Council of Indigenous Peoples Facilitates New Zealand Māori Team's Participation in the National Indigenous Games

The National Indigenous Games are scheduled to grandly open at the EXPO Dome of Taipei Expo Park on March 24. Following their assistance in forming the "Austronesian Youth United" to participate in the 2021 National Indigenous Games last year, the Council of Indigenous Peoples has once again facilitated the participation of the "New Zealand Māori Representative Team" in the 2023 National Indigenous Games from March 24th to 27th.

Minister Icyang Parod stated that this marks New Zealand's inaugural participation, and their delegation is set to perform the traditional Māori dance (Kapa haka) during the opening ceremony as a gesture of respect towards Taiwan and its people. To promote sports exchange between Taiwan's indigenous peoples and the Austronesian nations in the Pacific, the Council of Indigenous Peoples is actively involved in indigenous sports diplomacy, signifying a new milestone in the collaborative interchange between the indigenous peoples of Taiwan and New Zealand.

The New Zealand Māori representative team comprises 37 members. To acquaint the team members with five traditional indigenous sports, including timber sawing, hunting, archery, and boat racing, as well as traditional music and dance, the Council of Indigenous Peoples has enlisted professional coaches for these events, starting from March 12, 2023. In addition to honing sports skills, the Council has meticulously arranged accommodations, translation services, and transportation during the training period. With dedicated staff accompanying the team throughout, the goal is to ensure that the Māori representative team can concentrate on training without concerns, ultimately aiming for outstanding results in the competition.

Minister Icyang Parod further emphasized that the New Zealand Māori representative team is in excellent form this year. In the traditional timber sawing event, they underwent only one day of training and completed it in just over 19 minutes, surpassing the Austronesian Youth United’s time from the previous competition by more than 30 minutes. Their performance in the upcoming competition against other teams in the National Indigenous Games is expected to be thrilling and worth anticipating.

The participation of the New Zealand Māori representative team in this year's National Indigenous Games not only allows them to experience the charm of Taiwan's traditional indigenous sports, elevating the global recognition of Taiwan's National Indigenous Games but also aims to foster and broaden cultural exchanges between Taiwan, considered the origin of the Austronesians, and diverse Austronesian nations.

New Zealand Māori Representatives Participating in the 2023 National Indigenous Games: Schedule and Venues