As soon as you walk into Warriors club HQ at Mt Smart Stadium you're greeted by the beautifully hand carved piece of art which serves as a reminder of the culture the club is built around and the journey everyone there is on together.
The wooden waka is something everyone at the club, from the players through to backroom staff, own part of, no matter their nationality or culture. And while it sits permanently in the reception area, the hoe which accompanies it travels everywhere the NRL team does and is a symbol of everyone being in the same waka which will carry them to success.Everyone who comes and is part of the club will see in it a connection to their culture and it speaks a thousand words, while only having very minimal wording on it."We have that as part of our presentation and induction...
The introduction of the waka and hoe is part of an effort to connect and recognise the many cultures which make up the Warriors, with the concept born out of the realisation that they lost their way in that area during the pandemic, while forced to base themselves out of Australia.