Ngā Puna Wai Sports Hub hosted a Kī o Rahi secondary school tournament recently, bringing together schools from across Waitaha Canterbury and one from Invercargill to connect, share kai and embrace te reo Māori while getting physically active.

Aligning with Te Wiki o te Reo Māori Week, this Kī o Rahi tournament generated healthy competition across two days and provided rangatahi a platform to engage with te reo māori language and, each other through this resurgent sport.

“Taonga takaro is growing at an increasing rate in the region, and any activation of it across the South Island would be beneficial” states Jacob Ahuriri-Budgen, Kī o Rahi Activator.

“It’d be awesome to see every school in the region getting involved in our tournaments and seeing this sport grow for its many physical and cultural benefits.”

Ahuriri-Budgen adds that the most important thing is getting rangatahi connecting with te ao māori, te reo māori and taonga takaro, which is a massively growing aspect of te ao māori.

Indigenous games contribute to the wellness of our young people and serve as a gateway to māori language and culture; this is becoming increasingly recognised around Christchurch.

Sport Canterbury’s Partnership and Activation Manager at Ngā Puna Wai Sports Hub, Katrina Mansfield is thrilled to have welcomed back this secondary school event.

“Having hosted several of these events before, it’s been great to see this year’s event showcase how the sport has developed and grown across the region.” 

“There was so much talent on show across all of the teams involved, indicating the depth of rangitahi playing in our region, which is fantastic for the sport’s growth.”

To find out more about how your school can get involved in Kī o Rahi, reach out to ‘The Kutt: Functional Fitness’ on Facebook to find out more: Facebook