The first E-Games tournament in Rāhui Pōkeka (Huntly) was held yesterday, giving rangatahi an opportunity to go from novice couch players to professional Esport superstars.
Organiser Daniel Wehikore- Rikihana also used the tournament to connect to rangatahi, exposing them to trades and training schemes and helping them with career development services that connect with technology and gaming.
“This will help show our rangatahi what careers are available and how to achieve them and we can say ‘Hey! Your love of gaming can lead you to this and this and this,” he said.
More than 300 rangatahi from Rāhui Pōkeka and around the Waikato gathered at the Huntly War Memorial Hall to compete.
The event was set up by Standing Fierce Company, a Māori owned organisation from Auckland that specialises in gaming and rangatahi support.
“Rangatahi, especially Polynesian and Māori, have a natural affiliation,” Standing Fierce owner David Douglas said.
“We are fixated on gaming and a lot are really skilled. New Zealand’s skill level for our size is quite high.”
Lots of careers
Koro Rutene from Rāhui Pōkeka Ngāti Mahuta was there also as a careers advisor with his team from Vertical Horizon Kirikiriroa.
Rutene says he knows what the youth of his township are capable of. “They are able to follow their strengths and to capture the world and harness it. That’s the beauty of our rangatahi here and all I want to do is offer them pathways in using technology and gaming techniques into the future to give them an opportunity for employment,” Rutene said.
He said there was a high percentage of unemployed rangatahi in Rāhui Pōkeka whereas in the past coal mines, farming and freezing works provided many jobs for youth.
He aims to give back to his community by assisting rangatahi in gaining employment where their gaming skill sets can be applied.
There were jobs in graphics, animations, 3D, augmented reality, Photoshop, architecture and design, “even if it means rangatahi holding a gaming control and staring at TVs all day.
Big winnings
Ngāti Porou descendant Sean Kaiwai of Gisborne is a professional Esports player collecting winnings of up to $120,000. He says on the world circuit, players can make up to $40 million. “That’s one of the highest-paying ones, those competitions that can accumulate $40 million prize pools over a tournament season and there is also League of Legends that can score a player $10 million,” Douglas said.
Khaio Teatiawa Maipi- Leaf and Tracey Paki- Marunui both from Rāhui Pōkeka said they hoped to one day become professional gamers.
“Yes, because I will get all the money, gaming is cool, I enjoy it all,” Maipi- Leaf said. And Paki- Marunui said, “Yes definitely, not so much a player but supporting our gamers hard, behind the camera, doing all the typing stuff, that’s me. Leshgo!”.
Standing Fierce will hold another Esport tournament in Hamilton in November.