Puti Tipene Watene

Puti Tipene "Steve" Watene (18 August 1910 – 14 June 1967) was a New Zealand rugby league footballer and politician.

Early years and personal life Watene was born in Thames in 1910. He attended Thames High School, Opotiki District High School and then the Māori Agriculture College in Hawkes Bay before he moved to Auckland where he worked as a labourer and a clerk. In the 1933 Auckland Rugby League season Watene top scored in the senior grade competitions with 77 points from 1 try, 26 conversions and 11 penalties. In 1936 Watene joined the newly re-formed Manukau side. He was the club's captain and played a major role in attracting many other Māori players to the club. As a result, Manukau quickly became a force in the Auckland competition, winning both the Fox Memorial and Roope Rooster in their debut year. The following season he became captain coach of the Newton Rangers before retiring from the game.

After retiring he remained involved in rugby league, coaching and selecting representative sides and working as an administrator. In 2008 he was named a New Zealand Rugby League Legend of League.

Politics Watene was politically active and during the 1951 waterfront dispute he toured the districts on behalf of the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Union, urging Māori not to work as strike breakers. As a Mormon, Watene's election broke the Rātana stranglehold on the Māori seats. who awarded the trophy annually to the best New Zealand rugby league player until 1992. Since 2012, the NZRL have presented the Steve Watene Medal to the Kiwi Player of the Year.