Participation in traditional sport across New Zealand declines significantly between the ages of 12 and 18.

At the age of 12, girls on average are active 11.7 hours/week. By the time they reach 18, the average activity level is 5.2 hours/week, with a similar decrease reflected in their male classmates.

Traditional Māori games, however, have captured the imagination of rangtahi across the Waitaha | Canterbury region, with a Lincoln High School teacher convinced the movement has only begun.

Tihirangi Brightwell is the Kī-o-Rahi coach at Lincoln High, and he is also part of a wider movement across the Canterbury region, inspiring today’s students with traditional games.

This resurgence of Māori systems shows particular promise for rangatahi who may not be attracted to traditional sporting codes. Brightwell cites the inclusive nature of Ngā Taonga Tākaro as responsible for their appeal.

“Kī-o-Rahi is a great sport for any shape or size, gender or culture,” he says. “You can be any mould.”

As the appeal of the sport has grown, so have opportunities for competition.

"In the beginning Kī-o-Rahi was just for fun.” The growth of the movement over the past few years, however, indicates something much more serious.

This year, mixed teams from Lincoln to Rangiora/Linwood will converge on Ngā Puna Wai from Friday 19 March, for the Kī-o-Rahi Regional Competition.

Sixteen teams in total are registered for the regional tournament this month, to be played at the city’s southwestern home for sport and recreation.

What does the future hold? According to Brightwell, delivering Junior (Year 9/10) competitions would be “a dream.”

In the meantime, his Lincoln High students have a clear goal set for next weekend:

Play Kī-o-Rahi to it’s full, paying full respect to the game, and enjoying the whanaungatanga (relationship building), manaakitanga (care), and ngahau (fun).

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