In breaking rodeo news, nine rodeo competitors from New Zealand will next month cross the famous ditch to literally throw their hat in the ring!
That ‘ring’ is the most hallowed rodeo ground in Australia, the famous red dirt arena of the Kalkadoon Arena at the Buchanan Park Events Complex in Mount Isa, Outback Queensland, home of the Mount Isa Rodeo Festival.
What’s extra special about this crew of cowboys and cowgirls, is that many are connected to the legendary Church family, multi-generational Māori rodeo competitors and among them, reigning and past national champions.
The five cowboys and four cowgirls are making to trip to compete in the first ever Ah One x Church Family Trans-Tasman Indigenous Rodeo Challenge at the Mount Isa Mines Indigenous Rodeo Championships, an event that will celebrate the pioneers of Indigenous rodeo heritage from each country.
Why George Ah One? Well, in Australia’s Outback there’s one name that’s synonymous with rodeo – George Ah One, known as The Carandotta Drover.
He and his family walked the legendary CARANDOTTA horses over 200 kilometres from Carandotta Station through to Kalkadoon Park for the first ever Mount Isa ROTARY Rodeo in 1959. The family did this for over 20 years, and became revered for their horsemanship, while the bloodline of these horses, as a result of George’s care, are still viewed as the best rodeo stock in the country.
While the Ah One name is legendary in Australian rodeo, the Church family is legendary in New Zealand, making the Ah One x Church Family Trans-Tasman Indigenous Rodeo Challenge truly one for the history books.
HOW WILL IT WORK?
The Australian Indigenous Team will be made up of the winners of the Championships held on Thursday August 8. The Challenge will take place as the last event of the evening.
THE NEW ZEALAND MAORI RODEO TEAM 2024
ROPE AND TIE: Mervyn Church Jnr (Captain)
Tribe: Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Tūwharetoa
This 29 year old has rodeoed all his life and around the world. He’s the grandson of the godfather of New Zealand Rodeo Mervyn Church and son of Corey Church who won 6 NZRCA All Round titles, 2 x NZRCA Rope and Tie titles and 1 X NZRCA Saddle Bronc title. His mantlepiece is full of national bull ride buckles and this season he finished sixth in the National Standings in the Rope and Tie qualifying for National Finals. When he’s not rodeoing, he trains horses for the film industry and performs horse ‘stunts’ on the movie sets.
BAREBACK: Brett McCorkindale
Tribe: Nḡati Maniapoto.
This 38 year old cowboy from Rotorua in the North Island is the nephew of Mervyn Church senior and started calf riding as an 8yo before picking up the lariat in Rope and Tie when he was 25. He is a four-event cowboy and finished runner-up in the All-Round standings last season. His career resume boasts many event titles with his major achievement to date was winning the NZRCA Rookie Rope and Tie title in 2022-23. By day he is a shepherd on a 100 year old family farm managing 5000 composite ewes, 800 Friesian Bulls and 400 Friesian/Hereford cattle. This will be his first overseas trip.
SADDLE BRONC : Callum Tahau
Tribe: Ngāti Tūwharetoa
This 31-year-old is one of three active Saddle Bronc-riding brothers on the NZ circuit. He lives in Napier in the North Island and manages a sheep and beef farm. He qualified for NFR this season but didn’t ride as he and his wife Pippa were expecting their second baby – Tate was born on finals day!
BULL RIDE: Leeroy Church
Tribe: Tūwharetoa
At 22 years old, this talented young cowboy (and final year apprentice plumber) competes at both ends of the arena, and has a list of champion titles for Junior Calf Ride, Junior Steer Ride, Rookie Rope & Tie and Rookie Steer Wrestling. He is cousin to Mervyn Church senior and lives in Mangakino, North Island.
BARREL RACE: Jayde Asher
NZRCA Secretary
Tribe (iwi) Tūwharetoa ; Sub-tribe (hapu) Turangitukua
A ‘late-comer’ to rodeo, Jayde started in her early 20’s with encouragement from her partner Aaron Church Jnr and was third in the inaugural All Round Champion Cowgirl standings last season. She made her first finals this season heeling with her partner Aaron Jnr (just her second season heeling) and made the NFR this season ranked third in the new event of Breakaway Roping, this was the inaugural year of Breakaway Roping in NZ. She’s mum to two boys, Quinn (4) and Tye (1) and the NZRCA Secretary.
