Kī ō Rahi and Hopu Ariki - two sports to try in the new year

Keen to try out a new sport in the new year? Here are two sports gaining popularity in te ao Māori, yet still relatively unknown across the wider New Zealand.

The skill required to excel in both sports was showcased recently at the biennial sports gathering for kura kaupapa Māori in December, Wiki Hā.

Kī ō Rahi

Kī ō Rahi is a fast-paced sport played on a field of concentric circles.

There are eight players on each team who take turns as the defending 'taniwha' and the attacking 'kī oma'. Teams swap between the taniwha and kī oma in each of the game's four quarters.

Players wear two velcro tags on each side of their waist. If one tag is ripped off, the player has three seconds to pass the ball. If both tags are removed simultaneously, the ball is turned over to the opposition.

Te Kaea was one of the referees at Wiki Hā. She says when a team is on defence, their goal is to intercept the attackers, secure the ball and throw it at the tupu - the barrel which is at the centre of the field. One hit on the tupu nets the taniwha one point.

"Ko te whāinga o te Kī ō Rahi ki te whai i te nuinga o ngā piro mā te pā i ngā pou kātahi ka rukuhia ki waenganui," she says.

"The goal of Kī ō Rahi [on attack] is to get the most points by touching the posts around the field and then diving into the centre to score."

The number of points the kī oma score depends on how many posts they touch in the lead-up to a touchdown.

Te Kaea says being a Kī ō Rahi referee is a difficult job that is made much easier with a good team.

Merita Waitoa-Paki is the Principal of Whakapūmau i te Reo Tūturu ki Waitaha in Christchurch. She says there has been an incredible revival of Kī ō Rahi in the last 15 years.

In that time, the standard of play for Kī ō Rahi has also come a long way, she says.

"Ana he toki ēnei taiohi ki te kaupapa, ki tēnei kēmu, me te rongo i te wairua niwha, te wairua whakataetae, te wairua ururoa, engari kei te kite, kei te rongo te wairua mahaki hoki.

"These young people are guns at this sport, you can feel the determination, the competitiveness, the grit, but you can also see and hear the humility."

Kī ō Rahi has exploded in popularity in recent years, beginning in schools and spreading from there. It remains a niche sport but its popularity is growing outside of schools, with several local leagues and teams popping up.

The Wellington suburb of Wanuiomata hosted the Kī ō Rahi nationals in December.

Hopu Ariki

Hopu Ariki is a game based on the use of traditional Māori weaponry. Players use rākau (sticks) with the ends wrapped in padding and tape.

Hopu Ariki means 'catch the Ariki' - the team's leader - so play revolves around defending your Ariki from the opposition.

Hemi Tai Tin was one of the original creators of the sport, alongside his friends at te Whare Tū Taua o Aotearoa, the school of Māori weaponry.

The idea came from a training drill they used, he says. They found a bit dull after a while, so they decided to expand it into a team sport.

"Ko te mate kē hoki he mahi takitahi, a koe ki tētahi atu ia ki a koe, koina ka pā te hōhā hei aha pea tēnei āhuaranga, me whakaope. Koina ka mea atu koutou haere ki tērā taha ko mātou ki tēnei taha ka tūtaki tāua ki waenganui ka pakanga.

"The problem was it was an individual drill, you versus one other person, after a while we got tired of that and decided to make it a team sport. Teams take up positions on opposite sides then meet in the middle and battle."

Waikahutia Tamati-Tupa'i was one of the referees at Wiki Hā.

"E rua ngā taua ka tākaro, kotahi te Ariki ki ia taha te toinga o te tira he toa. He toru pā ki te turi o te toa ka puta, tahi te pao ki te ūpoko o te Ariki ka hinga taua tira katoa," he says.

"There are two teams, each team has one Ariki and the rest of the players are toa. Three hits to the knees of a toa and they are out, one hit to the head of the Ariki and the whole team loses that round."

When a toa lines up against another toa they are only allowed to aim for the knees, but when a toa squares up against the Ariki they can aim for the head, he says.

Tai Tin says in the world of Māori weaponry, if you get hit, it is usually your own fault.

"Hakoa te āmaimai ā ētahi mō te hahau o te ūpoko, te wharanga rānei mai i te tānga o te rākau ko tērā te ao, ko tērā te ao tū taua. Pēnā kei te ao whutupōro he mea māori tēnei mea te whara i te tukinga mea i ā mea.

"Some people might be nervous about hits to the head, or being hurt by being hit by a pole, but that is the world of Māori weaponry. In the world of rugby it's a normal thing to be hurt after a big hit."

At Wiki Hā, Hopu Ariki was played among the sand dunes of Spencer Park Beach, north of Christchurch. The area was divided into several different areas where games were played.

For example, one area saw games played in ankle-deep water on the beach, while another was in a small valley among the sand dunes. Players used the terrain to their advantage, for example by splashing water at their opponents.

Tai Tin says when looking back at the stories of Māori ancestors, battles took part in all sorts of environments.

"Tēnei tākaro matua ko te taiao, mā te taiao e āta tohu ki ā koe tāu e taea ai, tāu kaua e taea ai... koia e mea ana ko te taiao tonu tērā e hakahau ana i ngā toa i ngā ope taua kia pēnei kia pērā.

"Ko te ope taua mārama ki tōna taiao te nuinga o te wā koia te mea ka toa, i te mea ka whakamahia te taiao hei painga hei oranga mōna, rite pū ki ō tātau tūpuna.

"In this sport the environment is the main factor, your environment guides what you can and cannot do, so it is the environment that commands warriors and armies.

"The team that understands the environment is usually the one that wins, because they use it to their advantage, just like our ancestors did."

Thanks to events like Wiki Hā, interest in Māori weaponry and martial arts is growing, Tai Tin says.

"Ko te tino hiahia o te tākaro kia tupu te hiahia i roto i tēna, i tēnā o ngā raukura nei, te hiahia te whai tūturu i te ao tū taua.

"The main goal of this sport is to grow the desire within the players to follow the path of Māori weaponry."

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