Inaugural National Maori Sports Conference

Thank you for inviting me to be here at your inaugural International Maori Sports Conference on behalf of Parekura Horomia, the Minister of Maori Affairs.
The Minister sends his apologies. He is at the tangi of Te Ao Pehi Kara in Hawkes Bay. Te Ao Peehi a well respected Kaumatua who was very passionate about sports and the benefits for Maori. His particular passion was golf, having played and been a long time supporter of Maori golf.
And it is on that note that I want to reflect on the past 12 months where two remarkable milestones were achieved.
Who can forget our finest hour in golf when Michael Campbell evaded Tiger Woods, in final round of the US Golf Open?
The other notable event was the Maori All Blacks historic win over the touring Lions.
These two events have done more than any flashy Saatchi ad campaign could ever hope to achieve, by exploding Maori on to two different world stages.

When the Maori rugby team beat the British and Irish Lions they were splashed across newspapers and electronic media in the UK. A week later Michael Campbell became the toast of a sports mad US audience.

Matt Te Pou's record of achievement is impressive. He is an example of someone who has toiled within the system which has manifested itself in a winning record to rival the best professional coaches.

In 1935 the Valleys of Wales rang out in euphoric disbelief when Swansea defeated the touring All Black side. It is a victory that is firmly etched in the minds of the entire Welsh nation. As a spectator in Hamilton last year I can only now fully appreciate how it must have felt for an indigenous population to overcome the odds.

Just like the Welsh, this win will forever act as a beacon of hope for Maori across the country. It will be talked about in every Kura kaupapa, and in every Whare Wananga for years to come and hopefully it will ignite future generations of Maori to strive for success.

This is what being Maori is all about. Taking on the best and winning.

Matt Te Pou set about more than a decade ago building the Maori All Blacks. It was a methodical plan that proved devastating to many international teams. Matt built strong foundations and forged enduring partnerships with the rugby union.

If we want to succeed as Maori there were many lessons to be learnt from that 80 minutes of rugby, because it does not come easily. It takes time, commitment and even compromise. Matt's plan was simple…grow more Maori players so that when the time came there would be enough to share around.

As Maori that is the approach and vision that we must adopt. If we want to improve our lot as Maori then our destiny lies within ourselves to get out there and make it happen.

During his acceptance speech Michael Campbell told the crowd that if he could do it "anyone could." This is a message that our rangatahi can relate too. In a society where being Maori can conjure up a host of negative responses, hopefully those few words can inspire, motivate and encourage success.

We will always remember the week when the great Maori team of 2005 tamed a pride the Lions in mooloo country…and Michael Campbell evaded the stalking Tiger at Pinehurst. I suppose the most remarkable aspect about these two wins is that they were unashamedly Maori and the whole nation celebrated.

To our conference co-ordinators, the New Zealand Sports Academy, thank you for your foresight, energy and commitment to working collaboratively to have our people realise their potential and fulfil their goals on and off the sports field, and of course for bringing us all to be together today.

To all the sporting legends here today, thank you for your unbridled commitment, tenacity and passion to achieve success at a provincial, professional and international level.

To the diverse talent taking part in the Commonwealth Games across the ditch and those competing in the Waka Ama world champs at Karapiro next week, Kia kaha.

This is the ideal context for us all as we open our conference as we look at empowering all levels of participation in all sporting codes. This is about building national identity.

Therefore, I am proud to officially open the inaugural National Maori Sports conference.