The 29th Aotearoa Māori Sports Awards Hosted at Vodafone Events Centre Manukau Saturday 30 November 2019 Ko te whārangi o mua e whakaahua ana i te taonga o te pō whakanui. Ko te ngahere kei te tuarongo Ko te Tui kei ngā taitapa e whakamihi ana i te reo puoro o Hīrini Melbourne. The front cover illustrates the awards taonga witha ngahere scene in the background, edged with a Tui, acknowledging the sounds of the late Hirini Melbourne. 1 HM Kiingi Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII Patron, Te Tohu Taakaro o Aotearoa Charitable Trust Tuia te kawa, tairanga te kawa. Ko te kawa o te aroha, ko te kawa o te rangimaarie. In ancient times our people became experts in a number of traditional sports. Right through the ages, we have been keen sportspeople. Our traditions have held us in good stead to face the modern world of sport and rise to the challenge of competition. The dedication of our sports icons has seen yet another rise in the way Maaori across the codes are leading the way in the spiritual and physical success of our people. Our tikanga and values have seen another dimension of sporting success. From the young ones to the not so young, our people are flourishing to great heights. Not only for the athletes, for the guidance of coaches is paramount, the whaanau support is ultra important and the general tautoko is absolutely needed. Congratulations to everyone involved in the wonderful achievements. This awesome event is supported by excellent sponsors. A huge mihi to the organizers, long may the celebration continue. I leave you with a personal tongikura ‘haapaingia ngaa whakatupuranga’. This saying offers a chance to look back into our magnificent history of sporting greats, it sends a signal for our wonderful sports men and women to simply continue to be excellent and it shows our aspiring sportspeople that with effort and hard work, the achievements will come. Haapaingia ngaa whakatupuranga. Paimaarire 2 Rt Hon Winston Peters Deputy PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs Kia ora, On behalf of the government, may we extend our best wishes to the organisers and nominees of the Maori Sports Awards. This event is an important night for the recognition of your achievements, and for the showcasing of Maori sporting talent. New Zealand is a great sporting nation and Maori sporting talent is a big part of this country’s history. Our world class athletes are examples of talent, dedication and passion. They are also positive role models for our communities. As the Minister of Maori Affairs in 1991, it was a pleasure to lend support to the late, great Maori sportsman and personality, Alby Pryor. Among others it is he who we have to thank for bringing the first event of its kind to fruition some 29 years ago. So let us all extend our congratulations to all the finalists in tonight’s awards, and thank you all for your hard work in your chosen sport. May we also pay tribute to all the administrators, coaches, managers and supporting whanau for the role you have played in creating Maori sporting excellence. Nga mihi 3 Sir Tamati Muturangi Reedy KNZM Kaumatua, Te Tohu Taakaro o Aotearoa Charitable Trust E Nga Mana Tiketike! Nau mai ra tatou ki te whakanui i Nga Toa o Te Ao Hakinakina o Aotearoa, 2019. Ko ratou tenei e hiki nei i te mana, te ihi, te wehi o te Ao Maori ki te Ao Whanui. Ka puta te Tihei Mauriora ki te Ao Marama! Ta Tamati Reedy Greetings to this esteemed assembly! Welcome to the celebration of the Maori sports champions of Aotearoa, 2019. They uphold the prestige, the power and mana of Māori here in New Zealand and the World. We breathe the gift of life into this World of Light! 4 Hon Nanaia Mahuta Minister for Māori Development Ka rere aku mihi ki a koutou e whakamānawatia ana i te pō nei, ā, ka rere hoki aku mihi ki a koutou e hāpai nei i ō tātou toa. Nā te toa takitini i eke ai te toa takitahi ki ngā taumata tiketike o te ao hākinakina. Mauri tū, mauri ora! Tonight we are here to honour exceptional sporting achievements and to recognise outstanding performances amongst our Māori sportsmen and women. The victory of the Silver Ferns at the Netball World Cup this year was an absolute highlight with significant motivation from coach Noeline Taurua the team preformed to their full potential and we are so proud of them all. As sportspeople, coaches and managers across all codes we have seen Māori excel to the very top of their chosen code. They have achieved so much due to an individual pursuit to be the best but also contribute to their team. For elite sportspeople to develop and shine, it takes many in the background to support them. So it is fitting that the Māori