On The Up: Northland Māori trust revitalises land, wins national award
The success of Northland farming operation Whangaroa Ngaiotonga Trust is about so much more than being profitable, it is also about empowering the thousands of descendants of whānau who used to live on the whenua.
The trust, which manages a 1100ha block in Ngaiotonga, Whangaruru, has won the national Māori
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Small-Town Kōtiro Jada Jelinek Chasing Volleyball Dreams In Canada
, Henare te Ua Māori Journalism Intern Dedication and determination is what it took for Jada Jelinek to make the under-18 Aotearoa Māori volleyball team. Following a trial in September 2024, she was one of three South Islanders selected to represent their culture and wear the tino rangatiratanga flag on their playing kit. "Following various boot camps and training sessions, our teams and individual players have significantly strengthened, preparing us to compete together," Jelinek said. Aotearoa Māori Poirewa - NZ Māori Volleyball teams compete internationally against other indigenous sides. The under 18 and under 20 wāhine and tāne teams are currently in Canada preparing for the inaugural All-Nations Indigenous Volleyball Showcase which begins on 25-28 July. Held at the Van Vliet Complex, University of Alberta, the tournament facilitates both competition and cultural exchange. "I have always wanted to travel, this is the perfect opportunity to explore the world and become more open-minded about what I want to do in the future. "To experience the culture and norms of Canada, we also plan to attend a National Football League game in Edmonton and participate in other activities to appreciate the local indigenous cultures." And Canada is far from her norm. Jelinek comes from Tapawera, a township of around 370 people located 76-km southwest of Nelson. She is a year 12 student at the Tapawera Area School, a school of just under 60 students from new entrant level to year 13. However, the school still manages to pull together a volley team which consists of rangatahi from year 9 - 13. There, Jelinek made the South Island Area Schools team and now, Aotearoa Māori Poirewa. The tournament, too, offers scholarship opportunities which Jelinek aimed to take up in her final year of school.
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A Diamond recut: Mystics reignite Wallam's sparkle
Something clicked for Donnell Wallam this season with the Mystics – and it wasn't just the sound of her wrist breaking. It was as though she'd found her netball people. 'I've never felt so comfortable in a team before. I just relate to a lot of the girls so much more,' says the Australian Diamonds goal shoot, and proud Noongar woman, just days away from playing in the first elite netball grand final of her career. 'You know, the Aboriginal culture and the Māori culture are so similar. It's as simple as some of the language we use with each other, and I just felt at ease straight away. That's what I've enjoyed most.' Yet Wallam, unwanted in Australia's top league, admits she was 'initially scared' to join the Mystics, stepping into the giant shoes left by Grace Nweke. Then she'd barely got started before it all came crashing down – a fractured wrist in just the third round of the ANZ Premiership threatened to end her season. So when doctors gave her six weeks to recover, she told them she'd only need four – and slotted back into the Mystics shooting circle in round eight with little trace of discomfort. 'I think I've come over here, taken on the challenge and it's made me a better player. I've really developed my game here,' the 31-year-old says. On Sunday, Wallam will line up in the premiership grand final in a Mystics side who've been all the better for her presence. Assistant coach Rob Wright, also an Aussie, says the shooter known in the team as Nelly has been a joy to work with. 'There's something about Nelly. People really warm to her, she's really humble and understated, and then she backs it up on court,' he says. 