2021 Māori Touch Nationals Cancelled
Ki ngā iwi huri noa i te motu, tēnā koutou katoa. He mihi nei ki ngā atua e manaaki ana ki a mātou. Otirā ki ō koutou mate, kua wehe atu rā. Nō reira, ki a koutou kua aukatihia e te mate urutā, kia kaha, kia maia, kia mānawanui.
Māori Touch NZ met last week with Rotorua Touch Association to discuss the 2021 Māori Touch Nationals, scheduled to take place in Rotorua this December. Understandably, there have been many emails & messages from whānau throughout Aotearoa seeking clarity on the status of the event. After considering the current information relating to Covid-19, and the Delta outbreak within New Zealand at this time, our komiti has decided that cancelling the tournament was the most appropriate decision.
The current alert level restrictions have made it impossible for all players, referees, whānau and volunteers be involved. Equally, organising a national tournament that did not allow for participation from all of Aotearoa, didn’t sit right with us.We know many will be disappointed by this news, as are we. However, we believe it is in the best interest of all whānau to stay local at this time, and support the coordinated efforts to reduce the impact of Delta on our communities.
It is with this in mind, that we encourage you to get vaccinated. Simply put, this is our best protection against both Covid-19 and the ongoing impact the pandemic will have on our tournament moving forward. So, while Māori Touch Nationals for 2021 is cancelled, we encourage whānau to explore what options are available in your rohe to be active. If rōpu can get together safely, and the local alert level restrictions allow for a few games, Karawhiua!
In closing, we’d like to acknowledge the hard mahi of Rotorua Touch Association. Organising an event is a significant undertaking - navigating Covid-19 would have made it even tougher. On behalf of all of our Māori Touch whānau, he mihi maioha ki a koutou. We look forward to continuing this partnership in 2022.
Nō reira, kia haumaru, kia manaaki tonu tātou i a tātou.
