Table tennis: Young talent Takaimaania Ngata-Henare stars at Maori nationals

Takaimaania Ngata-Henare returns serve during the Maori National Table Tennis Championships. Photo / Tania Whyte

Takaimaania Ngata-Henare is one of the top table tennis prospects in the country - and she's only 11.

She dominated at the Maori National Table Tennis Championships, clinching four titles and finishing runner-up in another after becoming Northland's first female national age-group table tennis champion the week before.

Ngata-Henare took out the NZ U11 Girl's Singles title at the competition.

The talented youngster was then near-on impossible to take down at Kensington Stadium.

She started out with the Under 16 Girls competition, which she comfortably got through for the title.

At her age you'd think Ngata-Henare would be at a disadvantage.

But this didn't show through because she then went on to take out both the U20 Girls Singles and B Grade Women's Singles titles.

She said she trains hard but it's all about enjoying the sport.

"I train four times a week. Sometimes you get so hooked on it you stay up to 2am playing," she said to Te Karere.

"Having fun is the main thing. You don't need to worry about how good they are."

She wasn't done quite yet as she lined up in the A Grade Women's Singles competition and again came up trumps in a brilliant display.

These title victories led to Ngata-Henare collecting the Most Improved Player of the Year title.

Aotearoa Maori Table Tennis has been running since 1993 and it holds two national tournaments a year. This was the first time it was hosted in Whangarei.

Aotearoa Maori Table Tennis' Bill Tangariki said the reason it was brought up north was to help develop young talent like Ngata-Henare.

"We want to develop the game here, particularly through the young people in Te Tai Tokerau," he said.

"Liane Henry wanted to bring it to Northland to help build the game and we want to use Kensington Stadium to help all young athletes getting involved in the sport.

"It was a smokefree tournament, with table tennis being an activity to develop Maori health. It promotes an active lifestyle."