The NRL All Stars event continues to be a beacon of cultural pride, strengthening ties between rugby league and Indigenous traditions while providing a powerful reminder that the sport is more than just competition—it is a way to honour the past, inspire the present, and build a legacy for the future.

For Māori players, the games provide an opportunity to celebrate their whakapapa, their reo, and represent their iwi, hapū and whānau with mana. The event also serves as a key learning experience for younger players, who can live the values and traditions of Māori culture while competing at the highest level.

Fans will have more choices than ever to watch the games. Te reo Māori commentary will be available across both Sky Sport 3 and Whakaata Māori, while Sky Sport 4 will broadcast the event with English commentary. All matches will be available to stream across Sky Sport Now, Sky Go, and MĀORI+. Sky Open will also have free-to-air delayed coverage of the men’s and women’s matches with English commentary from 12pm Sunday, 16 February.

Game times are:

6.40pm - Touch Football Indigenous All Stars v Māori All Stars

7.50pm – Australian Indigenous Women’s All-Stars v Aotearoa New Zealand Māori Wāhine Toa All Stars

10.10pm – Australian Indigenous Men’s All-Stars v Aotearoa NZ Māori Tāne All Stars

Jonny Errington, Chief Content and Commercial Officer for Sky, says the team are delighted to bring the Harvey Norman All Stars to a broader audience in conjunction with Whakaata Māori.

“We are excited to partner with Whakaata Māori once again to bring the Harvey Norman All Stars to a broader audience throughout Aotearoa. Through this partnership, we will all benefit from the Whakaata Māori team providing te reo Māori commentary and a te ao Māori perspective for these fixtures.”

Whakaata Māori Kaiurungi Pāpāho | Director of Content and Audience Engagement Maria Barlow welcomed the opportunity to again partner with Sky on this important kaupapa.

“We saw overwhelming engagement with our audiences when we broadcast LIVE NRL in 2024 in te reo Māori as part of our partnership with Sky. The NRL All Stars highlights the contribution of Māori players to rugby league and the NRL and we are thrilled to broadcast indigenous sporting excellence in our reo across the motu for all to enjoy.”

Beyond the matches themselves, the Harvey Norman All Stars event is a celebration of Indigenous and Māori cultures, featuring traditional performances, community engagement initiatives, and an opportunity for players to connect with their heritage on and off the field.

As part of the festivities, the NRL plans to promote 17 Indigenous and 17 Māori-owned businesses, providing them with a platform during the game.

The Māori All Stars teams will be looking to reverse last year's results in Townsville when all three Indigenous All Stars teams were victorious.

New Zealand’s Māori culture was first incorporated into the NRL’s Indigenous Round in 2021. The New Zealand Warriors embraced the celebration by wearing a jersey featuring Māori designs and recognizing the shared Indigenous heritage between Australia and New Zealand.

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