NZ on Air has approved funding a documentary project exhibiting the involvement of Maori culture in the traditional Indian sport of Kabaddi.
On Tuesday, March 9, a media release confirmed that New Zealand on Air would fund the projects that speak to the diversity of experiences of Pan-Asian peoples in Aotearoa.
Tara Singh Bains with NZ Kabaddi team players
The project named 'When Haka Meets Bhangra' will be made by Nomadz Unlimited for Maori Television and will get funding up to $370,000.
The documentary on the making tracks the alliance between a group of Maori and Pasifika wahine and their Sikh coach/mentor who take up the sport, which has been described as a cross between bullrush and wrestling.
A Kabaddi tournament in Auckland
Speaking to the Indian Weekender, president of New Zealand Kabaddi Council, Tara Singh Bains, said he was confirmed to be spoken to about the documentary on the links and popularity of Kabaddi in the Maori community in New Zealand.
Mr Bains has been associated with Kabaddi sports promoting it within the local community since 1990 and got the national team created in 2013.
NZ Kabaddi team in India (Photo: Kabaddi NZ Facebook Page)
New Zealand Kabaddi team played their maiden match against India in their home country at the Kabaddi World Cup and were smashed by the home team. It was a steep learning curve for the guests who worked hard mastering the tricks of the game and gave a tough competition to the Indian team at the finals in 2013.
Although the team lost the finals to India, it was a stepping stone to their newfound strength in the Kabaddi game, and they ranked second again in the 2014 World Cup and third in 2016.
The team's line up for the first Kabaddi World Cup they attended. (Photo: Kabaddi NZ Facebook Page)
"Besides representing New Zealand in the world cup, our team has also competed at two international indoor tournaments in Malaysia in 2018 and 2019, at WAWO Women's Kabaddi League in 2018 in India," Mr Bains said.
Mr Bains adds that on a national level, NZ Kabaddi has two teams, Hamilton and Auckland, who often play against each other and other domestic clubs and teams from all around New Zealand.
New Zealand Kabaddi Team with their runners-up trophy at Auckland Airport after the Kabaddi World Cup 2014 in India (Photo: Kabaddi NZ Facebook Page)
"In the first NZ Sikh Games in 2019, the NZ Kabaddi team also played against the Indian Kabaddi team who flew from India for the Sikh Games," Mr Bains said.
Mr Bains added that the women's team had come a long way from not knowing the sports to becoming one of the most formidable teams in the world in Kabaddi.
New Zealand Kabaddi Team in 2013 during the Kabaddi World Cup in India
"We have a strong bond with the Maori community and share nuances of the sport, Kabaddi, with their form of martial arts and wrestling.
"This is what the makers will showcase in detail and amplify the deep-rooted connection of the Indian sports with Maori culture in the documentary that will soon start filming in New Zealand," Mr Bains added.
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