A journey that began among whānau in Aotearoa has brought Ngā Whanapoikiri Kōtiro Pounamu into the heart of Kanak culture in New Caledonia, where football, ancestral connections and the generosity of local communities have come together in a deeply meaningful experience for our young wāhine.
For Māori Football Aotearoa, the Pounamu campaign from 11–18 October 2026 has always been about more than travelling overseas to play football. It is an opportunity for our young wāhine to experience international football, meet new people, learn from another culture and carry whakapapa Māori with pride.
Along the way, the generosity of our Kanak hosts and the relationships nurtured by Les Amis du Foot have opened doors to experiences that will remain with our travelling whānau long after they return home.
From Aotearoa to Kanaky — Carrying Who We Are
Our journey began in Auckland, where the Pounamu players, coaches, staff and whānau gathered to welcome the team and prepare them for the journey ahead. Through mihi, karakia, poi, the sharing of the Pounamu pūrākau and the presentation of Ngā Pākau Āwhina o te Kererū, we came together to acknowledge the people, whakapapa and communities standing behind each player. The presentation of the team’s taonga was a particularly special moment.
For our young wāhine, receiving their shirt was about much more than being named in a travelling team. It was a reminder of the whānau who have supported them, the people who have helped them grow and the responsibility that comes with representing Māori Football Aotearoa. The evening brought our travelling whānau together, grounded us in our each other and reminded us of the kaupapa we would carry into another people’s homeland.
Just days later, that cultural beginning in Auckland would find a beautiful extension in Kanaky, where we were welcomed into the coustums and ancestral world of the Kanak people.
A Special Welcome in North Païta
On Monday 12 October, alongside New Zealand Football’s Paula Hansen, our Pounamu delegation was privileged to be invited to the unveiling and opening of a Kanak cultural and spiritual centre in North Païta. It was the first time Māori Football Aotearoa had participated in an occasion of this nature in New Caledonia, and one that we will remember with deep, sincere gratitude. This was a special occasion for our Kanak hosts, their families and communities. We were there as guests, welcomed into a place where their coustums, ancestral connections and spiritual traditions are honoured and carried forward. To stand alongside them during such a meaningful occasion was both humbling and a privilege.
We had arrived in New Caledonia carrying our own whakapapa, tikanga and responsibilities. Here, we were being welcomed into a place where another Indigenous people were honouring their own ancestors, coustums and connections to the land.
The Kanak practice of coustum, shared through coustumary gestures, words and exchanges, helped us appreciate the importance of acknowledging the people and place we enter. These coustum are not simply formalities. They are ways of recognizing one another, showing respect and beginning relationships with care.
Our cultures are not the same, nor do they need to be. Each carries its own history, language, customs and ancestral knowledge. Yet there was something deeply meaningful in being able to stand together, each grounded in who we are, and share a moment of genuine respect and connection.
For our Pounamu wāhine, it was an experience that no classroom or football training session could fully recreate. They were able to see, hear and feel the importance of culture in the lives of another Indigenous people, while carrying the values and teachings of their own whānau. We remain sincerely grateful to our Kanak hosts for welcoming us into such an important occasion and allowing our young people to share in a moment of such personal and cultural significance.
Les Amis du Foot — The People Who Helped Bring Us Together
Throughout this journey, Les Amis du Foot have held a special place in bringing our travelling whānau and the people of New Caledonia together. Long before our team arrived, they were helping lay the groundwork for our visit, drawing on their relationships across local communities, Kanak customary networks, the Northern Province and the Fédération Calédonienne de Football. Their care and generosity have helped us connect with people and places we may otherwise never have had the opportunity to encounter.
From football arrangements to introductions within local communities, Les Amis du Foot have been a bridge between our travelling whānau and those who have welcomed us.
Their contribution has been much more than helping organise a football tour.
They have given their time, shared their relationships and helped create opportunities for our young wāhine to experience New Caledonia through the people who call it home.
For us, that carries enormous meaning.
When we travel into another people’s homeland, we do not arrive with an expectation that doors will simply open. We rely on the goodwill of others, the trust they have built within their own communities and their willingness to share those connections with us.
Les Amis du Foot have shown that generosity throughout this campaign.
We acknowledge them with heartfelt gratitude, not only for what they have helped make possible, but for the care they have shown our players, coaches, staff and whānau.
The relationships they have helped nurture are a treasured part of this journey, and we hope to honour that kindness through the way we continue to care for these connections.
Football, Friendship and Growing Together
Of course, football remains an important part of why Pounamu has travelled to New Caledonia.
