A scheme for the betterment of the game among the Maoris: The development and control of Maori rugby c.1910-40

Abstract

Contrary to interpretations of Mãori rugby as being subjugated under the authority of the New Zealand Rugby Football Union, this paper demonstrates that until at least the Second World War the game was very largely governed by Mãori and allowed relative autonomy. Efforts to dissuade Mãori players from defecting to rugby league, and decisions regarding their exclusion from All Black tours to South Africa, were guided by the Mãori Advisory Board — a body composed of prominent Mãori cultural and political leaders who consciously used rugby as a means for both the betterment of Mãori and to enhance relations with Pãkeha. While there was certainly a marked decline in the fortunes of Mãori rugby from the 1950s, in seeking to explain this it is necessary to strike a balance between failings in the administration of the game and a fundamental realignment of Mãori society amid post-Second World War urbanisation and shifting patterns of race relations.