At Toi Tangata, tākaro isn’t just part of our mahi, it’s part of who we are as kaimahi. We each have our own ways of moving, playing, competing, connecting and finding joy through tākaro.

For our Kaiwhakahaere Matua, Darrio, one of his greatest tākaro has been following his beloved Warriors… Up the Wahs!  From the stands, to the couch, to talking far too much about them at the tari. That aroha for sport has now opened the door to a completely different tākaro: picking up the mic and stepping into the world of sports commentary through Tākaro Pāpāho.

Mai i te kaitautoko ki te kaikōrero, ko te tākaro tonu te waka. He kaupapa whakahirahira, he kaupapa whakahihiko! What a wicked kaupapa to be part of!

Tākaro Pāpāoho has pushed me well outside my comfort zone. I ruku hōhonu mātou, engari koirā te wāhi ako! Thrown in the deep end, and that’s where some of the best learning has happened.

The opportunity to learn alongside and from some absolute masters of the craft - Tony Johnson, Honey Hireme-Smiler, Te Arahi Maipi, Hemana Waaka, Tūmamao Harawira, Ken Laban, Karl Te Nana, Stacey Morrison and Scotty Morrison - has been unreal.

He mihi maioha ki a koutou mō te tohatoha mai i ō koutou mātauranga, ō koutou wheako me ō koutou pūkenga. He taonga te ako i te taha o ngā mātanga o te ao pāpāoho.

From commentary and preparation, to getting behind the scenes and seeing the skill and precision required to deliver an outside broadcast he ao hou, he akoranga hou, he wero hou hoki.

He mihi nui hoki ki Ngā Aho Whakaari, Whakaata Māori, Rangiata | Sky, me Te Reo Tātaki | TVNZ. Nā koutou te tatau i tūwhera ki ēnei ihu hupe o te ao pāpāoho. Thanks for opening the doors, sharing your mātauranga and creating opportunities for us to experience and contribute to this ever changing broadcasting world.

For me, the biggest thing has been seeing what is possible when te reo Māori, tākaro Māori me te ao pāpāoho come together.

Kia rangona te reo Māori i ngā papa tākaro, i ngā pouaka whakaata, i ngā reo irirangi, puta noa i te motu.

There is a real opportunity to grow more Māori voices in these spaces, normalise our reo through sport, and create pathways for the next generation coming through.

Mā te huruhuru, ka rere te manu. There is still plenty to learn - he tauira tonu ahau - but one thing is certain… Kua mau te wehi, kua mau hoki ahau ki tēnei kaupapa!

Tākaro Māori. Pāpāoho Māori. Reo Māori.

Kia kaha, kia māia, kia rangona tō tātou reo i te ao tākaro!

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