It started 10 years ago with 40 kids playing the game at a school in Kerikeri, and teacher Harko Brown didn't expect it to go any further.
Today it has 50,000 players around New Zealand, a dedicated playing field at Waitangi, and teams springing up across Europe.
The efforts ofa the Far North club that has driven the extraordinary revival of the traditional Maori ball game ki-o-rahi were honoured at the TrustPower Far North Community Awards on Monday night, the supreme award, and the right to represent the Far North at the national awards in Invercargill in March next year, going to Ki-o-Rahi Akotanga Iho Inc.
The judges singled out the development of a dedicated ki-o-rahi field at Waitangi with next to no money but with huge volunteer input from players, kaumatua and schoolchildren working side by side.
Ki-o-Rahi Akotanga Iho founder Harko Brown said the award would bring new opportunities for the Far North.
"It'll also help bring more people into our kaupapa, and it'll help promote the field, which is what we want. It's a gift to the nation," he said.
Mr Brown said the club had more plans for the field, including a mosaic on the central rock and an official opening in December by associate Health Minister Tariana Turia. It was also determined to do the best job it could of representing the Far North at the nationals.
