and maybe some Crankworx as well.
"The focus in my training now is going to be more on the food, the diet and training in the gym. Just all the different ways that I haven't done much of before, trying to get stronger pretty much."
Māori in World Champion Teams Recipients: J19 Aotearoa women's waka ama team: Makayla Timoti (Ngāi Tūhoe, Te Arawa, Ngāti Whakaue), Kyra Mita (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Tahu), Khobe Paretoa (Ngāti Pikiao, Maniapoto, Ngāpuhi).
