Source / Facebook (On the road with Vodafone Warriors 2021)
Several members of the Warriors have given their teammates and families an introduction to Māori culture at a New Zealand cultural afternoon at the team's new purpose-built training facility on Australia's Central Coast.
Showcased in the On the road with the Vodafone Warriors 2021 vlog, which provides behind the scenes insight with players, staff and their families, members of the Warriors whānau share pepeha and a few te reo Māori words "you can use in your everyday life."
"Two real simple words you can use, Kia ora for hello, Ka kite goodbye."
They also had fun explaining the meaning of koretake, "You see someone not picking up their slack, koretake... Basically, that means useless."
"Train hard, otherwise koretake."
Before breaking into a workshop "teaching all the boys a haka", they offered a brief explanation about haka.
"So haka, they used to perform back in the day before they go into war, obviously to intimidate your opponent. But today they do it as a sign of respect. You can do it at birthdays, funerals, weddings. Nowadays, it's just a sign of respect."
Then it was down to business, with about a dozen performing the haka "Ka Mate" to demonstrate how it is done.
It received a round of applause from those gathered for the cultural experience.
The Warriors moved from their pre-season training base in Tamworth, NSW to Terrigal on the Central Coast on Tuesday where they will remain for the first four rounds on the new NRL season.