BREAKAWAY ROPING: Lani Jackson:
Tribe: Ngāti Tūwharetoa
A legendary champion cowgirl, Lani won her first NZRCA Rookie Barrel Race Champion title in 1990, and won the NZRCA Open Barrel Race title that season too, a feat that has never been repeated in her event. She then went onto win the Open Barrel Race title in 1991, 1992 and 1993. No other cowgirl in NZRCA history has won 4 Barrel Race titles in a row. This year 2023-24, Breakaway Roping was added as an Official event in NZ, and Lani is the inaugural NZRCA Breakaway Roping Champion. She’s first cousin to Mervyn Church senior.
STEER WRESTLING: Haami Boynton
Tribe: Ngāi Tūhoe
At 15, Haami tripped to Australia. While here, he visited 15-time All-Round Australian Champion Cowboy Shane Kenny’s Destiny Downs property in North Queensland to watch a Jackpot event – he has never rodeoed before. The seed was sown and he started work with Shane. Now 25, this has been Haami’s his first season of rodeo at home and he didn’t start until 28th December which meant he missed the first six events of the season! He finished the season with three titles to his name; All Round Rookie Champion, Rookie Steer Wrestling Champion and Open Steer Wrestling Champion, an extra-ordinary season for this three event cowboy.
TEAM ROPING: Ariana Halley and Kiwa Halley
Tribe (for both) Ngāti Kahungunu to Wairoa and Ngāti Porouraua Tuhoe
These sisters are rodeo superstars….
ABOUT KIWA, a 5x New Zealand NFR qualifier:
- 2000-01 NZRCA Rookie Heeling Champion, a title she won with her Dad, Charlie on the heading side and she became the first woman to win a Rookie Roping Title
- 2008-09 NZRCA Heading Champion, a title she won with her Dad, Charlie on the heeling side and she became the first woman to win an Open Roping Title on either side
- 2012 NZRCA Bob Brown Memorial Trophy Cowboy of the Year
- 2012 First woman to place in Open Rope and Tie
- 2024 NZTRA Finalist in both Team Roping and Breakaway Roping
ABOUT ARIANA
Ariana competed in Barrel Racing at 3 years old! This season Ariana began to follow in the footsteps of her family, and picked up a rope. It was a great season with Ariana winning her second NZRCA Rookie title, Team Roping Header and qualifying for her first NZRCA National Finals Rodeo. She also finished fifth in the inaugural All Round Cowgirl standings this season.
ABOUT THE Mount Isa Mines Indigenous Rodeo Championships
In just three years the Mount Isa Mines Indigenous Rodeo Championships has become a multi-award winning event that unites riders, artists and rodeo fans, shines a spotlight on the incredible talent of First Nations athletes and generates serious revenue for the region, produced as a partnership between Isa Rodeo Limited, Mona Aboriginal Corporation and Malkarri Cultural Centre Limited.
- In 2024 Mount Isa Rodeo Festival will welcome a significant new experience – Kiakati (key-ah-kar-tee), an Indigenous Arts and Culture Precinct at Buchanan Park, being produced under the guidance of Malkarri Cultural Centre Limited. Kiakati is a Kalkadoon word meaning “to make”, with the precinct to be home to artworks, artefacts, classes hosted by Elders and artists from across the region, storytelling, songline talk and creative leadership.
- The 2024 Mount Isa Mines Indigenous Rodeo Championships logo has been redesigned by 19-year-old Kalkadoon artist Alysha Blackley. Artwork for this year is a yidaki (didgeridoo) by Kalkadoon artist Jesse Wilson and will be unveiled as part of the Opening Ceremony of the event.
- Welcome to Country will be performed by the Sundowners Kalkutungu Dancers.
- On August 8, when the rodeo action is over and new champions are crowned, Australian music royalty in Kasey Chambers and Christine Anu will take to the Rodeo Rock stage for the night.
- The Queensland Government is the Principal Partner of the Mount Isa Mines Indigenous Rodeo Championships and is also supported through Tourism and Events Queensland.
For media information, please contact Kath Rose on kath@kathrose.com or 0416 291 493