Mita Mohi

Mita Hikairo Mohi (22 May 1939 – 20 November 2016) was a New Zealand exponent and teacher of the art of traditional Māori weaponry and a former professional rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand at the 1972 World Cup. Mohi's early working life was spent as a train driver for New Zealand Railways.

Rugby league career Mohi played for the Marist-Western club in the Canterbury Rugby League competition. He represented Canterbury, New Zealand Māori, the Southern Zone and the South Island. In 1962 Mohi was part of the Canterbury side that defeated Auckland 16–13 to win the Northern Union Cup.

Mohi was selected for the New Zealand national rugby league team squad in the 1972 World Cup. His first, and only, test match was against France. Mohi injured his calf muscle while performing the haka and had to be replaced. Mohi also played in two other games for New Zealand while in Britain.

He moved to the Riccarton club in 1975 and spent three years at the club, the last as player-coach. and developed a mau rākau programme that has run in New Zealand prisons since the early 1990s.

Other activities Mohi was also a professional wrestler for a time and was prominent in national Māori tennis,

Mohi died on 20 November 2016.

Honours and awards In the 1995 New Year Honours, Mohi was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for service to youth. With his wife, Mohi received a Rotorua District Council community award for voluntary services in 2007. and the 2012 Te Waka Toi Awards, where he was awarded the Ngā Tohu o Tā Kīngi Īhaka (Sir Kīngi Īhaka award).