Kāhu ki Rotorua: Popular poitukohu fills our city courts

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

See below for English translation

Tūtū te pūehu ki te takere waka o Te Arawa

Me he tangata hakoke kau koe i ngā tiriti o te tāone, kāore e kore kua mīharo ngā kanohi ki te tini o te pioi tangata e hāereere hoki ana i ngā tahataha rori.

Ko te nuinga o ēnei manuwhiri he toa pūrei pahikitepōro. Kua mana anō te tūnga o Rotorua i te whakataetae nui pahikitepōro Māori o Aotearoa. Āpōpō whakamoea ai tēnei kaupapa whakahirahira. E mana hoki ai ngā toki katoa ki te papa whakataetae kua wāwāhingia te whakataetae. Ko te wāhanga rangatahi, ara, ko te hunga raro iho i te whitu o ngā tau, i te iwa, i te kotahi tekau mā tahi me te kotahi tekau mā rima o ngā tau ka whakataetae ā te Māne tae noa ki te Wenerei.

Mai i te Taite ki te Rāhoroi ko te wāhanga ki ngā taipakeke, ko te hunga raro iho i te kotahi tekau mā whitu, i raro hoki i te kotahi tekau mā iwa, kai tēnei wāhanga hoki ko te hunga pakeke, ngā pahi whakaranu me ngā ika-ā-Whiro. Kai Papepaehākūmanu te whakataetae, me ētehi atu wāhi o te rohe nei. Nā, kai te kura o ngā kōhine, kai te kura o Raukura, te kura hoki o Kaitao Rotohokahoka me Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Koutu whakataetae ai.

Image 1 of 7: Poitukohu Maori Basketball tournament at the Energy Events Centre. U13 final Te Arawa Whero versus Ngati Toa. Te Arawa won 35 to 28. Te Arawa player Te Paea Gray-Marsden 25 January 2023 The Daily Post Photo/Andrew Warner.

Ko tētehi hoki o ngā tikanga ka oti ngā keemu ā te Wenerei ka whakangāhau ngā tīma ki te hōro o BayTrust. Ko eke tēnei whakataetae ki tana tau tuaiwa i Rotorua nei te pakeke. Nā te māuiui kōwheori/urutā i kore ai te whakataetae i te tau tawhito. Hai tā Rangitihi Pene, ' Ae, i whakakorengia te whakataetae i te tau ko hori i mua tonu o te rangi whakataetae.

Nā te Pirimia o Aotearoa taua whakahau koia te wā i ruku atu ai a Aotearoa ki te hīnaki o te ora, ara ki te taumata whero. Nō te tūruawēpō nō te Hanuere te rua tekau mā iwa te rā'.

E rua anō ngā whakataetae pahikitepōro o te motu kua roa e oreore ana, ko tētehi ki Whangārei ko te mea tuarua ki Kirikiriroa. Engari kua whakakorengia ēnei whakataetae i te rā tonu nei. Kai tāwauwau hoki te take. I pātaingia a Rotorua Basketball Association e Willie Taurima ki a tū tēnei whakataetae ki Rotorua ā te tua ono tae noa ki te tuawaru o Pepuere i te tau e rua mano kotahi tekau mā whā. Ko Sue Pene te makau rangatira o Rangitihi te wahine whakahaere, whakatika i ngā wāhi whakataetae.

Grabbing a chance to take team shots at the tournament.

Kai Porirua te rōpū whakahaere matua. Ko Taku Parai te tiamana, ko Pene Hippolite te rangataira whakahaere. Nā Willie tēnei kakano i whakaarongia hai whakakotahi i te Māori otīā te whānau, ngā hapū, ngā marae me ngā iwi hoki.

" Ka nui te hunga Māori e rata nei ki te pahikitepōro, mātua ko te hāpori Moromona’. Hai tā Rangitihi. Kua roa nei a Willie ki te ao o te pahikitepōro ā mahita, ā taha pepa mai i Porirua. Nō Ngāti Kahungunu (Rākaipāka, Rongomaiwahine) ia. He hiahia hoki nō Te Rauparaha Arena Stadium ki te whakarauora i te whakataetae ā motu nei engari ki tētehi taumata kē atu.

‘Ko te whāinga mātua ko te whakaū i te wairua Māori, me te mana o te whakapapa, kia rere noa ai tā tātau reo ki te taha ki te puku hoki o tēnei kēmu’.

