Cricket Wellington is proud to foster Māori inclusion and celebrate culture through our growing Māori Cricket programme. This kaupapa supports Māori cricketers to thrive in both te ao Māori and te ao Kirikiti. We have developed our own identity and culturally rich initiatives, with over 50 players now proudly wear the Te Whanganui-a-Tara Māori jersey. The launch of our Tamatāne Teina team last season completes a full playing pathway from Year 9 to senior Māori cricket, empowering young Māori to grow as athletes and as tangata whenua.

We would like to acknowledge all those who have contributed to the growth of Māori Cricket in Te Whanganui-a-Tara over the past few seasons, including Te Aroha Cricket Club, ringatoi Whareahuru Gilbert and Paora Peipi, musicians Wiremu Moeahu and Noel Woods, the Māori Cricket Advisory Group, and our Māori team coaches, players and their whānau.

We now have a full playing pathway for Māori cricketers. To get involved with one of our teams please contact us.

• Tamatāne Teina (Years 9–10)
• Tamatāne Tuakana (Years 11–13)
• Tamāhine (Years 9–13)
• Tāne (Open men’s)
• Wāhine (Open women’s)
• Māori Masters (Over 35 men’s)

Māori Cricket Nationals

The inaugural National Māori Tane Tournament was held in Whangārei over Easter weekend featuring New Zealand's finest Māori cricket players. Following the success of the Māori Men’s National Tournament in 2023, an inaugural Wāhine Māori National Tournament was held in Hastings later in the same year, at the start of the following season.

This year both the Wāhine and Tāne tournaments were held together showcasing the best of Māori cricket from across the country. Both our Te Whanganui-a-Tara teams represented the region with pride on and off the pitch. Our Wāhine making the grand final and our Tāne also finishing in second place. Our standout moment of the tournament coming from batsman, Oscar Wilson, who etched his name into our history with the first-ever Te Whanganui-a-Tara Māori Cricket century - a breathtaking 116 not out, off just 47 balls against Central Districts Māori.

The Māori Cricket Nationals is now a biennial event with the next tournament due to be held in October 2026 in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Rangatahi Festival

Established in 2017, the Māori Secondary Schoolboy and Schoolgirl sides are designed for secondary school cricketers of Māori whakapapa to represent their whānau, hāpu, iwi, and kura. In 2022/23, the inaugural Rangatahi Cricket Festival was hosted in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland between Māori Secondary Schools and Pasifika Secondary Schools. In 2025, a Southeast Asian team was introduced to create a three-team festival that celebrates diversity and inclusion of all cultures within our sport.

Māori Cricket Festival

Our Māori Cricket Festival is a festival run in partnership with local mana whenua connections to celebrate our culture within our sport. The event has been held at Waiwhetū Marae and Te Whiti Park over the past two years and has seen over 100 players participate.

Cricket Wellington organises youth Māori fixtures throughout the season with the highlight being a festival held in April. Our fixture calendar for this season is below. 

If you are interested in being apart of the fixtures register here

We have developed our own identity as Te Whanganui-a-Tara Māori Cricket with the introduction of our tohu (logo), new kakahu (uniforms), and the creation of a haka and waiata.

Tohu

Local artist Whare Gilbert (Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tama) created our new tohu (logo), which features Ngake and Whātaitai, the two taniwha of Te Whanganui-a-Tara holding a taiaha and a cricket bat to represent the commitment to both sport and culture. The heads of the taniwha recognise mana whenua within the Wellington region.

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Kākāhu

New team uniforms, also designed by Gilbert feature puhoro on the front, symbolising speed and agility, while the back includes koira, representing the strong support of whānau and hapū. The subtle inclusion of unaunahi, inspired by the punga fern, signifies resilience and strength in te Ao Māori.

Haka

The haka, titled Tukua Ngā Taniwha, was composed by Wiremu Moeahu (Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Awa), and shares our journey as Te Whanganui-a-Tara Māori Cricket. The haka was debuted at the Māori Cricket Nationals, held in Tāmaki Makaurau earlier in the year.

Taonga

As part of our commitment to Māori culture, we also introduced new taonga created by artist Paora Peipi (Ngaariki Kaiputahi, Tūhoe, Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki). These taonga, including patu and kotiāte awards, were awarded at our end of season Community Awards along with pounamu to each of our Māori players of the year.

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A significant step for Te Whanganui-a-Tara Māori Cricket last season was the formation of the Māori Cricket Advisory Group. This group provides guidance and support, helping us stay aligned with Māori values and traditions while promoting sustainable growth within the programme.

Cricket Wellington Contact - Tom Kinley

tom.kinley@cricketwellington.co.nz