Women’s kirikiti to make an historic return to the Hutt Valley

The first Malaeola Women’s Kirikiti Tournament in years is set to kick off on Monday at Fraser Park in Lower Hutt, bringing together eight women’s teams from across Wellington.

Organisers hope the event will revive women’s participation in the sport, which has declined since the Covid-19 pandemic. The tournament, timed for Wellington Anniversary Day, is organised by Tauvale Whitman, lead of Matagi mai le Laumua, and Seka Aiolupotea Leulua’ialii, the group’s co-captain.

Matagi mai le Laumua is a collective of women and girls from across the Wellington region who came together to create a dedicated space to play, showcase, and grow Sāmoan kirikiti.

Speaking with Inagaro Vakaafi on Island Time, Whitman says the group was formed to get women back into the community and help them thrive in the sport again.

She says many women were part of tournaments before, but after Covid, the numbers of women’s teams “completely died off”, particularly in 2024.

“It was in the summer of 2024 where a competition had allowed for mixed teams, so that's where we saw sort of almost [a] revival. Porirua United, which is a mighty club, had asked if they could have some girls in their team playing alongside the men,” Whitman says.

Watch Seka Aiolupotea Leulua'ialii and Tauvale Whitman’s full interview below.

“Another great club, [Tama o le Puluafi] men’s, who did the same thing and reciprocated. From thereI guess that's where the journey started for Matagi mai le Laumua.

“Once we came off, we got our heads thinking [about] what we can do to get ourselves back into the community and to see women thrive.”

Leulua'ialii says the tournament aims to recreate the family-orientated atmosphere of past events and to bring the youth back into the sport.

Seka Aiolupotea Leulua’ialii, the co-captain of Matagi mai le Laumua, says the goal is to recapture the family-focused environment of kirikiti from previous years. Photo/Matagi mai le Laumua

“The cool thing about it is we've now reached our goal. We weren't sure if we would reach the eight women's teams but we have,” Leulua'ialii says.

The eight teams competing include Porirua United Kirikiti Club, Teine 690 Blue, Teine 690 Yellow, Ulalei, The Katos, Teine o le Meko (Meko Strong), Teine Toa, and Hutt Girls.

“We still had teams coming through even though we had reached capacity. We’ve got a mix of women's teams who are so good to see. [Teine o le Meko is] combined with old school kirikiti players and young ones who have just picked up the game which is nice to see.

“Our usos [sisters] from The Katos [with] some experienced players in there too and they’ve been playing for the last two seasons. Hutt Girls is formed of [Ekalesia Faʻapotopotoga Kerisiano Sāmoa (EFKS)] Hutt Valley and they've picked up the game quite well.”

The Malaeola Women’s Kirikiti Tournament is free to the public and held on Monday, 19 January at Fraser Park in Lower Hutt. Matches start at 9am and are expected to wrap up by 5pm.

The family-friendly atmosphere will feature music, food stalls, and community service providers. A smoke-free, vape-free, and water-only kaupapa is in place to ensure and support a healthy environment for attendees.

For more information, visit the Matagi mai le Laumua Facebook page.