'And she always wants to be better.' Mystics veteran Peta Toeava has been like 'a big sister' to newcomer Wallam this season. Photo: Northern Mystics Wallam's success on court here – shooting 275 goals at 88 percent, even after missing four games, and seamlessly falling into sync with magical Mystics feeder Peta Toeava – has attracted attention across the Tasman. The Mystics offered Wallam a lifeline after she failed to score a contract with a Suncorp Super Netball franchise this year – let go by the Queensland Firebirds after three seasons, who signed up Ugandan star Mary Cholhok (they finished at the bottom of the table with just two wins). Wallam made headlines in Australia last week when she was invited back to the Australian Diamonds' training camps. This time, though, it's essentially as a training partner – losing her place in the national squad she's been in since 2022. 'It's a bit of a different role this time as an invitee, but I'm still grateful to have that opportunity again,' Wallam says, taking it all in her long stride. 'It's always an honour. 'There may be an opportunity to be elevated, otherwise you're in and around the environment still learning and developing your game.' Regardless of the outcome in the grand final against Tactix, a home game for the Mystics at west Auckland's Trusts Arena, Wallam will return to Western Australia with more than she arrived here with. 'I've got so much more family now. The Mystics are my family away from home,' she says. Donnell Wallam unbalances Tactix keeper Jane Watson during the Mystics's 70-56 win in their last round match. Photo: Michael Bradley Photography Defending premiership champions for two years' running, the Mystics had their doubters at the start of the season. 'I don't think many people picked us to make the grand final,' Wright says. 'They may have picked us in the top three.' You can blame it on the Nweke Factor. Losing the prolific Silver Ferns goal shooter was seen as a blow the Mystics might struggle to come back from. When Wright and Mystics head coach Tia Winikerei heard Nweke was signing with the NSW Swifts, they started their search for a new shooter. 'It's not easy to replace a 55-plus goal shooter,' Wright says. 'There was a suggestion Nelly wasn't going to have a spot [in the SSN league], and we were thinking she would be a really good pick-up for us – in terms of how our midcourt operates and how we play our games.' Megan Anderson, a former Diamonds shooter who played her final season of elite netball for the Mystics, coached Wallam at the Firebirds and is now her manager. That connection helped the Mystics coaching team make their approach. 'We were fortunate Nelly was really keen to come to us,' Wright says. Wallam met two ANZ Premiership teams. 'Once I spoke to Tia, I was initially scared. Like a good scared, though,' she says. 'That was a main reason I chose Mystics – I knew I'd be challenged in a different way. 'It was playing different styles of netball over here, being able to adapt to the moment, and not being that one-dimensional tall, holding shooter. So I don't become too predictable.' But there was one thing that made her think twice about joining the defending champions: replacing Nweke. 'I didn't want to go to a team where I had to fill the void left by Grace, because she's an amazing athlete,' Wallam says. 'But Tia reassured me they weren't looking to replace her; they wanted me to be me, and play to my strengths.' Immediately, the Mystics coaches were impressed by Wallam's 'thirst to improve', Wright says. 'You can tell her something and she'll go, 'Yeah, I'll do that', and she puts it into effect pretty quickly. She's easy to coach.' Wallam swiftly found her place in the shooting circle alongside Filda Vui, now in her fifth season with the Mystics. Vui has had one of her best seasons in 2025, thriving on her new responsibility in the circle, and the introduction of the super shot. The 29-year-old has sunk 28 two-pointers (with 64 percent accuracy), and some were game clinchers. 'Filly has stepped into a more influential role, more dominant, than previously,' says Wright. 'It means the opposition's having to worry about two targets, and especially with the two-point shot. It just keeps them guessing even more.' Wallam and Filda Vui have worked hard to keep defenders guessing this season, especially in supershot zones. Photo: Northern Mystics Wallam's been struck by how cool, calm and collected Vui has been, especially when the game is on the line. 'Nothing fazes Filda out there,' Wallam says. 