Our wāhine have been training, preparing and learning to adapt to a different environment, new opposition and the experiences that come with representing their people overseas.
Their opening match brought an encouraging result and an opportunity to put their preparation into practice.
But there is much more to learn on a journey like this than what happens during a match.
Travelling together, looking after one another, meeting new people and finding confidence in unfamiliar surroundings are all part of growing as young footballers and young women.
Every training session, match, shared meal and new experience adds something to their journey.
And when those experiences are shared with people from another culture, they offer our players an opportunity to see the world through different eyes while remaining connected to their own identity.
The Responsibility of Wearing Pounamu
For Kaiako Wāhine Taelor Pickering-Parker, the shirt ceremony in Auckland was an important reminder of what it means to represent Pounamu.
“This group has earned the opportunity to step into an international environment, but the shirt also asks something of them. It asks them to be grounded, connected, brave and ready to learn. Pounamu is not just about football performance — it is about how our players carry themselves, their whānau and the kaupapa.”
Kaiako Tāne Terry Boylan spoke about the importance of helping the players grow through their international experiences.
“For these players, New Caledonia is a chance to experience another level of preparation, travel, opposition and team responsibility. We want them to enjoy it, but also to understand what it means to prepare properly, compete with intent and grow from every part of the experience.”
Kaiako Wāhine Ariana Gray reflected on the pride shared by the players and their whānau before departure.
“The ceremony gave the girls a moment to pause and understand the journey they are stepping into. You could see the pride from the players and their whānau. Now the focus is on staying connected, looking out for each other and representing Pounamu with confidence.”
Relationships Beyond the Field
Beyond the cultural engagements and football activities, our time in New Caledonia has also given us opportunities to renew friendships, strengthen relationships and meet others who share a love for football and their communities.
Some of these connections are new, while others have been quietly growing over time.
Through conversations and time spent together, we have shared hopes for how football might continue bringing our young people and communities closer in the years ahead.
There is no need to hurry these relationships or decide too soon what they might become.
For us, what matters is taking the time to know one another, listening with care and allowing trust and understanding to grow naturally.
Football may bring us together for the first time, but it is the kindness, respect and friendships shared along the way that give us reasons to remain connected.
Ngā Pākau Āwhina o te Kererū — Carried by Our People
The meaning of Ngā Pākau Āwhina o te Kererū has travelled with Pounamu throughout this campaign.
Our shirts carry more than the colours and identity of Māori Football Aotearoa. They remind us of the whānau, hapori, coaches, supporters and many helping hands that make these opportunities possible.
Every player has people behind her.
Some have travelled with us. Others are following from home, sending messages, watching matches and sharing in the pride of seeing their young wāhine represent their people overseas.
Their contributions are woven into this journey.
We also acknowledge New Zealand Football and Paula Hansen, who accompanied our delegation during the opening stage of the campaign and shared in these important experiences.
“New Zealand Football acknowledges the importance of Māori Football Aotearoa creating meaningful representative opportunities for young players. This campaign is a strong example of football being used to support player development, cultural identity and positive international connection.”
For Pounamu, the support of our whānau and those who walk alongside us is a reminder that no one reaches these moments alone.
What We Carry Home
As our time in New Caledonia comes to a close, there is already much for our young wāhine to carry home.
They will remember the football, the matches, their teammates and the challenges of playing in another country.
But we hope they will also remember the people.
The whānau who gathered around them in Auckland.
The Kanak hosts who welcomed them into a place of deep ancestral and cultural meaning.
The kindness and generosity of Les Amis du Foot, who helped bring people together and made so much of this journey possible.
And the friendships formed through the simple act of meeting others with openness, humility and respect.
For Māori Football Aotearoa, this journey is another expression of a kaupapa that has been nurtured over many years: creating opportunities for Māori to participate and perform in football as Māori.
Our young people should never have to leave their identity behind to experience the wider world.
They can carry their whakapapa, their tikanga, their language and the teachings of their whānau wherever football takes them.
And when they are welcomed into another people’s homeland, they can learn to honour that welcome while recognising the mana, customs and identity of those who receive them.
We are grateful to everyone who has shared this journey with us, especially our Kanak hosts, Les Amis du Foot, our football friends in New Caledonia and the whānau who continue to stand behind Pounamu.
The friendships made and the kindness shown will remain with us long after the final whistle.
From Auckland to Kanaky, our young wāhine continue to carry the message that brought them together:
“The ocean connects us. The land defines us. Football is the vehicle that supports us to celebrate.”
Ngā Whanapoikiri Kōtiro Pounamu — New Caledonia 2026
Article by Māori Football Aoteroa
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