Teams to battle it out
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Bay Chronicle
History of another kind will be made at Waitangi this weekend when four northern iwi teams battle it out for the Waitangi Bowl – the symbol of ki-o-rahi tribal supremacy.
This is the first time since the 1930s that traditional ball games have been played between iwi confederations.
Local Ngati Hine teams, bolstered with 10 New Zealand representatives from the Bay of Islands area spent last weekend finalising their game plans and practising their moves at the Waitangi ki-o-rahi grounds.
Ngati Hine is fielding a powerful women’s team starring Kerikeri teenage sensations Hana-May Riedlinger-Kapa, Kerryn Thompson and Sara De Jong as well as an experienced core of senior players such as Moerewa speedster Quinitta Hati and experienced play-maker Karamaina Johnston.
The men’s team is headed by Jake Wainwright, Matt White, Haratua Tane, Robert Riedlinger-Kapa and Josh Rewha – all have been members of winning teams at the nationals and have played in Italy.
Te Rarawa organiser Paulette Lewis says competition for places on their teams was intense and she has trialed about 300 players in her region during the past three months, an area which seems destined to become a stronghold of the future.
Organiser Andy Larsen says the emphasis for the inaugural Waitangi Bowl will be on whanaungatanga, getting the medium right for future ki-o-rahi festivals during the Waitangi celebrations.
The first games are on Friday at 3pm and go through until Sunday, when the bowl will be awarded to the iwi which records the most wins during the competition.
- © Fairfax NZ News
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