Sports Awards also acknowledges the administrators, coaches and managers that work tirelessly behind the scenes. Ko te amorangi ki mua, ko te hāpai ō ki muri. I congratulate all the finalists nominated for this 29th Māori Sports Awards and those who have supported you to achieve sporting excellence. Pai mārire ASB Classic 6-18 January 2020 ASB Classic organisers in recognition of Ruia Morrison’s achieve- ment 60 years ago in defeating Margaret Court (nee Smith) in the final and capturing her second title of the NZ Open (now known as the ASB Classic) will have a public display at the tournament featuring some of Ruia’s memorabilia. The ASB Classic Women’s winner will be presented with a specially made korowai, to be known ‘the Ruia Morrison Korowai’ “My memories of Ruia go back to 1962/63. I was only very young,and she was well into her tennis career. I remember that she loved tennis and was a wonderful ambassador for her country. I only had a couple of years around her before our busy tennis careers, took us on separate journeys, but I always got on very well with Ruia. If memory serves me right, she beat me in the finals of the New Zealand Championships just after I won the Australian Open. I wish her all the very best.” Margaret Court 1957-1960 WIMBLEDON 2 TIMES NZ OPEN CHAMPION 6 TIMES NZ CHAMPION 4 TIMES NZ MĀORI CHAMPION Ruia Mereana MORRISON MBE (Te Arawa, Ngati Tuwharetoa) www.asbclassic.co.nz 6 Pine Harrison Chair, Te Tohu Taakaro o Aotearoa Charitable Trust Piki mai, kake mai, homai te waiora ki ahau. E tutehu ana koa taku moe i te po. Ka po, ka ao ka awatea. Tihei mauri ora! On behalf of Te Tohu Taakaro o Aotearoa Trust I welcome you all here tonight to the 29th annual national Māori Sports Awards. I acknowledge and thank all of our sponsors for their loyalty and commitment to making this event possible, my fellow trustees and CEO Dick Garratt and his team for their on- going efforts in making the Māori Sports Awards one of Aotearoa’s premier events. Kati ka nui taku hari me te koa ki te kaupapa o te po. Tena ra koutou katoa. 7 Trustees Te Tohu Taakaro o Aotearoa Charitable Trust PATRON HM Kiingi Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII KAUMATUA Ta Tamati Reedy KNZM Mrs Margaret Hiha KZOM Mr Waka Nathan Ngāti Porou Ngāti Rangitihi Ngāpuhi TRUSTEES Mr Pine Harrison (Chair) Mr Kevin Pryor Mr Rangi Whakaruru Ngāti Porou Ngāti Awa, Te Arawa Waikato Tainui Mr Hone Hauraki Mrs Hineamaru Ropati Ngāpuhi, Ngāti porou Te Rawawa OPERATIONS Mr Dick Garratt Mrs Desrae Garratt Mrs Michelle McGrath CEO P/T Administration P/T Projects Ngāi Tuhoe Ngai Te Rangi, Te Atiawa Ngāti Whātua Te Arahi Maipi PRESENTER Ma¯ori Sports Awards Rātapu 6.00pm Ma¯ori Television will screen an hour and a half highlights of the Ma¯ori Sports Awards 7:00pm to 8:30pm Sunday 1 December. We are also livestreaming on maoritelevision.com James McOnie BACKSTAGE & FLOOR INTERVIEWS Broadcast live on Waatea 603AM and streamed online on waateanews.com. With the Waatea Team live from the venue, on air online and on location. Nadia Marsh, Eruera Morgan, Te Rina Kowhai, Leshan Wickramage Rangitawaea Reedy, Wairangi Koopu, Paratene Wirepa, Lady Pokai he mea tautoko na te mangai paho 10 Tonights Entertainment For almost a decade, the charismatic all-singing, all-dancing, all-harmonising The Koi Boys, have been crooning, dancing and entertaining as a collective, ranging from Motown classics through to current pop hits. The Koi Boys are made up of Danny Faifai, Kevin Keepa and Ngahere “Nuz” Ngatai, The Koi Boys made their charismatic first appearance on The Voice Australia. The first ever trio to perform on the show, their energy, character, enthusiasm and genre-spanning talent made them a hit among fans, both locally and most recently across the Tasman. Knocked out before the finals, the band’s eviction caused outrage on social media and had Jessie J fielding interviews surrounding her decision to send them home. Their passionate fans stayed with them, following their live shows and online recorded performances. One of their videos on YouTube, a cover of Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” has racked up over a million views. 11 Whirimako Black, Ngatapa Black & Mareikura Nathan Three generations of singers together on stage. Whirimako Black MNZM is a New Zealand Māori recording artist and actress. Black sings mostly in the Māori language, uses traditional Māori musical forms and collaborates with traditional taonga pūoro instruments. Ngatapa Black comes with considerable singing and songwriting credentials, she is the daughter of Whirimako Black and Elsewhere came across her when she released her Black Light album.