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This research explores how Maori athletes experience, interpret and negotiate their Maori identity while competing in elite sport. Since its arrival, organised sport has become an integral social phenomenon in Aotearoa New Zealand society for Maori and Pakeha. This increased appeal of sport has provided Maori an avenue in which to escape deep-rooted colonial ideologies that described Maori in deficit ways. As such, the number of Maori participating in elite sport is proportional to the Maori population as a whole. Although the field of sport is a vibrant area of scholarly inquiry in Aotearoa New Zealand, Maori athlete participation in elite sport with respect to Maori identity remains relatively unexplored. This research responds to that void by discussing the experiences of 10 Maori athletes who illustrate that a variety of challenges and implications exist when Maori identity is examined within the context of elite sport. A kaupapa Maori qualitative strategy in the form of oral histories and storytelling referred to as purakau was used. Participants were selected based on two criteria: a) they either currently, or had in the past, represented Aotearoa New Zealand in their chosen sport or similarly achieved professional status as an athlete; and b) self-identified as Maori, through personal communication with the researcher. Five male and five female Maori athletes aged between 19 and 48 years were interviewed. Four participants had retired, seven had participated in team sports, and seven had represented Aotearoa New Zealand at either the Olympic or Commonwealth games. There were several key findings. The first is that all Maori athletes express a direct association of their Maori identity through turangawaewae and/or whakapapa, yet some exemplified an acute self-awareness that they exhibit few specific Maori cultural behaviours associated with it. As a part of this, nearly all discuss that te reo Maori remains a critical Maori cultural element that influences how

This case study explored the expectations and experiences that past and current students and parents/caregivers have of a secondary school sport academy programme. These programmes have become increasingly common in the New Zealand secondary school system and are diverse in operation and philosophical underpinning. Yet, despite their popularity, they remain relatively unexplored in terms of the experiences of young people who participate in them. Current members of a secondary school sport academy programme were interviewed, together with parents/caregivers and a limited number of ex-students. The director and implementers of the programme were also interviewed. Furthermore, observations were completed and documentation gathered on the sport academy programme. Information collated was analysed using multiple data sources that included a combination of quantitative methods in relation to the questionnaires and qualitative strategies for the interviews, observations and documentation. Analysis revealed that the sport academy was just one of a number of experiences contributing to a member's sporting achievement. Improvement in academic attitude and effort was also not significant. This was almost certainly due to the current selection criteria, as many of the participants had demonstrated athletic and academic talent prior to applying. Investigation of the expectations of the current and ex-members and their parents/caregivers showed that some of these had not been met, including components noted in the sport academy documentation. A career in a student's chosen sport was not perceived to be a motive to be a part of the programme, but the camaraderie and similarities students shared being athletically gifted, were perceived as important reasons to participate. Self-confidence was an additional positive outcome. A number of concerns were raised by this research. Both the students and the parents/caregivers indicated that they would like NCEA qualifications established