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Story: Māori rugby – whutupaoro

Fijian team performing a cibi

Image
Fijian team performing a cibi

The Fijian team perform their war dance, the cibi, at Athletic Park, Wellington, while the New Zealand Māori team watch on 10 August 1957. The first time the Māori team played Fiji was in 1938. They have played the Fijians more times than any other team.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Dominion Post Collection (PA-Group-00685)

Reference: EP/1957/3288-F

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Malcolm Mulholland, Māori rugby – whutupaoro – Rugby union, 1910s to 1930s, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/39635/fijian-team-performing-a-cibi (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Malcolm Mulholland, published 3 December 2012, updated 1 January 2015.