New Zealand Cricket has announced it will launch a Maori Cricket Scholarship to help New Zealand’s most promising Maori players.

The scholarship known as Kirikiti Aotearoa Karahipi o Te Tohu Taakaro o Aotearoa Scholarship is a partnership between New Zealand Cricket and the Maori Sports Award.

The 2015 recipient is Zak Gibson, a promising 18-year-old fast bowler from Te Awamutu.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White congratulated Gibson on being the first recipient of the new initiative that he hopes will help dispel the notion cricket is not popular among Maori.

“The reality is that Maori have a long and distinguished history in cricket, but it is simply not that widely known,” David says.

“Recent Maori high achievers in international cricket have included Shane Bond, Trent Boult, Kyle Mills, Suzie Bates, Sara McGlashan, Ben Wheeler, Doug Bracewell, Lea Tahuhu and umpire Kathy Cross — and there are many more names we can reel off from decades past.

“Even when the New Zealand White Ferns played their first ever Test match in 1935, the team included two Maori Test players — the late Agnes Ell and Hilda Buck, of Ngati Mutunga descent.”

The scholarship was presented as part of the 25th annual Maori Sports Awards, held at Turangawaewae Marae last night.

The Awards also saw three of New Zealand’s international cricketers acknowledged with White Ferns captain Suzie Bates (Ngai Tahu) a finalist for Maori Sportswoman of the Year, Black Caps Trent Boult (Ngati Porou and Te Arawa) a finalist for Maori Sportsman of the Year and former Black Caps bowling coach Shane Bond (Ngai Tahu) a finalist in the Maori Sports coach of the year category.

Zak, who represents Waikato Valley at District Association level, has been a member of development teams in the Northern Districts High Performance programme since he was at primary school, and has represented Northern Districts at National Under-19 level.

The 18-year-old has also stepped up for Northern Districts A this month, is a member of Northern Districts’ ground-breaking Northern Maori team and is in contention to make the New Zealand Under-19s squad heading to the ICC Under-19 World Cup, to be held in January and February 2016 in Bangladesh.

Of Ngati Raukawa descent, Zak grew up playing club cricket and rugby from a young age in Te Awamutu and was a member of the Chiefs Rugby under-18s last year, until he broke his collarbone after being tackled by Super Rugby prop Taniela “the Tongan Thor” Tupou.

“Up until then I was juggling cricket and rugby, and the injury made the choice clearer for me this year,” Zak says.

“I’m very grateful for this scholarship, my parents are stoked and it’s good to see Maori cricket being recognised."

Records reveal that Maori have played cricket in New Zealand since the early 19th Century — as early as 1832, but David says New Zealand Cricket is committed to improving its pathways for Maori, as part of its new strategic plan to build participation in the wake of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.

It’s the first time in the 25-year history of the Maori Sports Awards a cricket scholarship has been presented, and Dick Garratt, chief executive of Te Tohu Taakaro o Aotearoa Charitable Trust that runs the annual awards, says he was delighted by the initiative.

“No matter what code, the key is that we encourage as many young Māori as possible into the positive and healthy pathways that sport provides.”