A modern business uses rugby and Māori culture to build character in youth abroad. Founders Regan Sue and Troy Nathan of Haka Rugby Global deliver the unique training camp to countries around the world.
Instilling Māori culture into youth worldwide.
Regan Sue of Haka Rugby Global says, “Our philosophy is, it's actually really simple, it's utilising Māori culture and rugby to develop future world leaders. It's not even about the rugby. The rugby is part of the process to develop the person.”
Haka Rugby Global uses this platform to ensure there is no misappropriation of Māori culture.
According to Regan Sue, “We teach the kids our waiata, karakia, we finish with a poroporoaki involving parents where the kids haka off with each other and they turn and haka off with their parents. So we're taking kids from Qatar, Spain wherever, and we finish off with a hangi.”
Although not versed in Te Reo Māori, Regan Sue is an advocate for the values that Māori culture holds.
He says, “We can't degrade our culture by just commercialising it, that's why we had to put it out there and do it through all the protocols go all through the powhiri and everything like that, we just had to take it right through the protocol and the steps.”
Since its inception with business partner Troy Nathan in 2015, the company has conducted 50 camps across various countries worldwide.
Sue says, “We wanted to make sure it was being transmitted, rather than going around the world and teaching ka mate because the All Blacks do it we wanted to do it properly and show why we do it, how it brings team building together, how it builds the person, so these are the reasons why and like I said we think the Māori culture is really respected and we wanted to show that.”
On the 19th of May, Sue will head off to deliver the programme throughout the USA, Asia and Europe.