A Māori rugby league delegation from Australia has arrived in Rotorua ahead of this weekend’s New Zealand Māori Rugby League tournament at Toi Ohomai.
For many of the players, the visit is more than a sporting opportunity, with members of the Australian contingent returning to the ancestral lands of their tūpuna for the first time.
Ngāti Whakaue rugby league player Stedler Davis, who was born and raised in Australia, says returning to Rotorua gives him a strong connection to his whenua.
“I love when I come back home I feel like I get to connect with my whenua, my land, and like, just having fun cause I know this is home.”
Davis is part of Te Rongo Mauri ki Tawhiti, which has travelled across the Tasman to compete in the tournament.
He says he also hopes to represent his iwi in the future.
“I’m also from Ngaati Whakaue, and I’d like to one day perform for them.”
Cultural advisor and coordinator Te Teira Davis, of Ngāti Whakaue and Ngāi Tūhoe, says the experience is particularly significant for the younger members of the delegation, many of whom are visiting Aotearoa for the first time.
“Ehara ko te whakataetae anoo hoki. Ko te here mai o a maatou nei ngaa tamariki kia hono anoo ai ki too raatou ngaa whenua. Kia hono anoo ai ngaa whaanau. Koiraa te mea nui moo maatou.”
Te Teira says being welcomed onto the marae and hearing te reo Māori provides an experience that cannot be replicated on the rugby league fields of Australia.
“Moo raatou ki te hoki mai, he riiki anoo hoki kei Ahitereiria, engari kaare eenei momo mea. Te tuu i runga i te marae, ki te rongo i te reo e rere ana.”
Around 100 teams are expected to compete this weekend, with the Australian contingent travelling the furthest to take part.
The team will play its first match on Saturday against Ngāti Tūwharetoa, as the tournament brings together Māori players from across Aotearoa and Australia.