The softball club normalising te ao Māori on the diamond

A softball club with kaupapa Māori at its core is weaving te ao Māori into the game - one haka at a time - and hopes other teams follow suit.

Te Aroha Softball club's premier women's team recently competed at Softball New Zealand's Open Women's Club Nationals, where they placed fourth.

This year they did something never seen before at the tournament - taking the diamond not just with gloves and bats, but with haka.

While haka is common for national teams representing Aotearoa, it is rarely performed at club level. But Te Aroha Softball Club, based in the heart of Waiwhetū, is looking to change that.

Their haka, Te Aroha, composed by Wiremu Moeahu (Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Awa) and led by pitcher Rongomai Luke-Royal (Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāruahine) reflected their whakapapa, their home, and their community.

"This haka acknowledges the landmarks that surround our hinaki," Moeahu said.

"Whakapapa is the lifeforce of our club, so it is important that we hold close our maunga, our awa, and our marae. When representing Te Aroha, you represent Waiwhetū. You are Pukeatua maunga, you are Waiwhetū awa, you are Arohanui ki te tangata."

According to Te Aroha Softball, the club was first established in the early 1940s but went into recession around 1978. It was soon revived after a simple pātai was asked by Kaumātua and Luke-Royal's great-grandfather, Koro Richie Luke:

"Why aren't our kids playing sport? We have everything here; our kids should be playing sport!"

From those humble beginnings, Te Aroha restarted with just one junior girls' team. Decades later, the club remains strong, producing many high-performance representative players at regional, national, and international levels.

Ritchie Lukes daughter and Club Stalwart Kararaina Luke said, "Te Aroha is an old club. Its vision is to provide support to the many young people and families who came into Waiwhetū to live, play sports, kapa haka and build the relationships with mana whenua - Te Āti Awa."

More than a challenge

For Luke-Royal, performing the haka before each game was never just about issuing a challenge - it was about normalising te ao Māori in the softball world.

"Bringing haka to this tournament is a response to where we are as Māori in 2025, celebrating who we are, where we are from and for me, honouring the history and mana of our club.

"It was about being Māori, not just in that moment, but all day, every day."

She said it was a statement of identity, of carrying their tikanga and their reo with them onto the field and beyond.

"It was about being role models for our tamariki, showing them what it means to stand proud in who we are."

"To be the first to bring haka to Women's Club Nationals is something we will always hold with pride, and we hope it inspires others to do the same."

From the moment they first performed it, Luke-Royal said the haka was met with open arms.

"At first, we weren't sure how others - our opposition, spectators, and those watching online - would react to us performing the haka before every game.

"But it quickly became clear that the response was full of respect and admiration."

She said opposition teams stood in acknowledgement, spectators clapped, and some even responded - two players from Christchurch-based club, Papanui Softball, performed their own haka in return, a moment that left a lasting impression.

"Win or lose, we left everything out there, carrying our iwi, our hapū, and our tūpuna with us every time we stepped onto that diamond."

Before the tournament, Luke-Royals mum, Susan Luke, who is also the team manager and club secretary notified Softball New Zealand of their intention to perform the haka.

Te Aroha said while they did not receive an official response from Softball New Zealand to their email, they received support from chief umpire matua Wiremu Tamaki, who ensured time would be allocated before each game for the haka.

Luke-Royal said this was an important step in normalising te ao Māori within softball.

"His response showed an understanding of the significance of haka, not just as a pre-game ritual, but as a statement of identity, pride, and unity."

"While the door has been opened, there is still room for further kōrero and recognition at an official level, ensuring that kaupapa like this continues to be supported in the future."

Māori ki te ao

The team's commitment to incorporating te ao Māori into the game extends beyond Aotearoa. In 2024, Te Aroha travelled to Indonesia for the Makassar Cup, taking their haka and tikanga onto the international stage.

"Performing our haka in another country reminded us of its true purpose - it is not just a challenge, but a declaration of who we are."

Luke-Royal said the response was humbling. Te Aroha was invited to open and close the tournament with haka and waiata.

"This experience strengthened our belief that te ao Māori belongs in every space, from our home fields Waiwhetū Aotearoa to the international stage.

"We hope this is just the beginning of many more moments where haka, te reo, and tikanga Māori stand proudly in the world of softball."

Softball has long had strong Māori representation, but Luke-Royal believes this is just the beginning of a wider shift.

"We have opened the door to the other club to consider embracing Haka or another relevant form of reciprocating respect before the game. We would expect that [Softball New Zealand] will continue to grow the opportunities of uniqueness especially when NZ teams perform Haka."

She said by Te Aroha normalising haka and other elements of te ao Māori in softball, they create pathways for other teams to embrace their cultural identity.

"It could start with something as simple as integrating more reo Māori into the team environment, using kupu Māori for positions, or incorporating karakia before eating. Over time, this could lead to more teams performing haka with real understanding and connection."

As for Te Aroha, Luke-Royal said they are already looking to the future, both on and off the diamond.

"Māori softball has faced challenges over the years, but we know the strength of our people,"

Last year, alongside Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa, they hosted a Māori Women's Softball Tournament.

Luke-Royal said they hope to grow this event, providing a space for Māori players to showcase their talent while staying connected to who they are.

"Our vision is to compete as an indigenous team at an international level, carrying our reo, tikanga, and mana with us wherever we go."

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