This Waitangi Day will see great celebration across the city, region and country. But one small group of Ngati Whakaue might not be so happy.
Rotorua basketball coach Andrew McKay told the Rotorua Daily Post his team which won the under-15 division at last year's tournament in Rotorua were not allowed to compete this year.
He said his application to enter the team in the under-17 grade for this week's competition was initially declined by the organisers because he was non-Maori.
Organisers told us non-Maori personnel were excluded because they wanted to encourage more Maori into coaching and refereeing positions.
But Mr McKay said the clause that all coaching and management personnel must whakapapa to an iwi was added to the online entry forms after he had applied last October.