Te Tohu Tākaro o Aotearoa – The Māori Sports Awards 2023

The Annual Māori Sports Awards takes place in Mount Maunganui this weekend, recognising the outstanding contributions that Māori athletes make to Aotearoa's sporting success.

ACC has proudly partnered with Te Tohu Trust to support the Awards for the past two decades and will sponsor two awards this year including Individual Māori World Champions and a Māori World Champion Team.

The 2023 Individual Māori World Champions recipients are:

• Boxer Marea Mea Motu (Te Rarawa) who won and successfully defended the IBO Super Bantamweight title earlier this year
  
  
• Heavyweight boxer Te Arani Moana Lani Daniels (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine) who in May this year, won and successfully defended the IBF female heavyweight title
  
  
• Mountain biker Sam Gaze (Te Atiawa) who won multiple championships this year including UCI World Championships in August
  
  
• 15-year-old Laquiesha Clifford (Ngāpuhi) who won the VNEA World Junior Pool Championships held in USA back in July
  
  
• World champion downhill mountain bikerTuhoto Ariki Pene(Te Arawa) who was crowned with the title 'King' of the 2023 Crankworx World Tour in July.
  
  
• 16 year old Hinekahukura Brooking (Ngāti Porou, Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) who in August won the individual junior women's title at IVF Vaa World Distance Championship in Samoa.

The 2023 Māori World Champions Team is:

• Aotearoa Wāhine V6 J16 Women who won their event at the 3^rd IVF Vaa World Distance Champions held in Samoa back in August

Our long-term partnership with the Māori Sports Awards supports the vision of the late Albie Pryor who established Te Tohu Taakaro o Aotearoa Incorporated in 1991 to promote and encourage Maori athletes in their pursuit of excellence.

His principal objectives were to benefit the Māori community by promoting their sporting achievements, fostering young Māori sporting talent with sport and educational scholarships, and to embrace the cultural dimensions of te reo and tikanga Māori within their operations and activities.

Te Tohu Tākaro o Aotearoa seeks to:

• Promote healthy lifestyles through sport to Māori and the wider community.
• Showcase Māori sports people while raising the sporting status of New Zealand in the national and international community.
• Highlight the positive contribution of Māori sports people to whānau, iwi, hapū and all New Zealanders
• Provide positive role models for Māori, especially rangatahi.

ACC will be at this year's event to present these outstanding recipients with their awards.

The ceremony takes place this Saturday, 25 November at Mercury Baypark Arena in Mt Maunganui. This event will be live streamed on the Whakaata Māori Facebook page from 6pm and televised delayed live Sunday 7.30pm - 8.30pm on Whakaata Māori