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Regional | Golf

Kawerau hosts their first Māori Golf tournament

The Kawerau Golf Course was the battle field for the annual Boxing Day Eastern Bay of Plenty Māori association tournament.  The event has been going for over twenty years it aims to help lift Māori youth in Golf.

Just over 80 players participated in the Eastern Bay of Plenty Māori golf tournament today.

“We have several national players and in fact we've got international players here as well, Chantelle Cassidy is here, she's came across from Waikato this morning, “says Te Arani Barrett from Ngāti Awa and Te Whānau a Apanui.

Amateur New Zealand golf player Chantelle Cassidy says that today's tournament will help her as she build up to a busy year of playing international golf, “In January I'm pretty busy so I've got the Australian Amateur in Metropolitans which is in Melbourne and they straight after that would be the South America to Peru.”

The tournament itself helps keep link Māori players and clubs based in the Eastern Bay region.

“Boxing Day Māori golf is always important to us because the kaupapa is for the Rangatahi, so they can have funding for coaching to further their golfing careers,” says Netti Keepa from Te Arawa.

It's the first time that this tournament has been held in Kawerau, usually it’s hosted in Whakatāne. Next year it will move to another club based in the Eastern Bay.