Kiorahi Teams to Contest Waitangi Bowl

Posted 19 December 2011

Ki-o-rahi player

Ki-o-rahi player in action

 

Entries are already beginning to roll in for the prestigious Waitangi Bowl Ki-o-rahi Challenge at Waitangi on Saturday 4th February. The fast-paced traditional Maori contact sport will feature in the 2012 Waitangi Festival which leads up to the annual commemorations on the Waitangi Treaty Grounds on 6th February.

Now in its third year of competition, the Waitangi Bowl Challenge is being organised this year by the Ngati Hine Health Trust in conjunction with the Waitangi National Trust.

The unique sport features a round, woven flax ball and is played on a circular field by teams of eight. Teams traditionally comprise four females (wahine) and four males (tane). The catch-and-pass game bears a close resemblance to Rugby as played today.

Ki-o-rahi is believed to pre-date rugby in New Zealand and is currently undergoing a major resurgence across the country. It first attracted international interest through the 28th Maori Battalion which introduced the sport to Europe during World War II. The sport is still played in parts of France, Italy and the United States.
The sport was most recently featured at the Rugby World Cup “Welcome to the World” festival at Waitangi in October.

The 2011 challenge was taken out by a combined team from the Taipa Area School and Kotahi Tatou o Muriwhenua, keeping a traditionally strong Te Rarawa presence at the festival alive. The combined team has yet to signal whether it will be able to return to Waitangi to defend its title.

The 2012 series on 4th February will feature open women’s tackle, open men’s tackle, mixed ripper and youth mixed ripper divisions. Pool play will start at 10 a.m. with the finals expected to begin at 2.45 p.m. Registrations close on 23rd January with Robbie Bristowe at the Ngati Hine Health Trust.

 

Need to know more? Email Rick McCall