“We have a lot of connections with the Coast and vice versa. There are so many ties — the guys know each other.”
Houkamau is a busy man.
As well as fitting in training sessions, matches and travel for rugby, he is operations manager for Ngati Porou Seafoods Group. He and wife Alice Houkamau have four children, aged from 2 to 11.
Houkamau said his wife made it possible for him to accept the assignment of leading Poverty Bay.
“I have a really supportive home base,” he said.
His relationship with new Poverty Bay coach Tom Cairns goes back to high school.
“He was my dean when I started at Gisborne Boys’ High School in 2000,” Houkamau said.
“He was my coach in the under-15s.”
Cairns had a successful stint as coach of the Boys’ High first 15 before signing up as Poverty Bay’s head coach.
Many of the players in his squad were coached by him when they were at high school.
“Tom brings a wealth of knowledge,” Houkamau said.
“He knows the players and his connection with players in the region is strong.”
Cairns said Houkamau had the respect of the players and people looked up to him.
Houkamau said playing for Poverty Bay wasn’t just about the team. It was vital to “bring the province with us”.
“What’s important to me is that we truly connect with our region and play to the best of our ability — to have real pride in the scarlet jersey.”
After playing for Pirates in Poverty Bay club rugby, including the 2014 season when they won the Lee Bros Shield, he won a title with Waikohu in 2018 (when Pirates did not field a team) but signed up for the combined Pirates-GMC team this year.
Even though Pirates-GMC are winless this year, joining them was a “no-brainer”.
“There’s a lot of heritage in both clubs that we’re trying to hold on to and build,” he said.
Houkamau was a regular in the Poverty Bay side from 2014 to 2016.
He was named Poverty Bay club rugby’s most valuable player in 2017 but went on a three-month holiday to Europe with his family during the rep season that year.
He had two Heartland Championship appearances for Poverty Bay in 2018 after coming back from injury, as well as a Ranfurly Shield challenge against Taranaki, won easily by Taranaki.
Houkamau endorses the Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union’s emphasis this year on developing local talent.
He said the match between The Gisborne Herald Town and PGG Wrightson Country this month helped Poverty Bay get a head start on preparations.
It meant the players weren’t taking on the burden of receiving a lot of information in the week leading up to the match against Ngati Pouri East Coast.
“The style of play and structures have already been etched into our minds. We’re developing that now.”
Houkamau said training sessions had been fun.
“Our preparation through the week couldn’t have been better.”
See also this story.