He kitenga hoki nāna i tētehi whakapūaretanga e ahei ai te hunga mātakitaki ki te noho tahi me ngā īma Māori e whakataetae pahikitepōro ā tīnana tonu ki te aroaro o te hunga tautoko, engari he whakataetae ā motu tonu i Aotearoa nei. E ora kaha nei tēnei whakataetae i te aroha nui o Te Puni Kōkiri, Te Mātāwai me te One Foundation.

Koia nei ētehi o ngā whāinga a te hunga whakahaere:

■ Ki a noho tikitiki ai te whakapapa, te reo Māori me ngā tikanga hoki o tātau te Māori ki te ao o te pahikitepōro.

■ Kia whakatakotohia ētehi huarahi awhina mō ngā pou tākaro pahikitepōro me ngā pou wawao mā te rōpū matua pahikitepōro o Aotearoa.

■ Ki te whakatakoto huarahi e tāea ai e te hunga ngākau nui ana ki te pahikitepōro ki te mātakitaki ngā tīma Māori e whakataetae ā motu nei, whaihoki ki te mātakitaki ngā tīma matua ka tae ki Aotearoa nei whakataetae ai.

■ Ko te homai huarahi tūhura mō ngā pou tākaro me ngā pou wawao pahikitepōro ki a nanaohia ngā puna mātauranga o whenua kē atu e pakari ake ai ō rātou wairua whakataetae.

— Na Raimona Inia i whakamaori

English Translation

Anyone walking the streets of Rotorua this week could not help but notice the influx of manuhiri, most especially Maori basketball players.

Rotorua was again the venue of what should become the Flagship of Maori Basketball for Aotearoa, the National Maori Basketball Tournament. It wraps up tomorrow.

To accommodate the hundreds of players, the Rangatahi section — Under 7s, 9s, 11s, 13s and 15s — played from Monday to Wednesday.

Thursday to Saturday it was the time for the Taipakeke (Under 17s, 19s, Pakeke, Mixed, Masters).The tournament uses courts at the Energy Events Centre (four), BayTrust (two), Sportsdrome (three), and at Rotorua Girls High, Rotorua Boys High, Western Heights, and Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Te Koutu.

After play on Wednesday each iwi was to give a kapa haka performance at BayTrust. This is the ninth year Rotorua has hosted the event but last year it was cancelled by the Covid lockdowns.

“Yes, our tournament was cancelled in 2022 the day before we were due to start,” said one of the organising team, Darrell Pene.

“The Prime Minister announced, ‘the whole of New Zealand will move into the red setting of the traffic light system at 11.59 p.m. tonight, Sunday, 23 January’.”

There were at least two former National Māori Basketball Tournaments that ran for a number of years, one in Whangarei, the other in Hamilton but they were discontinued for various reasons. Rotorua Basketball Association were asked by Willie Taurima, the National Organiser, to host the event in February 6-8, 2014.

Rotorua Basketball, led by Darrell’s wife Sue Pene, organise the venues and personnel.

Te Arawa teams are the hau kainga at the National Maori Basketball Tournament. Photo / Supplied

The national organisers are based in Porirua, Taku Parai is chair and Pene Hippolite is the fulltime organiser. The tournament was initiated by Willie so Maori could come together as whanau, hapu, marae, and iwi.

“Basketball has always had a huge following by Māori, in particular the many Mormon communities who grew up playing from an early age,” said Darrell.

Willie, who is of Ngāti Kahungunu (Rākaipāka, Rongomaiwahine), has long been involved in coaching and administering basketball in Porirua. The Te Rauparaha Arena Stadium manager wanted to resurrect the National Tournament as more than just another basketball tournament.

“We want to reinforce the value of whakapapa, te reo Māori and kaupapa Māori in basketball,” he said.

He also saw the need to provide opportunity for our people to see Maori National Teams play live international Basketball in New Zealand. The tournament is made possible by funding from a number of sources including Te Puni Kokiri, Te Mātāwai and One Foundation.

Organisers have a number of goals:

■ To reinforce the value of whakapapa, Te Reo Māori and Kaupapa Māori in Basketball

■ Provide a community pathway for Māori Players and officials to supplement opportunities provided through Basketball New Zealand

■ Provide opportunity for our people to see Maori National Teams play live international Basketball in New Zealand

■ Provide opportunity for Māori players and officials to gain international experience.