Former Kiwi rugby league player Tawera Nikau will be guest speaker at the 2007 Wairarapa secondary school sports awards to be held at Rathkeale College on Wednesday, November 7. Nikau first made his name in rugby league as a member of the South Auckland club Otahuhuand he started his professionalcareer inEngland with the Castleford Tigers. From there he moved to Australia where he joined up with the Cronulla Sharks and later the newly-formed Melbourne Storm. He was part of their 1999 premiership winning team. A veteran of 19 tests for the Kiwis Nikau went on to captain the New Zealand Maori side at the rugby league world cup and, in a second stint in England, he was a member of the Warrington club which made a Challenge Cup final at Wembley. Following his retirement from professional sport, Nikau had the misfortune to lose a leg in a motor accident but it hasn't stopped him from supporting good causes. He was, for example, the top billed fighter at the 2002 Fight For Life, which raised tens of thousands of dollars for suicide prevention. As an acknowledgement of his contributions Nikau was recently appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to rugby league and the community.
