The Māori-Indigenous rugby league match is more than a clash of cultures - Dr Phillip Borrell

The NRL Māori All Stars, led by proud Māori James Fisher Harris.

THREE KEY FACTS

• The NRL All Stars celebrate cultural diversity, featuring Māori and Indigenous teams.
• Adam Blair advocates for player release to represent their culture, facing criticism from some coaches.
• Māori and Indigenous players significantly contribute to rugby league, comprising 62% of top-tier NRL contracts.

In a time when, globally, we seem to be inching back towards a desire for mono-cultural homogeneity, there appear to be few significant cultural events and expressions that aren’t taking hits or being deemed “woke” and “divisive”.

As the largest biennial cultural event, Te Matatini, kicks off, we have been fortunate enough to view the NRL All Stars matches. The NRL All Stars concept was the brainchild of former Indigenous Australian rugby league player Preston Campbell back in 2010.

The All Stars match has undergone some changes in its 15 years of existence. Originally pitting the Indigenous All Stars against the NRL All Stars. Then, growing to include the World All Stars. In its current format we have the Indigenous All Stars playing the Māori All Stars in a preseason match which is as much about culture as it is about the game.

This year, Māori and Indigenous teams competed in men’s and women’s rugby league and a mixed touch game. The scores in each of the three games were close and not because of lacklustre football. What kept these teams locked together was a passion for their culture and desire for mana (prestige/authority).

The desire to represent one’s culture far outweighs this when we are looking at the intensity in which these games are played. We only need to look at the efforts of Brent Naden for the Indigenous and Dane Gagai for the Māori (although he has also represented Indigenous in previous campaigns) to see how much players rise for this game.

James Fisher-Harris mentioned that this game was so important to him that he was willing to risk the season opener in Las Vegas to play this year. On Instagram, Shaun Johnson (who was also on the NRL on Fox panel for the men’s game) shared footage of the All Stars touch game with the comment “Wish I was Māori”. Jordan Riki spoke to media in the week leading up to the game about how important the campaign is to him and his whānau, adding that he also took so much learning from the squad and elders in the Indigenous team camp. Jordan’s birth father has Indigenous Australian whakapapa (genealogy) and he mentioned the ability to learn more about his culture on that side through engaging with the Indigenous players, staff and elders. How good is that?

See, this is the thing many of the slanderers of the concept don’t get. Culture is everything to so many of us. This game not only showcases this but provides an opportunity for athletes to learn more about themselves, their whakapapa, their team and countrymen.

This campaign is rooted in culture and allows for a recognition of some of the diversity that makes rugby league the greatest game of all. We should view the All Star games as a celebration of elite athletes finding grounding in identity in the game that they love.

The current coaches of the All Stars teams have been vocal about their desire to further promote, celebrate and grow the event. And, there are a number of factors that impact the game as it currently stands.

One of these is NRL clubs not releasing their star players to participate. Māori men’s coach Adam Blair has taken a stand in advocating for the release of players who want to represent their culture.

Māori All Stars coach Adam Blair wants NRL clubs to release all Māori and Indigenous players. Photo / John Stone

This has seen him being attacked by some coaches, most notably Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart. Stuart referred to Blair as a “selfish” and “inexperienced” coach. Blair and other advocates for the All Star concept should be celebrated rather than denigrated for wanting to retain a platform for celebrating their identity.

Lest we forget that Blair spent half of his life in Australia as a servant of rugby league and having to assimilate to the dominant culture during that time. For Blair, it is time to celebrate being Māori and from conversations with him and other players in the Māori team, this sentiment runs deeply for all involved.

Blair told me that he will always be a proud tāne Māori and will continue to lead the way.

What is important to note here is that Māori and Indigenous rugby league players have contributed so much to the global development of rugby league. Our skin in the game runs deep. Modern fans may not be so familiar with the history of the game but some key points to consider when we think about these games are:

• Māori have been pioneers in the sport since 1907 and were part of the All Golds team that toured Australia and Britain.
• A New Zealand Māori team played in Australia in 1908 before a game of rugby league had been played on Aotearoa New Zealand soil.
• In 1909 the Māori were invited back to Australia due to the amount of profit made by what would become the Australian Rugby League.
• The 1909 tour effectively bankrolled New South Wales and Queensland rugby league and has been viewed by some historians and sporting scholars as the catalyst for the popularity of rugby league in the Southern Hemisphere.

George Nepia in action for the All Blacks. Nepia also played rugby league and opened the flood gates for Māori and Pasifika players. Photo / Photosport

Māori have been involved in the highest levels of rugby league for close to 120 years. One of the greatest All Blacks in history, former invincible George Nepia, converted to rugby league in 1935 and became a pioneer for Māori professional sporting achievement by taking on the roles of both player and manager for Streatham and Mitcham in England in a move that can be seen as the beginnings of Māori global migration in professional sport.

The point is that Māori culture has been an integral piece of the rugby league puzzle since its inception in the southern hemisphere.

In 2025, Māori are generally counted collectively as part of the broader Polynesian contribution when it comes to NRL player demographics.

Combined with other Pacific athletes, the total Polynesian player contribution is, according to recent statistics close to, if not now over, 50% of the top tier of NRL contracts.

In 2024, athletes who identify as having Indigenous Australian or Torres Strait Island heritage contribute to approximately 12% of top-tier players. This forms a combined 62% of the NRL being either Polynesian or Indigenous Australian/Torres Strait Islander.

These numbers are hugely significant considering the small percentages these demographics make of the overall population of Australia.

As someone who has dedicated over a decade to researching the importance of culture to professional rugby league it is my hope that the 62%, as well as their whānau and ancestors, will be recognised as the true powerbrokers of rugby league; not just a commodity to be consumed through their televised exploits on the field.

So, while there is an argument that the window for when the game is played could be improved there is no doubt that the significance of this fixture is as high as any other representative honour for our Māori and Indigenous athletes.

As Phil “Gus” Gould has stated, the concept should be a given, it is the timing that needs to be worked out.

Dr Phillip Borrell.

I would also add that given the disproportionate number of Pacific athletes who make the NRL the spectacle that it is, power brokers should be considering a three-team series that would see a Pacific team playing against the Māori and Indigenous teams to create a true showcase of culture that celebrates the majority of superstars in the greatest game of all.

To the Māori, Indigenous and Pacific players, past, present and future, we salute you, we see you and we are proud of you.

Toitū ngā iwi taketake o te ao! (The world’s indigenous peoples will always remain!)