February 25, 2020
Maori Golf takes aim at Open
This week’s New Zealand Golf Open is being given a more Māori flavour.
New Zealand Māori Golf Association patron Te Waihoroi Shortland says the winner of the Māori men’s stroke play championship gets automatic entry to the competition, which is a big step.
With that right comes responsibilities and opportunities, which Māori Golf has seized by working with New Zealand Golf on the tikanga of the Queenstown event, including helping with the pōwhiri and sourcing a quantity of pounamu to be used to carve trophies.
Mr Shortland, who also chairs te reo Māori advocacy group Te Mātāwai, says the new spirit was also evident in the way last month’s Māori tournament at Taupo was run.
"We’re not just a model of pākehā golf. We know all about the etiquette. Sometimes we modify it to suit the Māori philosophical view of the world and people doing haka and making a lot of noise," he says.
The New Zealand Open and the New Zealand Open Pro-Am Championship start on Thursday at the Millbrook Resort and The Hills in Queenstown.
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