Descendants of prominent ancestor Muriwai have gathered in Ōpōtiki for the Muriwai sports tournament, which kicked off today.
Joseph Biddle says, “It's prior to the main Muriwai tournament so we were incorporating the youth, the rangatahi, the tamariki to have fun also.”
The Muriwai tournament is now in its 32nd year. For the first time, the tournament has incorporated basketball into the event. Over the course of the weekend the event will attract over 300 participants.
Local kaumātua, Pita Pitara says, “For this event, children are the focus because there are a lot of pressures coming their way like video games, laws and health.”
The tournament will continue tomorrow with the adult rugby and netball matches. On Sunday the commemorations for the Te Tarata battle are set to take place.