rugbyRUCKus

East Coast rugbyRUCKus is a showcase of the region's rugby, kapa haka (Māori performance), kai (food) and Ki o Rahi (Māori rugby) and the bicultural heritage of our community.

The East Coast region has the highest Māori population per capita in New Zealand, with some communities being up to 90 percent Māori, with Māori the spoken language.

The region is also proud of its European heritage. The Ūawa (Tolaga Bay) community welcomed Captain James Cook and his crew in 1769, assisting them with repairs and restocking their first provisions from New Zealand.

Rugby will be just one focus of rugbyRUCKus. Ki o Rahi is a pre-European Māori ball game, also known as Māori rugby. During World War Two the 28^th Māori Battalion introduced the game to France and Italy, where it is still played today.

Also providing exciting entertainment will be a Heartland rugby fixture between two friendly Tairawhiti Unions featuring Ngati Porou East Coast and Poverty Bay.  

Alongside the rugby, visitors to the East Coast rugbyRUCKus can also enjoy hāngī (traditional Māori kai/food), lawn bowls, golf and historical walking tours of Tolaga Bay featuring the longest wharf in the Southern Hemisphere).

We hope you’ll take the long way around between matches and join us for East Coast rugbyRUCKus.

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