With the club’s first bye falling this week, the One New Zealand Warriors don’t have a direct involvement in the NRL’s annual Multicultural Round kicking off tonight but they will acknowledge it with a distinct Pasifika theme for their next home game against the Brisbane Broncos on April 13.
The sold-out sign was posted for the Go Media Stadium blockbuster three weeks ahead of kick-off and, to celebrate their diverse cultural make-up, the Warriors will play in their 2025 Pasifika strip.
Last year’s Multicultural Round coincided with their round three home clash against Canberra in Christchurch when the game day programme had a strong Pasifika flavour while they played North Queensland in Townsville in the equivalent round in 2023.
The Dolphins had the bye in the Multicultural Round last year while Penrith was the club to miss out in 2023.
Like all clubs in the competition, the Warriors’ squad is a smorgasbord of cultures and ethnicities.
Close to 20 nationalities and ethnicities can be found among the players and staff.
Dominating the landscape are individuals who identify as New Zealanders, Australians, Samoans and Tongans but numerous other nationalities shine through in some backgrounds.
Not least of those is fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, a New Zealander of Māori, Cook Islander and Norwegian extraction.
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What NRL's Multicultural Round means to players
New Zealand-born middle forward Demitric Vaimauga is of Tongan, Samoan and Niuean and Australian-born halfback Luke Hanson can trace Irish and Hungarian blood.
New Zealand Māori James Fisher-Harris is of Scottish and Croatian descent while others boasting a cocktail of nationalities/ethnicities are Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (New Zealand, Māori, Tonga, Poland), Erin Clark (New Zealand, Māori, Samoa, England).
New Zealand Māori Taine Tuaupiki is of Hawaiian heritage.
