ABSTRACT
Inquiry within the eld of sport sociology provides the space to explore and interpret the interactions that exist between the domain of sport and the reality of human experience. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the discipline of sport sociology naturally encompasses the relationship between sport and Ma-ori, the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand. Although te Ao Ma-ori (the Ma-ori world) deteriorated due to the harmful inuences of colonisation, assimilation and urbanisation, sport has provided a space where te Ao Ma-ori recuperation can occur. This has most certainly been evident through the implementation of Ma-ori knowledge and cultural practices, ma-tauranga Ma-ori in elite-level sport environs (see Erueti and Palmer 2013; Hippolite and Bruce 2013).
