Howie Tamati

Howard Kevin Tamati[3] MBE (born 3 January 1953), generally known as Howie Tamati, is a New Zealand politician and former professional rugby league footballer and coach who played for New Zealand.[1][2] He is the cousin of fellow international Kevin Tamati.

Howie Tamati MNZM
Born	Howard Kevin Tamati 3 January 1953 Waitara, New Zealand
Rugby league career
Playing information
Position	Hooker
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P Waitara Bears (TRL) 1983–84 Wigan 29 3 0 0 12 Total 29 3 0 0 12 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P Taranaki Central Districts 1979–85 New Zealand 24 2 0 0 6
Coaching information
Representative Years Team Gms W D L W% 1986–90 Wellington 1992–93 New Zealand 10 3 1 6 30
Source: [1][2]

Early life and family

Tamati was born in Waitara on 3 January 1953, the son of Emse and Kingi Tamati.[4] Of Māori descent, he affiliates to the Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāi Tahu iwi.[5] He was educated at Waitara High School.[4] Tamati is the cousin of Kevin Tamati.

Howie Tamati and Joanne Smith had children. He is married to Aroaro and had four children.

Rugby league career

Player

Tamati played for the Waitara Bears and represented Taranaki locally before selected for the Kiwis in 1979. Tamati played a total of 50 games for the Kiwis, including 24 tests for them between 1979 and 1985.

Tamati played for Wigan between 1983 and 1984.[6] He played against his cousin in the final of the 1984 Challenge Cup.

Coach

Tamati began his coaching career with the Wellington side.[7] He then coached the New Zealand side for two years from 1992. He was replaced in 1994 by Frank Endacott.

Tamati coached the Taranaki Rockets in the 1996 Lion Red Cup and the 1997 Super League Challenge Cup.[8]

In 1997 he was appointed the coach of the Oceania Nines Fiji national team.[9]

Since 2007 he has been the convener of the New Zealand Kiwis selectors.[10][11]

Administrator

Tamati currently serves as the Chairman of the New Zealand Māori Rugby League starting in 2004.[12][5][13]

Tamati has been the CEO of Sport Taranaki since 1994.[5][14] In 2013 he was appointed the president of the New Zealand Rugby League.[15]

Political career

Tamati served three terms as a New Plymouth District Councillor from 1999 to 2007. He was re-elected as a councillor in October 2010. He is the former chairman of Te Ihi Tu Maori Prisoner Habilitation Centre in New Plymouth.[5][16]

In 2016 he announced he would not seek re-election to the council in 2015 and won the Māori Party nomination for the Te Tai Hauāuru electorate in the 2017 New Zealand general election.[17]

Honours and awards

In 1990, Tamati was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.[4] In the 1994 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to rugby league.[5][18]

Tamati was selected as the patron of New Zealand Police recruitment wing 245 in 2007.[5] In 2008, he was named in the Taranaki Rugby League Team of the Century.[19]

References

1. "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
2. "Coach Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
3. Tamati, Howard Kevin 1979 – 85 – Kiwi #550 Archived 24 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine nzleague.co.nz
4. Taylor, Alister; Coddington, Deborah (1994). Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand. Auckland: New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa. p. 358. ISBN 0-908578-34-2.
5. Sporting Trio in Latest Wing of Graduating 'Cops' New Zealand Police, 28 November 2007
6. Dave Hadfield Tamati depends on home produce for Kiwis' fruition The Independent, 9 October 1993
7. John Coffey, Bernie Wood (2008). 100 Years: Maori Rugby League, 1908–2008. Huia Publishers. p. 238. ISBN 9781869693312. Retrieved 30 November 2009.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
8. Rockets shoot down North Harbour Sunday Star-Times, 10 March 1996
9. Tamati to coach Fijian side Daily News, 16 September 1997
10. Top job for Tamati New Zealand Herald, 10 February 2007
11. Injured Warriors duo keep Kearney on edge NZPA, 27 April 2010
12. Yarrow Stadium To Go All Gold For League Voxy.co.nz, 20 August 2008
13. Brenton Vannisseroy Maori sides ‘not racist’ Archived 20 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Te Waha Nui, 1 September 2006
14. Staff List Archived 24 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine Sport Taranaki
15. Role at NZRL step in right direction – Tamati New Zealand Herald, 1 July 2013
16. Council says 'no' to handing over domain ownership to Ngati Mutunga The Daily News, 4 August 2004
17. "Tamati aiming to be MP". Retrieved 29 June 2016.
18. "No. 53528". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 31 December 1993. p. 34.
19. "Dream team of century is named". Taranaki Daily News. 14 October 2008. Retrieved 24 September 2011.

External links

• NZRL Roll of Honour
• Profile at CherryandWhite.co.uk