Celebrating 60 yrs of sporting excellence and family connections

A nursery for some of New Zealand’s finest sportspeople, an extension of home, a place for family and a village beyond the islands are just some of the ways members and volunteers describe the Māngere East Hawks Rugby League Club.

And all those aspects and much more will be celebrated this weekend at the club’s 60th jubilee.

Auckland councillor Alf Filipaina played at the club, along with his five siblings including his brother Olsen, who was the club’s first NRL and Kiwi representative.

Filipaina says it wasn’t only a place that helped nurture his brothers' talents but a “safe haven” for his whole family.

“Mum and Dad were always involved, I had my 21st there, and my Mum had her 50th at the club and even my niece had her 21st there - so it’s just been another home for us.

“And I think at one time there were either 3 or 4 of us in the same side so it was so good to play with your brothers. And it was just a safe place to be and we’ve got lifelong friends out of it.”

Filipaina’s reflection mirrors Foma’i Tofa who played in the same team as sporting legends like UFC boxer Mark Hunt, world boxing Hall of Famer David Tu’a and NZ Warriors prop Jerry Seuseu.

"You made your lifelong mates here - and no matter how faraway you go - this is always home. And it was also a place that broke down the barriers for our Pacific communities when they came here."

​Club life member Peter Sykes explains why Māngere East’s growing Pacific community found the club to be so crucial to their integration into New Zealand life.

"This place became an extension of the village that they had back in the islands," he says.

"During the 90s, when so many Pacific came here, this became their church and their village and that’s what we’re really trying to reinforce at this jubilee - that this is their place to reconnect and a place to belong."

Jubilee committee chair Philip Tasmania says the club has not only been an effective nursery for junior talent, having won all the junior grade in recent years, it’s also developed some of the NRL’s current crop of superstars including Jason Taumalolo, Marata Nikore and Edward Kosi.

“We’ve had 12 Kiwis from the club, over 50 NRL and Super League players and the women’s teams are really growing and have great potential in develop players for the NRLW competition.”

He adds that the club also helped set up the Mate Ma’a Tonga rugby league side in the 1990s and the Niuean Rugby League Association as well having one of the biggest rugby league club memberships in New Zealand.

"We don’t need superstars to attract players. It’s all about stay local, play local and one of our biggest achievements is the number of Junior Kiwis and under-20 Warriors players we’ve developed."​

Sykes says the club was founded by Jack Neal in 1963 to provide something for young men and women to do and it has grown into one of the area's most popular sports clubs.

"In the 1960s you get Māngere East growing as a suburb and that’s also when the big Pacific influx came - and so people recognised that they needed a club here but it was just a tin shed on the park.

"And so this jubilee is about celebrating sixty years of Mangere East Hawks being a club for its community."

*The Māngere East Hawks Rugby League Club Jubilee celebrations will be happening on June 2, 3 and 4. Click here​ for more information.