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Ki-o-rahi is a traditionjal maori game popular in New Zealand. The saport is played with Kī, a small and round ball. The sport is quite similar to Rugby and netball, being fast-paced and having rules similar to these games.

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It comprises of two teams with seven players each and the game is played on a circular field with concentric circles that is divided into zones. The outer zone is 12 metres wide and is known as Te Ao, the middle zone is 6 metres wide and is Te Roto. The central zone is Te Motu.

On the outer circle there are poles or cones called pou, and in the center is a tupu, the target. The players score points as they touch pou and tupu.

There are many different variations to the rules of Ki-o-rahi around the country. There is a process that is called tatu which decides the rules that the two teams would be using in Ki-o-rahi.

The game is known to have been played for centuries. The opponent teams are called Kioma and Taniwha. The main objective of Kioma team is to ensure that it scores tries (called tupu Manawa) whereas the opponent team makes an effort to score hits (known as tupu wairua) on a centre target called tupu. The players switch roles of Kioma and Taniwha during the game. The team to score more points wins the game.

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Similar Sports

• Touch Rugby — a team sport derived from Rugby Football, in which the tackling is replaced with just a touch.
• Netball — a team game with seven players on a side, similar to basketball except that players are restricted to certain sections of the court, and a player receiving the ball must stand still until they have passed it to another player.

Related Pages

• Sport in New Zealand
• Complete list of sports
• The Encyclopedia of Sports