10 April 2026, Issue 1305
Kilikiti aho fiafia! Move over cricket. Kilikiti’s muscling in this weekend. But it’s all for a full-on fun cause – the Samoan phrase ‘Kilikiti aho fiafia’ translates to a ‘Pasifika cricket day of fun!’ Kilikiti is played with wickets, bats and ball, but the similarities with Palagi cricket end there. It’s not cricket as you know it.
Pasifika took the gentlemanly game of cricket introduced by missionaries in the 19th Century and turned it on its ear. They created a high-energy ‘larrup, slash and swipe’ game with singing, dancing and chanting to fire up the players. It’s more than sport – it’s a cultural celebration bringing people,
communities and churches together. It’s played with long, triangular war clublike bats, as pictured here with Tauranga kilikiti player Peleti Lupematasila, and a small, dense, bouncy ball fashioned from strands of rubber plant. Teams vary in size, up to as many as 40 players, and rules may
vary to ensure a ‘fun’ game. This weekend kilikiti will take over Tauranga when it is held at the city’s stronghold of Palagi cricket – Fergusson Park in Matua – for a day-long tournament involving six teams. Learn more about Kilikiti aho fiafia on pages 6-7. Photo / Kelly O’Hara