Former Kiwi league player and coach Howie Tamati says the national rangatahi rugby league tournament is vital to show off the wealth of Maori talent within the country.
The tournament has been the catalyst to some great Kiwi players and has even had the odd All Black play in it - Sam Rapira, Kevin Locke, Issac Luke and Piri Weepu to name a few.
It is the 20th year the tournament has been held with up to 14 iwi teams converging on Rotorua's Puketawhero Park.
Tamati, the chairman of New Zealand Maori Rugby League which organises the tournament, said the event was a great stepping stone for rangatahi (young people).
A Te Atiawa descendant, Tamati said the tournament attracted plenty of NRL scouts.
"It's been really, really successful over the years. It's developed to the point now the scouts do come to our tournament," Tamati said.
"It's a great opportunity for our kids to play representative football and the other side of it is that New Zealand rugby league now, don't have their age group tournaments they used to, the 16s, 17s and 13s.
"So this is really the only age group tournament. This actually fills a gap. Obviously it's centred around our Maori rugby league boys because that's our kaupapa [target], that's not to say anyone else couldn't start their own competition."
Although the tournament is league-based, Tamati said winning and losing was a small part of the event.
"This Queen's Birthday is a great opportunity for us to get together and have a look at our up and coming talent," he said.
"It's great to watch [the participants] come through over the years to come back to the national tournament. It really works well for us."
Tamati, who played 24 games in the Kiwis jersey and coached the team from 1992 to 1993, said the tournament had helped get professional starts for a number of high profile league players, which in turn inspired youngsters now coming through the grades. "It adds lustre to the tournament to have these guys come back and want to be a part of the tournament.
"Even the guys who have retired out of first-grade like to come back to this tournament and help out these kids," said Tamati.
Talent scouts from the Warriors, Manly, the Titans and Newcastle Knights were at the ground looking for the next Shaun Kenny-Dowall who is another former participant.
"It [the scouts] puts a lot of credibility around what we do. I think the relationships with the various scouts that come through are valuable," Tamati said.
"We also have regular games now at the end of the year with the Warriors under-17 squads and under-18 squads. So again it's an opportunity to throw our best boys in the tournament up against them, because it's all about building opportunities for our young people."