The Values We Develop
OUR PILLARS
The Matt Ratana Rugby Foundation stands for accountability to self and others, as well as understanding of the context in which people find themselves. We work to mitigate adverse contexts and to support, nurture and reward resilience in the face of these contexts.
We stand for the values of rugby, and the values of Matt.
Pillar I of V - Wellbeing and Inclusivity
We meet everyone where they are, with whatever they bring. Everybody belongs. Rugby has always been a sport that makes room for people of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds, and at the Matt Ratana Rugby Foundation that principle runs deeper than the game itself. We recognise that the young people we work with carry different burdens, come from different places, and arrive with different needs. Our commitment is simple: no one is left at the door.
Pillar II of V - Respect for People and Culture
We build trust, friendship, fun, understanding and relationship repair. Matt Ratana was known for the genuine care and warmth he showed to everyone around him. That spirit guides everything we do. We build environments where young people feel safe enough to be honest, connected enough to grow, and valued enough to keep coming back. Respect here is a practice, modelled by every coach, volunteer and mentor who gives their time to this foundation.
Pillar III of V - Benefits of Team Sport
We promote selfless commitment to improved communication, resilience and responsibility. A rugby team only works when everyone plays their part. That lesson, that your actions affect the people around you, is one of the most important things sport can teach. Through the game, young people learn to communicate under pressure, to get back up after being knocked down, and to take ownership of their role in something bigger than themselves. These are not just rugby skills. They are life skills.
Pillar IV of V - Discipline and Fairness
We appreciate honesty and recognise how boundaries help keep everyone safe. Structure and consistency are not obstacles to freedom - they are what make freedom possible. At MRRF, we hold young people to high standards not because we expect perfection, but because we believe in their capacity to meet those standards. Fairness means everyone is held to the same values, and discipline means we follow through — with kindness, with clarity, and with respect.
Pillar V of V - Sporting Values
We nurture fair play, integrity and humility as strengths. Matt Ratana stood for these values. He led with integrity in everything he did, on and off the pitch, and the foundation that bears his name carries that legacy forward every day. Each year, at our Annual Awards Celebration, we honour the young people who have truly embodied these pillars over the course of the season. These awards are not given for the best try scorer or the most dominant player - they are given to those who have demonstrated the character that makes rugby, and this foundation, what it is. Fair play. Integrity. Humility. The values Matt lived by, passed on to the next generation.
Our Annual Awards Ceremony
In 2026, The Matt Ratana Rugby Foundation held our first Pillars awards ceremony. Going forward, we will come together anually to celebrate the young people who have made our pillars real. This is not an awards evening for statistics or silverware. We do not celebrate the player who scored the most tries or made the most tackles. We celebrate the ones who showed up - for their teammates, for their community, and for themselves - in ways that cannot be measured on a scoreboard.
The Annual Awards Celebration is an opportunity for our coaches, mentors and volunteers to recognise the young people who have embodied the values that sit at the heart of everything MRRF does. Wellbeing and inclusivity. Respect. Team spirit. Discipline. Integrity. The values of rugby. The values of Matt.
Matt Ratana gave his life to serving others. He led with quiet strength, genuine warmth, and an unshakeable belief in the people around him. Every year, through these awards, that belief is passed on — to a new group of young people who are writing their own stories, and who carry a little of Matt's spirit with them as they do.
The awards are presented across the five pillars, with each recipient chosen by those who know them best: the coaches and mentors who have walked alongside them through the season. These are not nominations from a distance. They are recognitions from people who have seen something real.
It is an evening of reflection as much as celebration - a chance to look back at the year, to honour the journey, and to remind ourselves why we do this work.
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