Celebration and marginalisation in New Zealand sport: the 'ethnic', national Maori rugby union team

Abstract

The paper explores the inclusion of the indigenous Maori in New Zealand sport through an examination of the national, male Maori rugby union team. Drawing on Appadurai's (1995) cultural analysis of the adaptation of cricket in India, it is argued that class and race relations played out in the continued rivalry between the two rugby codes – union and league – provides an explanation for this team's continued existence. The paper concludes that the Maori team's significance expanded to spreading the game to the Pacific Islands and in doing so, paradoxically, both promoted and marginalised Pacific rugby in the global game.