Lewis Clareburt (Waikato) says he is proud to represent his iwi and believes Māoritanga is what makes the Aotearoa team unique, ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
He is one of 13 swimmers named in Aotearoa’s swimming squad this week for Glasgow 2026, with Ngāi Tahu’s Erika Fairweather also selected.
The pair are part of a small number of Māori who have represented Aotearoa at an elite level of swimming competition.
“It hasn’t really like hit me as much as it probably will when I arrive in Glasgow, but yeah, number three Commonwealth Games,” says Clareburt.
The Waikato swimmer says the milestone still feels slightly unreal, even with the experience of two previous campaigns behind him.
Hei māngai mō te iwi Māori, mō Aotearoa whānui
A world champion, Olympic finalist and Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Clareburt will compete at his third Commonwealth Games. He won double gold at Birmingham 2022 in the 200m Butterfly and 400m Individual Medley, then went on to win the 400m Individual Medley world title at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha.
A moment, Clareburt recalls, that remains one of his proudest.
“I was able to [show] the world the pūkana and celebrate, you know, like my win with the pūkana, which is pretty cool.”
For Clareburt, it was a rare chance to celebrate on the world stage in a way that reflected both personal triumph and cultural identity.
He says the culture within Aotearoa teams is a key part of what makes representing Aotearoa special.
“Everyone gets welcomed in with the haka, and we have a team pounamu that travels throughout the country.”
He says those traditions help remind athletes of who they are and where they come from, even while competing far from home and wants to strengthen his connection to his whakapapa in Waikato.
“It’s one thing that I’ve been wanting to do since I was a young kid is actually [to] go and see my whakapapa.”
Te tokoiti o ngā kaikauhoe Māori
Swimming has relatively low Māori participation at elite level compared with rugby. In Aotearoa, there are about 155,000 rugby participants, compared with roughly 35,000–40,000 competitive swimmers.
Despite that gap, Māori representation in swimming is slowly growing, with Clareburt and Fairweather among a small group competing on the world stage.
Others who have represented Aotearoa at Olympic and Commonwealth Games level include Laticia-Leigh Transom, Corey Main, Emma Robinson and Taiko Torepe-Ormsby.
After returning from the Paris 2024 Olympics, Torepe-Ormsby told Te Ao Māori News, “I’m doing this for rangatahi as well. [They] see me on TV; they see me around - why can’t they do what I’m doing?”
Clareburt is well aware of the many challenges Māori athletes can face in the sport.
“Unfortunately, we live in a world where swimming is just such a tough sport to train for and traditionally Māori athletes are muscle dominant,” he adds.
Even so, he believes those barriers should not discourage rangatahi Māori from seeing the sport as a pathway worth pursuing.
“It is a lot harder for Māori athletes to be competitive in swimming.”
His comments reflect broader challenges around access, opportunity and representation in a sport that often demands significant time and resources from a young age and wants to encourage other young Māori to give the sport a try.
“There is so many awesome opportunities out there that will allow you to compete and hopefully make the Aotearoa team, so, you can be my team mate ultimately at the Olympics, or whatever.”
He mētara koura anō te whai
Clareburt remains focused on long-term goals, including Olympic success.
“Ultimate goal since I started competitive swimming is to win an Olympic medal.”
That ambition continues to shape his training, with Glasgow another step toward the ultimate target he has held since childhood. Clareburt was within reach of that goal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where he finished just outside the medals in the 400m individual medley final.
“I am still yet to do that, so I’m on this journey over the next couple of years to try and make that happen.”
With another Commonwealth Games now on the horizon, he is treating the campaign as both an opportunity to perform and to build toward Los Angeles 2028. Clareburt has been confirmed to race in multiple events at Glasgow 2026, including the Men’s 200m Butterfly and 200m Freestyle, alongside his specialist 200m and 400m Individual Medley programme.
The Commonwealth Games will begin in July.
