Teaching and Learning Guide for: Sport and Ethnicity in New Zealand
Authors: Watson Geoff 
Published: November 2008

Author's Introduction

This article discusses why scholars are reconsidering the notion that Rugby Union was a central factor in generating a distinct identity for New Zealanders of British ancestry (Pakeha). The belief that Rugby acted as an agent of integration between Maori and Pakeha has also been questioned. Sporting clubs and events administered by New Zealand's ethnic minorities do, however, provide a means by which these groups can engage with the wider community while maintaining their own identity.

Author Recommends:

Chris Collins and Steve Jackson (eds.), Sport in Aotearoa/New Zealand Society (Albany, NY: Thomson, 2007).

A useful overview of sport in New Zealand, particularly the chapters ‘Maori Sport: Pre‐Colonisation to Today’ by Brendan Hokowhitu and ‘Treaty Principles and Maori Sport: Contemporary Issues’ by Farah Palmer.

Farah Palmer, ‘State of Maori Sport’, in M. Mulholland (ed.), State of the Maori Nation: Twenty‐First Century Issues in Aotearoa (Auckland: Reed, 2006), 261–75.

An excellent overview of Maori participation in sport, commencing with a historical overview and proceeding to data drawn from the 2005 survey by Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC). Includes useful comparative tables on Maori and non‐Maori participation on sport at the grassroots and elite levels.

Greg Ryan (ed.), Tackling Rugby Myths: Rugby and New Zealand Society 1854–2004 (Dunedin: Otago University Press, 2005).

Contains eleven chapters exploring the connections between Rugby and New Zealand society. Two chapters, Greg Ryan's ‘Rural Myth and Urban Actuality: the Anatomy of All Black and New Zealand Rugby 1884–1938’ and Caroline Daley's ‘The Invention of 1905’ reassess the extent to which Rugby Union generated Pakeha identity. Maori participation in rugby and its role in race relations are explored in two chapters by Greg Ryan: ‘The Paradox of Maori Rugby 1870–1914’ and ‘Anthropological Football: Maori and the 1937 Springbok Tour of New Zealand’.

S. Thompson, P. Rewi and D. Wrathall, ‘Maori Experience in Sport and Physical Activity: Research and Initiatives’, in C. Collins (ed.), Sport in New Zealand Society (Palmerston North: Dunmore Press, 2000), 241–55.

Explores the experiences of Maori women in sport. The sections discussing the cross‐cultural issues between Pakeha coaches and Maori players and spectators are particularly useful.

Online Materials:

http://www.sparc.org.nz/

The Web site of Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC) has extensive material on participation in sport and government policies on sport. It contains considerable material on Maori participation in sport, including reports from Te Roopu Manaaki, an independent body who advise (SPARC) on Maori participation in sport.

http://www.nzchinese.org.nz/

Information on the Easter Sport tournament organised by the New Zealand Chinese Association can be found on this Web site.

http://www.wisc.org.nz/

Web site of Wellington Indian Sports Club, the earliest Indian sports club established in New Zealand. Web site includes details of history and current news. Other Indian Sports Club Web sites with historical content include Auckland Indian Sports Club, http://www.aisc.org.nz/; Christchurch Indian Sports Club, http://www.cisc.org.nz/; and Pukekohe Indian Sports Club, http://www.pisc.co.nz/.

Focus Questions

What are some of the difficulties in defining ‘ethnicity’ in relation to sport in New Zealand?

Why has the sport of Rugby Union been so closely associated with issues of ethnicity in New Zealand? Why are scholarly views on this changing?

What factors have helped and what factors have hindered participation in sport for New Zealand's Maori, Pacific Island and Asian communities?