Putting traditional Maori sport on international stage | Hawkes Bay Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Hawkes Bay

Zack Makoare has been helping youth as a mentor, support person and role model in Hawke's Bay for the past 25 years, the last eight at Maori health provider Heretaunga Te Taiwhenua. But next week he's sharing his experience with an international audience in a seminar room and on the rugby pitch.

Mr Makoare was heading to Europe this month as a team manager for the New Zealand men's and women's teams for the traditional Maori ball sport ki o rahi.

It was the first international tournament of the game, which had retained a popular following in northern France and Italy since troops from the Maori Battalion introduced the sport during World War II.

"The French and the Italians have picked up the game big time," Mr Makoare said. Back home was a different story. "It's popular mainly up in Northland [but] it's slowly filtering around the country."

The Flaxmere man was sharing the managerial role with All Black legend Buck Shelford and would help run ki o rahi workshops at rugby clubs in England, Poland and Germany.

He described the game as a mixture between rugby, netball and touch, but unlike rugby, people of all ages could play at the same time.

Mr Makoare said although the sport was played at some local primary schools, he wanted to get more people involved.

"It's the idea of getting more young people involved in sport in Hastings," he said. "It's a positive way for youth to be involved in some sort of activity for health benefits."

And ki o rahi had the added bonus of reconnecting Maori with an indigenous game, he said.

But before he takes on Europe with Buck, he will speak at the Healing Our Spirit Worldwide conference in Hawaii. Next week he will join the speakers from Australia, Canada and Hawaii to discuss "health, healing and addictions within indigenous populations".

Mr Makoare will draw on his experience working with youth at Heretaunga Te Taiwhenua about motivating rangatahi (youth) to be rangitira (Maori chief) for the future. "The main message I'm wanting to take there is there are mentors of all ages. We should promote male role models at all ages, even our older folk. We tend to forget they offer some good solutions."

He will also be discussing health therapies and models that are based around healing the whole spirit by reconnecting with the environment.

Mr Makoare was hoping to return with knowledge about how to better strengthen families and communities.

"How we can better strengthen what we already have for our youth that are probably not at school, not in education, not able to find work, and build stronger and more able parents and families, that's what I hope to gain."