Basketball
As the Tauihi Aotearoa basketball season kicks off, Whai coach Mel Bennett talks about how growing up in military life and traveling around the country shaped her appreciation for Te Ao Māori and the power it holds in the sport.
Mel Bennett was born in Singapore and grew up in military camps around New Zealand. Her neighbors in the military camp naturally became extensive whānau and mentors.
It was 34 years ago at Burnham Military Camp, just south of Christchurch, that she fell in love with basketball.
Bennett’s parents came from opposite sides of Te awa o Wairoa in Tauranga and married before joining the military. For over 18 years, Bennett grew up on several army bases between Singapore and Aotearoa.
“Singapore two years, Burnham until I was four, Papakura until I was seven, Ngāruawāhia until about 10. Hamilton, then back to Burnham, Linton and Tauranga,” says Bennett.
But even with all the exercise, basketball became a constant in her life. And the whānau vibe and sense of belonging is what Bennett, Basketball New Zealand’s Female Coach of the Year, is now trying to instill in all the teams she coaches.
Right now, that’s with Whai in the new Tauihi Aotearoa Basketball league – a role she says is “a dream come true”.
Always impeccably dressed on the sidelines, Mel Bennett impresses by coaching Whai.
From Bennett’s perspective, Puhi Milner, known as “Aunty Puss,” was the matriarch of basketball in military camp life in Burnham.
Milner represented Auckland in the 1960s and was a pioneer in women’s basketball. Her children, Rhonda and Peta, also played for New Zealand.
Bennett watched as her brother, Damian, played basketball, and he soon threw himself into the game. The Bennett whānau joined the basketball club in Burnham, nicknamed the Minties, led by Milner.
“It was the way she kept to herself,” recalls Bennett of Milner, who she describes as a natural mentor.
From the age of 11, Bennett grew up through the basketball club and traveled to tournaments – her memories of this pivotal period in her life are vivid.
“There would be piles of us with bags of Minties lollipops, each bag the size of a pillowcase. ‘Lean on Me’ was our team song. I get a lot of smiles on my face when I talk about it,” she says.
The Minties club, she recalls, was generative, inspiring and characterized by a ‘whānau atmosphere’.
“Basketball has always been a constant in our lives. It’s an opportunity to make new memories, build positive relationships and develop character and resilience,” she recalls.
This has shaped Bennett’s approach to her responsibilities – as head coach of the girls’ U17 national team and at Whai.
Whai represent the Mid-North region: Waikato, Tauranga, Rotorua, Taupo and Gisborne.
“It has made me more aware of creating an environment and an identity within it that people can belong to,” explains Bennett.
After two laps of Tauihi, Whai are two and two.
“Whai had a great build-up for Tauihi that exceeded my expectations,” says Bennett. “Focusing on culture building and whanaungatanga was one of the top priorities, and creating an environment that felt safe, where we could all bring our character and individual skills together to create one identity was important.”
With a bachelor of arts in Māori studies, as well as qualifications in sports and health, Bennett is an advocate for language and connection. She uses these to forge community on and off the field.
‘Because of the military life, I had grown out of my whenua and out of my hometown. It wasn’t very much for the reo Māori, other than what Mom and Dad taught us at home and through the Minties. Like how we should treat others and how we should treat our elders and be respectful,” she says.
Although she didn’t speak the language as well as she would have liked in high school, Bennett learned about customs and protocols, and an appreciation for the reo Māori.
“We’re creating a huge legacy here — a mana-enhancing opportunity for women.”
Last year Bennett was a development coach at Tall Ferns selection camp. She played the role of facilitator and led a cultural process through the camp, themed on whanaungatanga (connection).
“The ultimate goal is to get the Tall Ferns playing for a reason much bigger than themselves, connecting them to their whakapapa and whenua,” says Bennett. “The culture will give our wahine the opportunity to connect regularly, especially those who are geographically disconnected.”
As head coach of the New Zealand U17 team, Bennett will lead the squad through this year’s Oceania Championships in Guam in November, then the 2023 Asian Championships and the 2024 World Cup.
Her ability to inspire Wāhine as athletes, coaches and leaders has earned her both titles and confidence in Aotearoa.
This year Basketball New Zealand (BBNZ) announced appointments to two newly established community leadership groups to guide and support the development of coaches and referees.
Bennett is a member of the coach leadership group, which will improve connectivity in basketball communities and ensure development programs and services are “fit for purpose.” There is also a strong focus on the need to grow the game for women and girls.
Outside of basketball, Bennett works for Te Rūnaga o Ngāi te Rangi Iwi Trust, as the te ohu rangatahi manager, a role that offers programs that reconnect rangatahi (teenagers) with their iwi.
She relates this to her life in sport and her ambitions as a coach: “It has pushed me to create an atmosphere, environment and culture where people can feel comfortable where they are, whether they speak to reo or not.
“You don’t have to speak reo to be in a whānau-oriented environment. But you have to understand different cultures and different beliefs. Everyone has taken a different journey to get to where they are.”
On her own journey, Bennett emphasizes the role of her whānau – her parents, especially her mother, as well as her brother, cousins. She says their support is the reason she has been able to pursue her dreams of coaching at the highest level.
Although Bennett has been coaching basketball since 2007, the Tauihi Aotearoa Basketball League is a real game-changer from her point of view.
“The difference [for wāhine] is a visible path in our own country,” she says. “There is now a platform to stay here and get an education and still be able to play and get paid. I think that’s a bonus. Another advantage is that you do not have to leave your whānau. That’s unbelievable.”
Whai’s new head coach is full of gratitude.
“It was a privilege and an honor to be the head coach in the first season and our organization has ensured that I have had the best start possible,” she says. “It’s really a dream come true to be in this position.
“Tauihi is the perfect path for aspiring coaches to develop and gain exposure. Recruitment and scouting were also exciting and I have been blessed with a team of staff who complement each other so that we are prepared and can put our best performance on the floor.
“It gives players the opportunity to strive to become a better version of themselves. It allows them to showcase their talents in front of everyone.
“We’re creating a huge legacy here — a mana-enhancing opportunity for women.”
* Whai will play their first match of round 3 against mainland Pouākai in Christchurch at 12:30 on Sunday, live coverage on Sky Sport 1.