Can’t decide which sport to play?  The traditional Māori ball sport, kī o rahi, incorporates elements found in rugby union, rugby league, touch rugby, basketball and netball, delivering multiple sports all in one game.

Sport Waitākere recently partnered with Kī o Rahi Tāmaki Makaurau to organise an event at Eastdale Reserve providing more than 100 tamariki the opportunity to experience this fast-paced exciting game and learn new skills.

Helen Ng, Whau Cluster Coordinator at Sport Waitākere, says kī o rahi has been absent from the Whau Cluster event calendar for a number of years but now it’s back.

“We really wrapped up the term on a high!” says Helen. “It was very much a day of learning as we go and it was great to have eight rangatahi from Mount Albert Grammar to umpire and assist teachers with understanding the rules of the game.”

Tamariki finished up the day having learnt a raft of new skills, including sidestepping, one handed and two-handed accurate passing and catching, flag/tag ripping skills, jump shots, accurate shooting/throwing, blocking and the importance of communication and team work.

“They’ve learnt how to play the game really quickly,” commented one coach.  Another added:  “The level of engagement from everyone, including the teachers, has been phenomenal.”

What sets kī o rahi apart is that the game stems from the legend of Rahitutakahina and Tiarakurapakewai and it is essential that when learning the game, the story is also learnt.

“The story demonstrates that the sport is much more than a game.  It is a tribute to our ancestors, language and culture,” added Helen.  “This sport offers so much and we want to grow it to become as popular as other mainstream sports.  It would be wonderful if teachers embrace kī o rahi alongside all the other sports on the event calendar.”

Four teams of Year 7 and Year 8 children participated this year and following the success of the day, it is hoped that more schools will take part next year.  All schools that attended the day continue to play kī o rahi.

“A big thanks to Whau Cluster Schools for funding, Rutherford College who lent us two kī o rahi sets and Traffix who provided the traffic cones,” Helen concludes.

Article added: Monday 21 April 2025