Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Maori ball game bounces back

Updated at 8:59 pm on 8 May 2012

Traditional Maori ball game ki o rahi is making a revival says Jay Rerekura, a member of the Ki O Rahi ki Whanganui Action group promoting the sport in the region.

Ki O Rahi is played on a circular field with two teams, one team is trying to score points by throwing the ki or the ball at the centre post, while the other team is trying to win by throwing the ki at all of the posts around the circle.

Mr Rerekura says the rules initially sound complicated, but new players quickly master them.

He says the game is in Maori DNA: a lot of the swift moves come naturally to Maori sportsmen,, which helps them excel at sports such as rugby, rugby league, touch rugby and netball.

Mr Rerekura says the traditional Maori sport was banned under colonial rule and replaced with rugby and rugby league, which became popular among Maori who saw aspects of ki o rahi in rugby.

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