‍Date: Thursday 14 August 2025

Venue: Fickling Convention Centre, Three Kings, Auckland

Attendance: 30 participants from 13 of 14 invited organisations

He aha tēnei?

On 14 August, the Tāmaki Makaurau tākaro whānau gathered for the Tākaro ki Tāmaki Collective Systems Impact Wānanga. A powerful day of kōrero, collaboration, and collective dreaming for the future of Tākaro Māori in our region.

Hosted by Toi Tangata, the hui brought together representatives from local councils, RSTs, marae, kura, kaupapa Māori providers, and community leaders. The energy was high, the networks strong, and the vision bold: to align our efforts and grow Tākaro Māori as a thriving movement across Tāmaki Makaurau.

Whakatau & Whanaungatanga

The day began with a mihi whakatau, whakawhanaungatanga, and a photo booth where participants could introduce themselves through 'no hea/ko wai' prompts.

Support from behind the scenes included James Nicholls (Art by Tuss) capturing kōrero in live illustrations and Nan AKA Glenda McIntyre ensuring manaakitanga through kai.

Setting the Scene

Nikki Penetito-Hemara framed the kaupapa beautifully: this wānanga was about honesty and aspiration. Reflecting on the current landscape of Tākaro Māori,  strengths, challenges, and opportunities, some felt proud, others a little whakamā, but all agreed, we’re stronger together.

National & Regional Context

Scott MacKenzie (Sport NZ) presented the national play landscape, highlighting the Kia Hīanga framework, the Tākaro Māori Revitalisation Project (with ACC), and the growing Tākaro Māori Workforce Development stream. Aligning with our collective vision for Tāmaki Makaurau, his message was, 'Playweek 2025 will be about whānau play, where whānau are.'

M9-Style Tākaro Pitches

11 organisations stepped up with rapid-fire M9 pitches; nine minutes each to showcase their mahi. What emerged was inspiring:

Strengths:

• Play happening everywhere,  māra hupara, whare tapere, kura, marae, maunga, and moana.
• Kaupapa anchored in storytelling, reo, whakapapa, and mokopuna-led design.
• Inclusion, accessibility, and zero-cost models making play open for all.

Challenges:

• Capacity limits holding back expansion.
• Over-reliance on small groups of champions.
• Mainstream schools hungry for tākaro but only getting tasters.

Opportunities:

• Co-delivery, cultural exchanges (e.g. Village Games & Pasifika initiatives).
• Stronger ties with marae and mana whenua.
• Strategic investment beyond short-term grants.

The live illustrations captured the buzz: play as whakapapa in motion.

Vision Threads

Together we dreamed of a thriving Tākaro future for Tāmaki Makaurau:

• Mokopuna at the Centre: Decision-making led by our youngest voices.
• Whiria te Tangata: Stronger networks between whānau, hapori, and practitioners.
• Te Taiao as Teacher: Designing play spaces guided by whenua and moana.
• Joy & Safety: Play as a right, not a privilege.
• Sustainable Systems: Long-term pūtea and shared infrastructure.
• Revitalising Mātauranga Māori: Embedding indigenous knowledge into every papa tākaro.

“Kia kawea tātou e te tākaro – Let us be carried by the spirit of play.”

Collective Action Plan

The wānanga closed with action planning across short, medium, and long-term horizons.

NOW – Short Term

• Toi Tangata to lead a Tākaro Māori Database.
• Harbour Sport, Sport Auckland & Toi Tangata to host a tākaro resource harvesting wānanga.
• Joint events and webinars (Toi Tangata and Te Kura Maninirau with Wiremu Chaffey-Edwards).
• Harbour Sport inviting Toi Tangata into quarterly Play Lead hui.

SOON – Medium Term

• Harbour Sport to build mana whenua partnerships and develop a “Harbour Sport Box” of play resources.
• Scouts to develop resource kits and Camp-in-a-Box activations.

LATER – Long Term

• Regional HAL school programmes centred on tākaro Māori, Pasifika, and cultural games.
• Ongoing mātauranga sharing and intergenerational play.
• Te Kura Maninirau exploring collaborative delivery of He Pī Ka Rere and Play Month activations.

Moving Forward

This wānanga wasn’t just a one-off event, but a launchpad for a collective movement across Tāmaki Makaurau.

Together, we’re shaping a future where:

• Every whānau can play where they are.
• Every kura and marae has access to kaupapa Māori tākaro.
• Every maunga, moana, and marae becomes a living playground of whakapapa.

Mauri tū, mauri tākaro, mauri ora!