In partnership with Te Ahiwaru and under the korowai of Makaurau Marae, we welcomed two cohorts of mātanga tākaro from across Aotearoa to Ihumātao for a national hui. This wānanga marked the second year of the Sport NZ Ihi Aotearoa Kia Hianga National Play Strategy investment — a three-year investment into building the regional Māori play workforce. Designed to foster whanaungatanga in true tākaro form, this was the first time both Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 had come together.

Day One saw the marae come alive with laughter and movement. Pōtaka spun, hands clapped, pūkana were unleashed, feet stomped, and long belay ropes of whai were woven into star-shaped patterns, rich with mātauranga. Each organisation shared their unique approach to tākaro within their rohe, presenting practices deeply grounded in whenua, whānau and whakapapa. Their pae tawhiti tākaro - long-term aspirations for the future of play - were also shared, helping to anchor and align our collective vision as a growing workforce.

That evening, Pania Newton brought the walls of the wharenui to life with the stories of Ihumātao. Using carvings, tukutuku and pou as her storyboard, she wove pūrākau of tūpuna, kaitiaki and tohu whenua into our hearts and minds. Wānanga participants asked Pania what a rōpū of mātanga tākaro might koha back to mana whenua in appreciation of our time at Ihumātao and she expressed a desire for creative ideas to activate the whenua when hosting groups, especially through tākaro.

Day Two rose to the kaupapa of Pania's challenge. We walked the whenua, retracing the stories shared from the night before, and each rōpū designed tākaro activities to honour the various taiao we traversed. These activities were grounded in cultural narrative and tailored for all ages, from tamariki nohinohi to kaumātua.

The wānanga closed with a powerful kōrero about the future of the tākaro system — its growth, challenges, and the importance of protecting our taonga tuku iho while committing to share it with the world at the same time.