Media Releases
The story of the small kura that took on giants returns with a powerful sequel
Released at 1:58 pm on 29 May 2025
Photo: RNZ
Hei tēnei Matariki tātou ka kite i te waihapetanga mai o Ruamata: It’s More Than Hockey, he pakipūmeka e pā ana ki te tīma taitama o Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ruamata, ki ngā taumata teitei o te haupoi ki Aotearoa, arā, ki te whakataetae Rankin Cup.
Nā wai i hirahira te pakipūmeka, ka hirahira kē ake i te mōhio - he kaupapa tēnei nā tētahi pakihi pūmau ki te reo Māori, he pakipūmeka reo Māori, ka mutu, i puta te ihu o te pakipūmeka tuatahi i ngā tohu pouaka whakaata NZTV Awards 2024.
Hei te Mane te 2 o Hune whakarewaina ai te pakipūmeka e kīa nei ko Ruamata: It’s More Than Hockey 2. Hei tēnei terenga kitea ai te waihapetanga o te kapa tama tāne o Ruamata ki te Rankin Cup. Ka whāia hoki ngā tapuwae o te kaiako, arā, o Tenga Rangitauira(Te Arawa, Ngāti Porou, Te Whakatōhea), nōna e whai tūranga ana ki te kapa o Aotearoa ka eke ki te whakataetae masters o te ao ka tū ki Āwherika Ki Te Tonga.
Hei tā te Kōmihana Māori o RNZ, hei tā Jana Te Nahu Owen, kātahi te kaupapa whakahirahira ko tēnei, te whakamānu i te tuarua o ēnei pakipūmeka mō ngā toa o Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ruamata, ki te ātea whitiata hou o RNZ.
“Kaore i tua atu i te taunaki i ngā mahi a ngā pūkenga Māori o te motu, e whakahīhī nei i te reo Māori. Kua tīkina atu e Kereama me tōna tira waihanga ngā kura huna o te pakipūmeka tuatahi, e rongohia ai ngā piki me ngā heke o tēnei pūrākau, e te ngākau. Ka kitea hoki te whanaketanga o ngā kapa Māori i ngā taumata hākinakina teitei o te ao whānui. Ko te haupoi te kauwaka, ko te reo te mātāmua. Kua ora anō te wairua!”
Hei tā Kereama Wright, e hari ana te ngākau ka puta anō tētahi pakipūmeka kotahi haora te reo, katoa i te reo Māori, ki ngā pae whakapāho o RNZ. He tohu, e ora marika ana te reo Māori.
“He pūrākau tēnei e hāngai ana ki ngā tini hapori puta noa i te motu. Ko te manako ia, ka noho tēnei pakupūmeka hei rau aweawe mō ētahi atu kura iwi taketake puta noa i te motu, otirā, i te ao whānui.”
“Ka mutu, ahakoa ngā uauatanga me ngā wero ki te mana o te reo Māori i tēnei wā,
he tauira tēnei, ehara te reo Māori i te taupā ki te angitūtanga.”
Ka whakarewaina a Ruamata: It’s More Than Hockey 2 a te Mane 2 o Hune ki te pae whitiata hou o RNZ, ki rnz.co.nz/video. He mea waihanga mā RNZ e Mairanga Media me te tautoko a Te Māngai Pāho.
Released in early 2024, Ruamata: It’s More Than Hockey is the story of a team from a small kura kaupapa Māori that went to the highest level of school hockey, competing at the Rankin Cup. The behind-the-scenes story of the documentary is equally compelling – an emerging production team, a local story told in te reo Māori and the project being awarded Best Sports Programme at the 2024 NZ TV Awards.
The sequel, Ruamata: It’s More Than Hockey 2, will be released on Monday 2 June. In this new chapter, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ruamata return to the Rankin Cup for a second year in a row. The documentary also follows inspirational head coach, Tenga Rangitauira (Te Arawa, Ngāti Porou, Te Whakatōhea) who reignites his passion for playing and pursues his dream of representing New Zealand at the Masters World Cup in South Africa.
RNZ Māori Commissioner Jana Te Nahu Owen says it’s very exciting to be releasing the follow up documentary on the boys of Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ruamata on RNZ’s new video hub.
“It’s an honour to tautoko the mahi of incredibly talented and proud Māori filmmakers, telling the stories of our people in our reo. Kereama and his team have taken all the award-winning elements from the first documentary and given us a follow up that captures the heart of the kura and hapori (community) and the growing presence of Māori in the world of sport, where hockey is the vehicle and te reo Māori is the essence. Kua ora anō te wairua!”
Kereama Wright is happy to be releasing another one hour 100% reo Māori documentary to RNZ’s new video hub.
“This is a story that relates to many communities across Aotearoa. I hope this inspires indigenous schools across the country and the world to reach for the stars.”
“Despite the challenges our language faces right now, this is another example that te reo Māori is not a barrier to success.”
Ruamata: It’s More Than Hockey 2 will be released on Monday 2 June on RNZ’s new video hub at rnz.co.nz/video. Made for RNZ by Mairanga Media with support from Te Māngai Pāho.
