Outstanding rugby achievements for young locals

HAKI WISEMAN has always loved rugby and started playing ripper at four years old. Haki's rise in the sport started with playing for the Chiefs U20 in March this year, before being selected for NZU20s. The team have just returned from South Africa, where they won the rugby
championship. If he makes the next cut for NZU20, he will go to Italy in June for the U20 World Cup.

Haki was schooled at Aria School and Piopio College before heading off to New Plymouth Boys High School (NPBHS). Haki says he was lucky enough to have awesome
support along the way from friends and whanau. He makes special mention of his mentors and coaches from NPBHS, who he says had a huge influence on his rugby and on his life in general. He also looks up to local All Black Cortez Ratima as a role model and says he appreciates people like Heath Barnsdall, who used to take him hunting and goat catching when he was younger. He also credits Dan MacLachlan and Ian Valler, who previously coached him at Piopio.

Haki says it has been so good to play alongside his whanaunga Jai in South Africa, and represent Piopio and Ngati Waiora on an international stage, and the best part of all is that they won the championship. He was recently named U20s Player of the Year at the Gallagher
Chiefs 2025 Awards. Haki's whanau are so proud of his achievements, saying he has shown amazing commitment and dedication to his sport for many years, and they look forward to seeing where he will
go next.

JAI TAMATI is the son of Locky and Kay Taitoko's daughter, Tania-Rose Tamati. Rugby has always been more than just a game for Jai - it’s been a journey of passion and big dreams. This journey recently reached new heights with his selection in the New Zealand Under-20s team at the Rugby Championship in South Africa.

For Jai, getting to this level hasn’t happened overnight. “It’s taken time, hard work, commitment - and ultimately, just loving the game,” he says. His dream is clear: to one day wear the black jersey of the All Blacks. But even now, he continues to aspire to be a better player every day, chasing growth on and off the field.

He says he is always grateful for the support from home and wants to thank his family, friends and supporters.

Back home, the Tamati whanau are proud, and nervous. “It’s been hard, actually,” mum Tania-Rose says. “We’re usually there in the flesh,so watching from home is interesting. You want to yell at the TV, but when it’s your own out there, you're more anxious and a bit quieter. It’s a weird feeling - one we’ll get over!”