Wainui Mangatu-proud man

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

by Jack Malcolm

Rugby lost one of its brightest stars yesterday with the news of Sean Wainui’s passing.

The outpouring from the sport’s community around the world shows how many people he made an impact on in just 25 years of life.

From stars of the game to this Gisborne sports reporter, his mana made an everlasting impression.

Last year I spoke to Sean for a story about making the Māori All Blacks. He said one of the best things about it was being able to take some of the kit home to give back to his whānau.

That highlights the type of person he will be remembered as, someone whose first thought after making it back into one of the most elite rugby teams in the world was about what it meant for his family.

One of his other motivating factors was representing his whānau and iwi with pride and passion on and off the pitch.

“I’m from Mangatu — Te Wainui Marae. . . my iwi is Ngāriki Kaiputahi and Ngāti Porou,” he said last year.