Inclusion Of Younger Tamariki A Hit At Waipareira Māori Rugby League Tournament

The inclusion of Under 6 and Under 9-year-olds has proven highly successful and a crowd favourite at the third Waipareira Māori Rugby League Tournament in West Auckland this past weekend.

Waipareira Māori Rugby League Chair, Craig Godfrey, is overwhelmed with the high level of competency over 800 tamariki displayed at Te Atatu South Park.

“Our tournaments cater for kids that would not normally play league with the focus on participation and community connection, with rules like mandatory try celebrations and mana waves to keep it fun. We have found when we keep the kaupapa entertaining and take the pressure away to perform, tamariki skills develop at an accelerated rate. We have had kids who don’t play league, come and have a go at our academy for a season, play in one of our tournaments, make Auckland selection and then the future Warriors squad”.

Mr Godfrey also showed his gratitude to major sponsor Te Whānau o Waipareira.

“They have understood sport as an essentially healthy social lubricant for our whānau for 40 years and have again trailblazed a kaupapa that will only build and grow from here”.

Aotearoa Māori Rugby League Chair Raymond Hall is thrilled Waipareira Māori Rugby League widened the age brackets to include younger participants.

"This weekend’s Waipareira Māori Rugby League tournament gets the ‘Mana Wave approval from the players’ celebrating a display of unity and pride. Aotearoa Māori Rugby League's partnership with Waipareira represents a milestone in fostering full whānau participation and holistic development, merging the love of the game with cultural pride. This collaboration lays the building blocks for a future that nurtures not only the physical talents of our Tamariki, but also strengthens whānau connections and community participation".

Waipareira Māori Rugby League tournaments are held twice a year, every year with the next competition on King’s Birthday Weekend 2025.