Te Ara Putanga: How cricket is helping strengthen Māori Culture

New Zealand Cricket has launched Te Ara Putanga, a new episode in its NZC Whakapapa series exploring how cricket is helping Māori players connect with their culture, identity and whakapapa.

The documentary follows four New Zealand cricketers across different generations, including current White Fern Eden Carson and Otago Volts player Jamal Todd, alongside former internationals and coaches Shane Bond and Maia Lewis.

Through their personal experiences, the episode highlights a wider movement across Aotearoa, where Māori cricketers are using the sport as a pathway to strengthen their cultural connections.

The Māori Secondary Schools programme, established in 2017, has played an important role in this development. It was created to give rangatahi opportunities to participate in cricket while engaging with Māori culture.

Over the years, the programme has become a key part of Māori cricket development, helping young players build a stronger sense of belonging and connection to their identity, language and whakapapa.

Carson and Todd revisit the Māori Secondary Schools environment in the documentary, reflecting on how the programme influenced their own cricket journeys and observing its impact on a new generation of players.

Bond and Lewis offer perspectives from different periods of the game, highlighting the challenges and opportunities that have shaped Māori cricket over the years.

Together, the four cricketers trace New Zealand Cricket’s Māori journey from its historical beginnings to the present day, showing how the sport has become a vehicle for culture, connection and belonging.

Released during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2026, Te Ara Putanga celebrates the growth of Māori cricket while looking ahead to the upcoming season. The 2026 Tāne and Wāhine National Tournaments will be held in Tāmaki Makaurau in October.

The full episode will premiere on NZC’s YouTube channel on Monday, September 14, with shorter social media clips to be shared across NZC’s digital platforms.

NZC also acknowledged the whānau and whenua of Te Mahurehure Cultural Marae Society, Te Whare o Te Purapura Pai and Birkenhead College for allowing the documentary to capture these moments in their spaces.