Māori Touch NZ is developing the next generation of Māori touch rugby players, with the long-term goal of Māori representation at the Touch World Cup.
The programme provides clear pathways for Māori athletes to compete internationally while staying connected to their culture, identity, and whakapapa.
Māori Touch NZ Chair Patt Spellman says the programme was created in response to strong community demand.
“There was a clear call from our people to represent their whānau and whakapapa to the world.”
“Touch rugby internationally doesn’t currently provide space for Indigenous representation at World Cup level. Māori Touch NZ made a deliberate decision to create those opportunities ourselves,” says Spellman
Growth in Maori Touch
Participation at Māori Touch Nationals has grown significantly, with Māori Touch NZ reporting a 300 percent increase in engagement over the past three years.
The 2025 Nationals featured 82 teams representing 30 iwi, hapū, and rohe, competing across 14 fields in 11 grades and playing a total of 216 games.
There were 1,280 players, including 797 male and 483 female athletes, supported by over 218 coaches and volunteers who helped run the tournament.
The tournament also introduced two new grades: 35+ Women’s and Mixed Masters. Since 2022, team numbers at Māori Nationals have doubled, and participation continues to grow.
Me whai turanga ki ngā taumata o te ao
Ko te whai wheakoranga i ngā tino taumata pā whutupōro o te ao, tētahi wāhanga o tēnei rautaki. I ngā whā tau ki muri nei, i tākaro ai ngā kaipāwhutupōro Māori i ngā tukinga iwi taketake ki te NRL All Stars. Hei tā Takoha Ropati, e rua ngā tino hua o ēnei tukinga, ko te taha whakawhanake kaitākaro, me te whakawhanaungatanga ki waenga i ngā iwi taketake.
“Within Māori Touch itself, the previous four years we’ve had an opportunity for some of our really talented players to represent at a national all-stars game.”
Ko te tahu i te ahi o te tikanga Māori te mātua mō te pā whutupōro Māori. Ka tū ngā wānanga i mua i te haerenga a ngā kapa, ka mutu, ko te reo, ko te tikanga, ko te mātauranga Māori anō hoki tērā e tānekaha ake ai ngā kapa Māori.
Hei tā Spellman, ka tika hoki kia ruia ngā āhuatanga Māori ki waenganui i a rātou.
“Our representative environment should feel familiar and grounded. This is about competing internationally without compromising who we are.”
Ko te pae tata mō te kapa Māori, ko te hāereere ki Te Whenua Kuini ki Ahitereiria, whai muri i tā rātou haere ki NSW.
I te tini o ngā kaitākaro me te kaha hoki o ngā mahi whakawhanake kaitākaro puta noa i Aotearoa, kei te whakarite te pā whutupōro Māori i te huarahi e eke ai ngā kapa Māori ki ngā taumata teitei o te ao.
