PAPAKURA, Tāmaki Makaurau – Māori Football Aotearoa (MFA) made a proud return to the Iwi of Origin 2025 festival at Bruce Pulman Park, marking another step forward in aligning Māori culture, community, and football development.
This year, MFA’s activation, the MFA Skills Challenge (SC), took centre stage in the football zone, drawing tamariki, rangatahi, and whānau into a vibrant, football-focused experience.
What made this year’s inclusion unique was that within the Skills Challenge sat two distinct performance trials: the U-15 Boys Pacific Cup and U-16 Girls NVS25, providing Māori and Pacific youth with a direct pathway into representative opportunities while celebrating their cultural identity.
A Celebration of Māori Connection and Active Lifestyles Hosted by Aktive
Auckland, the Iwi of Origin has become a defining moment in Tāmaki Makaurau’s Māori sporting calendar.
The kaupapa brings iwi, hapū, and whānau together through sport, games, and cultural connection, by promoting movement, belonging, and hauora.
The 2025 event, held on Saturday 18 October, continued to build on this legacy with thousands participating across multiple codes, from kī-o-rahi and touch to basketball, netball, and league.
Within this space, MFA’s contribution stood out as an example of how football can express Māori identity while opening new doors for development.
“Iwi of Origin is about more than sport, it’s about identity, movement, and connection,” said an MFA representative.
“To have our Skills Challenge and national trials operating inside this kaupapa Māori event is a proud reflection of how football can belong in our spaces.”
The MFA Skills Challenge: Whānau Energy Meets Player Pathways The MFA Skills Challenge invited players to test their ability across six dynamic football stations: juggling, small-sided games, passing and receiving, dribbling, shooting, and 1v1 play.
Each activity was designed to challenge players technically and mentally, while keeping the energy inclusive and fun.
The challenge operated as a live showcase, visible to whānau and tamariki moving through the festival, and provided selectors with opportunities to observe emerging players for the two national pathways:
• U-15 Boys Pacific Cup Trials – part of MFA’s Pacific player identification framework leading into the Tamaki Makaurau Pacific Cup Festival.
• U-16 Girls NVS25 Trials – feeding into the North vs South women’s talent programme, a flagship initiative under Māori Football’s rangatahi development plan.
This dual-layer structure allowed MFA to connect with grassroots participants and simultaneously identify players for higher-level opportunities, all within a culturally grounded, community event.
Whānau at the Heart
While the technical drills and trials added a competitive edge, the true success of the day lay in the atmosphere, whānau on the sidelines, laughter between rotations, and a shared sense of belonging.
The MFA team, led by coaches Reon, Daniel, and Phill, ensured the day ran smoothly through a clear field layout and rotation schedule.
The approach allowed players to flow between technical and game-based stations efficiently, while keeping the environment open and welcoming for festival visitors to watch and support.
Shared Vision: Participation, Culture, and Aspirations to Compete
The collaboration between Māori Football Aotearoa and Aktive Auckland reflects a shared belief that sport is more powerful when it speaks to identity.
• For Aktive, Iwi of Origin continues to be a platform for Māori-led participation, encouraging movement, wellbeing, and intergenerational activity.
• For MFA, it represents a chance to align its football pathways with kaupapa Māori values, ensuring that Māori players can compete, perform, and lead while staying connected to who they are.
“Our vision is simple,” said MFA’s Phill Pickering-Parker.
“We want Māori players to be seen, supported, and proud. to develop as footballers and as people.
“Iwi of Origin gives us that space to connect and grow together.”
Looking Ahead
Following the success of the 2025 activation, both organisations have expressed interest in expanding their collaboration, potentially integrating more Māori football modules, youth engagement spaces, and regional trial opportunities in future editions of the festival.
The partnership between MFA and Aktive Auckland continues to set a precedent for culturally grounded sport delivery, where participation, culture, and competition co-exist to strengthen Māori identity and community wellbeing.
Ends
Photo Credit: Māori Football Aotearoa Media.
