Tuvalu 11-year-old set to take on NZ's finest at national Scrabble champs

When 11-year-old Maheu Papau T-Pole sits down to play Scrabble against competitors, who are often 50 years plus his senior, he feels happy they are still enjoying the game.

“I’m happy they still play, and it’s good they are not sleeping or watching TV all day,” the young Mt Albert Scrabble Club member says.

Of Tuvalu and Pākehā heritage, Maheu is gearing up to join 64 avid Scrabble players for the New Zealand 44th Scrabble Championships over King’s Birthday weekend, in Wellington.

Not only is it his first time competing at the nationals, but Maheu is the youngest player set to attend the event.

Having joined Mt Albert Scrabble Club in January, Maheu is a rare sight around the Scrabble halls.

While most clubs in Aotearoa New Zealand have a predominantly older and Pākehā membership, the game is popular among teenagers from countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, who dominate the world junior ranks.

World Economic Forum reports governments across Asia are now funding after-school Scrabble clubs to build English language skills, and parents increasingly see it as a fun way for kids to learn.

Maheu’s mum Marama says her son first learnt how to play Scrabble from his Nana Judith Papau, after her husband Reverend Maheu Papau passed away in 2019.

“Mum and dad would pour over the Scrabble board for hours … they played for decades,” Marama says.

“Dad died in 2019, and then we had the Covid pandemic, and mum was looking for someone to play with, so Maheu would go over after school everyday to play Scrabble with his nana.”

Maheu shares it was challenging at first, having to learn the game, new words and add the scores.

He would lose to his nana, sometimes by 200 points.

“Now, it’s about 40 points difference, and sometimes I win and sometimes she wins.

“It has been really good spending time with her, and learning a game I had never played before … I so like it when I beat her as she is older and more knowledgeable than me.”

The Year 7 student at Te Atatu Intermediate says playing Scrabble provides him with the opportunity to learn new and interesting words, as well as meet new people who can teach him the tricks of the trade.

He is excited about the nationals, especially as it is his first time flying alone without his parents.

“It will also be good to see how the championships work and to play at the next level – I think it will be way harder than club level, and I’m expecting people to use words I don’t know.”

In Wellington, Maheu will play a total of 22 games of Scrabble over three days and he has hopes of winning at least nine – maybe 10 games, and he has ambitions to use the word, plateau.

“So far, the best word I have put out is emeritus, which I managed to score 100 points from.

“I am not sure if I will try to reach the next level after nationals – it depends on my career,” the ambitious Maheu adds.

However, he says other young people should try Scrabble, as it is a good way to get better at spelling and maths (when counting scores).

“You might even become a world champion,” he says.

Maheu’s clubmate 14-year-old Cooper Ashley is also competing at the nationals, and the pair will battle out E-Grade with their peers.

Meanwhile, vying to wrest the top honours from current New Zealand champion Lyres Freeth from Auckland are several New Zealand Scrabble Grand Masters and world-ranked players.

The New Zealand 44th Scrabble Championships will take place at Wellington Bridge Club, from June 1-3, 2024. Visit the NZ Scrabble website for more information.