'It's so nice to have such a confident goal attack to play with, who I can swing the ball out to for the supershot, and it takes some of the pressure off me.' And then there's pairing up with Toeava – one of the shrewdest, smartest feeders in the game. For years, her miracle passes to Nweke stole the spotlight, but she's proven she's no one-trick pony, setting up Wallam under the post with just as much flair and precision. Toeava and Wallam have spent a lot of one-on-one time together, honing exactly when and where to deliver the ball. 'I've got to give huge credit to Rob and Tia and the way they've structured our training so we've had the opportunity to gel like we have,' Wallam says. 'It's given us the upper hand; we know each other so well on court. 'Sometimes, I want to sit back in the goal circle and watch Peta do her thing, but then I've got to have my eyes open ever single time she has a hand on the ball – I have to expect the ball from anywhere. 'She's such a workhorse. In trainings, she sets the standard. She's someone you want to play for, like having a big sister in the team. I've loved playing with her.' A pained Donnell Wallam after fracturing her wrist in the Mystics' third round clash with the Steel. Photo: Michael Bradley Photography Wallam continues to play with a brace on her wrist since her unlucky break against the Steel in her third ANZ Premiership game. As she fell out of court, diving to keep a rebounded ball in, Wallam had a sinking feeling she'd broken a bone. 'I went off, strapped it up and tried to catch a few balls, but couldn't do it without pain. I was trying to convince myself and everyone around me it wasn't broken, just a bit sore. But I'd felt that kind of pain when I broke my arm a few years ago.' Wallam was in England in 2021, when she suffered a break to that same arm in her second game for the Leeds Rhinos. She was sidelined for seven weeks yet was rated the Super League's most accurate shooter at 95 percent. The following year she became the first Indigenous player in the Diamonds in 22 years. This year, x-rays showed she a small fracture in her left wrist – one she was determined wouldn't end her season. 'When the doctor said six weeks, I said 'give me four',' she says. She impressed the Mystics team by still turning up to every training and working with young shooter Sophia Lafaiali'i, called up from the Northern Marvels NNL side to fill the Diamond's role. She stood on the sideline yelling encouragement at home games. 'I didn't really like watching because I was just too close! I was a bit down on myself for that injury,' Wallam says. 'But it also gave me confidence we have so much depth in our squad that we can go to our bench no matter what. She credits the Mystics' medical team, as well as the Australian Diamonds' doctor, for giving her the right advice and getting her back on court five weeks later. 'I was just so happy to run out on the boards with the girls again, and to wear the Mystics' heritage dress, which meant a lot to me,' says Wallam. In three weeks, Wallam will return home to her 'puppies' – two miniature dachshunds. And she'll prepare for a couple of camps with the Australian Diamonds squad in September – one of four invitees who are essentially training partners to the 18-player squad. Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich told Fox Netball that after Wallam's disrupted season, she was 'keen to see what she's evolved in her game, what she's learnt playing in a different environment,' and how she can regain her connection with the squad. The 1.93m shooter could be a real asset for the Diamonds in the Constellation Cup in October, having got the better of New Zealand defenders throughout the premiership. Wallam's Auckland flat will soon disband, with fellow Aussies and Stars players, Remi Kamo and Charlie Bell, heading home too. 'It's been really fun living with them, having some familiarity over here, and bouncing our thoughts off each other after trainings, games and stuff,' Wallam says. Now Netball NZ has changed the Silver Ferns' eligibility rules, and Nweke could play another season in Australia and still wear the black dress, it's uncertain whether Wallam will return for another season in Auckland – especially with the future of the premiership here still to be revealed. But she's certain about one thing: 'I've absolutely loved it here.' Mystics and Tactix square off in the ANZ Premiership grand final in Auckland on Sunday at 4pm (the game will be live on Sky Sport). On the same day, Grace Nweke's Swifts will host the SSN preliminary final against the Vixens.
