Mita Mohi
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Full name | Mita Hikairo Mohi[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | 1938 or 1939 (age 85–86)[2] New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Prop | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [3] |
Mita Hikairo Mohi MBE JP (born 1938 or 1939) is a New Zealand exponent and teacher of the art of traditional Māori weaponry and a former rugby league player who represented his country at the 1972 World Cup.
Early life
Mohi was born c.1939 of Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Rangiwewehi and Ngāti Tūwharetoa descent. As a child he learned the use of the taiaha from his father.[4] Mohi's early working life was spent as a train driver for New Zealand Railways.[5]
Rugby league career
Mohi played for the Marist-Western club in the Canterbury Rugby League competition. He represented Canterbury, New Zealand Māori, the Southern Zone and the South Island. In 1962 Mohi was part of the Canterbury side that defeated Auckland 16–13 to win the Northern Union Cup.[6]
Mohi was selected for the New Zealand Kiwis squad in the 1972 World Cup. His first, and only, test match was against France. Mohi injured his calf muscle while performing the haka and had to be replaced.[7] Mohi also played in two other games for New Zealand while in Britain.[8]
He moved to the Riccarton club in 1975 and spent three years at the club, the last as player-coach.[8]
Mau rākau
In the late 1970s, Mohi began teaching the art of traditional Māori weaponry, mau rākau, and established the Mokoia taiaha wānanga to train boys and men in the art of using the taiaha. He has also run taiaha wānanga throughout New Zealand[9][10] and has developed a mau rakau programme that has run in New Zealand prisons since the early 1990s.[11]
Other activities
Mohi was also a professional wrestler for a time and was prominent in national Māori tennis,[8] including a second placing in the Aotearoa Māori tennis championships.[5] He worked as a lecturer at Waiariki Polytechnic and served as a member of the New Zealand Parole Board[5] and a justice of the peace.[12]
In 1982, Mohi and his wife Hukarere opened the first kōhanga reo in Rotorua, following the birth of their first grandchild.[13]
Honours
In the 1995 New Year Honours, Mohi was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for service to youth.[12] With his wife, Mohi received a Rotorua District Council community award for voluntary services in 2007.[13] He was recognised for his longstanding and ongoing contribution to mau rākau at the 2012 National Waiata Māori Music Awards, where he received the Keeper of Traditions Award,[5][14] and the 2012 Te Waka Toi Awards, where he was awarded the Ngā Tohu o Tā Kīngi Īhaka (Sir Kīngi Īhaka award).[9]
References
- ^ "Mohi, Mita Hikairo (1972) No. 501". nzleague.co.nz. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
- ^ "Taiaha used to instill pride". Nelson Mail. 15 July 1997. p. 3.
{{cite news}}
:|access-date=
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(help) - ^ "Mita Mohi – career stats & summary". Rugby League project. 11 December 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
- ^ "Taiaha course changes lives of young men". Nelson Mail. 15 December 1998. p. 3.
- ^ a b c d "Mita Hikairoa Mita". 3 September 2012. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
- ^ Smith, Tony (30 May 2009). "Nothing better than bettering Auckland". The Press. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
- ^ articles with dead external links%5d%5d%5b%5bCategory:Articles with dead external links from February 2016%5d%5d[%5b%5bWikipedia:Link rot|dead link%5d%5d] "Top ten unusual injuries with a Kiwi flavour". centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
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suggested) (help) - ^ a b c Coffey, John (1987). Canterbury XIII: a rugby league history. Christchurch: Canterbury Rugby Football League. ISBN 0473004518.
- ^ a b Bateson, Sonya (4 September). "Kaumatua honoured for skill with taiaha". Rotorua Daily Post. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ Keene, Howard (26 October 1996). "Taiaha hui targets boys". The Press. p. 4.
- ^ "Mita Mohi and Billy Karaitiana celebrated for their contributions". tangatawhenua.com. September 2012. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
- ^ a b "No. 53894". The London Gazette (invalid
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(help)). 31 December 1994. - ^ a b Martin, Matthew (25 April 2007). "Modest pair surprised by achievements". Rotorua Daily Post. Retrieved 269 April 2014.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ "Waiata Māori awards – 2012 winners". Waiata Māori Awards. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
External links
- "Photograph of Mohi in a professional wrestling bout". Nelson Photo News. 24 June 1972.
- 1930s births
- Living people
- New Zealand rugby league players
- New Zealand national rugby league team players
- Canterbury rugby league team players
- New Zealand Māori rugby league players
- New Zealand Māori rugby league team players
- Rugby league props
- Marist-Western Suburbs players
- South Island rugby league team players
- New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire
- Papanui Tigers players
- Riccarton Knights players
- New Zealand rugby league coaches
- New Zealand male professional wrestlers
- Ngāti Tūwharetoa
- Ngāti Rangiwewehi