Rotorua's Leona Davis-Kaye will chase another Aotearoa Māori Tennis title this weekend. Photo / File
Rotorua's Leona Davis-Kaye will chase another Aotearoa Māori Tennis title this weekend. Photo / File
With their presents unwrapped and Christmas ham devoured, New Zealand's best Māori tennis players will converge on Rotorua this week.
Last year, Rotorua hosted the Aotearoa Māori Tennis Championships for the first time since 1995 and the event returns again this year, being held at the Rotorua Tennis Club, LynmoreTennis Club and Rotorua Girls' High School courts on December 27-29.
Among those with their eyes set firmly on winning a title will be Rotorua's Leona Davis-Kaye, an absolute stalwart of the tournament. The 55-year-old has been competing at the Māori Tennis Championships since she was about 12 and has won titles in multiple age groups, including the women's 50-59 division singles last year.
"The best thing is playing competitive tennis but also getting together with all our people from all over New Zealand and overseas. The event brings everyone back together," Davis-Kaye said.
"I just love the game, I love meeting people too. I love the physicality of playing tennis and keeping fit. I try to represent my family, my kids are ever so proud."
This year, Davis-Kaye will play mixed doubles with her son for the first time.
"We're going to give it a go, he used to play when he was younger. We're just going to have a go and enjoy playing with each other. It will be really exciting, the experience of playing together and being a part of it.
"He's mellow and I'm not, I'm the competitive one - we'll be fine. There will be a lot of families playing together and playing in the different grades, that's what it's all about.
"There's a lot of history in this tournament and it's a positive event for Māori, for our people," she said.
Rotorua's Dinny Mohi in action at last year's Aotearoa Māori Tennis Championships. Photo / File
Rotorua was the birth place of the tournament, in 1926, when Sir Apirana Ngata and his friends Taipōrutu Mitchell, Pei Te Hurinui Jones and Tukere Te Anga formed the inaugural New Zealand Māori Lawn Tennis Association (NZMLTA).
Organising committee member Geoff Kaye said the beauty of the tournament, expected to attract between 150 and 180 players, was that it catered for all ages and abilities.
"What makes the tournament popular, the uniqueness about this particular tournament, is that it involves families and age groups from the little tamariki right through to the real kaumatua - we have 80-year-olds playing.
"There's also a wairua, a spirit about the tournament that people feel. We go to a lot of tournaments but this one is set apart just because of the feeling of it. It's the whanaungatanga, the whānau atmosphere."
Rotorua's Shaun Tamai will have his eye on the Open Men's title at the Aotearoa Māori Tennis Championships. Photo / File
Kaye said there were many families who had multiple generations playing in the tournament every year.
"They come from all parts of New Zealand and overseas. There will be some very good competitive players coming but we also have the social grade which is all about participation.
"Some people enjoy the journey and just being involved. The social grade, which is mainly for adults, has no entry fee because it's all about getting people out there and having a go.
Yvette Van Vliet plays a shot during the Aotearoa Māori Tennis Championships last year. Photo / File
"There are no prizes in the social grade but it encourages being involved with a tournament. It can be for novices or the ones who are really rusty. Last year, we had someone who entered the social grade, realised it wasn't for them because their level of tennis was above that and this year they're playing in the competitive grade."