The Spinoff
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‘Rugby league, you undefeated beautiful thing!': Vossy strikes commentary gold again
His voice is synonymous with rugby league, and Vossy delivered yet another pearler on Sunday night. Here are some of the Aussie commentator's very best from over the years. When heartbreak turned to last-minute triumph for the New Zealand Warriors on Sunday evening courtesy of a runaway try from Leka Halasima, there was no better voice to be narrating the drama than that of Fox Sports rugby league commentator Andrew Voss. Vossy, as he is affectionately known, has become an iconic commentator for many league fans around the world. From providing commentary on the first Rugby League video game released in 2003 to calling numerous World Cup finals, here's a round-up of some of Andrew Voss' finest calls. 'And now, the awakening of the gods from the New Zealand Māori.' The New Zealand Māori team first played against the Indigenous Dreamtime team on 26 October, 2008 as the curtain raiser to the first match of the 2008 World Cup. As the Māori side begin their haka, Voss quietly primes the uninitiated viewers on what is taking place. For Māori and Indigenous Australians, the pregame challenge between the two sides has now become a highlight of the annual contest. 'He's kicked it as hard as he possibly could and the bloke tucking into a Krispy Kreme donut up in row 28 just copped it in the head.' It was round 11 of the 2014 NRL season and the Wests Tigers were losing 8-0 to the North Queensland Cowboys. With only two minutes left on the clock, Vossy placed a classic commentator's curse on Tigers winger Pat Richards, talking about him needing to pull out 'one of his special kicks' before Richards went on to kick it into the stands on the full. While the ball didn't hit a bloke tucking into a Krispy Kreme, it sure was a memorable Andrew Voss moment. 'Straight down the hey diddle diddle.' I might be just too young to remember but apparently saying 'straight down the hey diddle diddle' was once quite a common thing in rugby league commentary. Thankfully, it wasn't still this way when I was watching the footy as a youth, as 'diddle' had a completely different meaning for me. Anyway, Andrew Voss – the league nut that he is – was clearly fond of the saying, which was a pretty apt description of the superb play that resulted in a go-ahead try for the Rabbitohs in their 2019 round 25 match against the Sydney Roosters. Vossy has also used the saying in its more common context, which is for saying a kick has gone through the middle of the posts. 'He's a rugby league gazelle.' Sometimes, fiction becomes reality. This line was a famous Vossy quote from the very first Rugby League video game released in 2003. However, Voss found reason to quote himself in this 2020 contest between Manly and the Storm. Long-time fans were delighted. 'I'm struggling to find adequate superlatives to describe this performance.' While it's a quote from the Rugby League video game, this pearler of a line is synonymous with Andrew Voss. It captures the kind of language viewers have become so accustomed to Vossy using on the regular during his commentary. Most likely one of his most-quoted quotes. 'If it's a try, you can hire me a gorilla mask and I'll wear it for the rest of the match.' What I admire about Vossy is his willingness to wear his heart on his sleeve. While many commentators may be too timid to openly speak their minds on certain calls or plays, Voss is quick to let viewers know what he thinks. In fact, he was so confident that this potential try would be disallowed by the bunker in a 2014 round 4 match between Wests and the Warriors that he declared he would wear a gorilla mask if he was wrong. He wasn't. 'The fireworks that they all expected – well, they've erupted. The ball shooters, the roman candles, and whatever fireworks you can think of, they've erupted here.' Tensions were high in this 2006 international test between the Kiwis and Kangaroos. Steve Matai stopped a try in the corner and Kangaroos winger Matt King took a disliking to the shove from Matai – resulting in a brawl between the two sides. Vossy took the chance to liken the scrap to an explosion of very specific fireworks and the moment remains a great piece of NRL commentary to this day. 'And Mason gets the shoulder from Kidwell, who gives him the rounds of the kitchen after it.' In the same test as above, Kangaroos legend Willie Mason was shown on the live broadcast mouthing 'fuck off' at the Kiwis haka. He went on to claim that he was directing his insults towards Brent Webb, who is an Australian-born Torres Strait Islander. Regardless of the reason, Auckland-born Mason was on the receiving end of one of the greatest hits in rugby league history from David Kidwell, who proceeded to let Mason know what he thought of him after the fact – which Vossy described as giving him ' the rounds of the kitchen '. It is a moment burnt in the memory of many rugby league players of my generation. 'Three letters, four points – it's a try!' Another classic Vossy one-liner from the Rugby League video game. While the game was full of memorable phrases from Voss, this is one I still find myself quoting today. Other iconic quotes from Voss in the game include: 'He'll be counting his ribs after that one', 'they had the voodoo dolls out for that one, and it's worked!' and 'he's no stranger to stitches, but they may have to get the staple gun out for that one'. View post on TikTok 'Rugby league, you undefeated beautiful thing!' We all know how much Vossy loves footy. There are few commentators who remind us it is the 'greatest game of all' more than Andrew Voss. When star Warriors rookie Leka Halasima stunned Newcastle Knights fans at their own ground on Sunday night by recollecting a charged down field goal to trot over 40 metres and score a game-winning try in the dying seconds of the game, Voss's passion for rugby league was on full display. It was an iconic moment, with an iconic voice in commentary.
