We advocate cultural based sports

Mataatua Sports Trust was registered under the Charitable Trust Act on the 9th of December 1998. Recognised kaumatua across the rohe were approached to provide the mandate to operate under the Mataatua Waka they included, Te Hau Tutua, Wharekaihua Coates, Mark Harawira, Henare Pryor, Jerry and Waina Araroa, and Tom Kingi.

The formation of the trust was an aspiration of Matiu Te Pou, who had identified a need for an organisation to engage with rangatahi using sports activities as a medium. A core focus was to encourage rangatahi to stay in education, with sporting goals and wellbeing being key aspects to facilitating this. The transition from a voluntary organisation to a registered trust came through the opportunity to secure funding from the Hillary Commission for the delivery of Healthy Eating/ Healthy Activity (HEHA) and further funding for delivery of smoking cessation programmes.

Following the review of the Hillary Commissions’ activities the organisation was re-branded as Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC). This provided a new opportunity to deliver more sports based activites as opposed to nutritional. Mataatua Sports Trust was successful in achieving funding for delivery of taonga takaaro which was further developed into He Oranga Poutama.

A Ministry review of SPARC led to the establishment of Sport New Zealand (Sport NZ) and further development of He Oranga Poutama to have in depth recognition of delivery by Maori for Maori traditional sporting and cultural activities.
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Mataatua Sports Trust, following Te Papa Takaro o Te Arawa, was the second Iwi provider nationwide to secure funding through Hillary Commisssion HEHA. The first kaimahi was Noel Horlock. The founding Chairperson, James McLean, remains with the trust in a governance role.