Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney Photo: Photosport
With such a deep pool of New Zealand talent residing across the ditch, the Kiwis are looking to reconnect Australian-based players with their roots.
Rugby League World Cup winners Stephen Kearney and Nathan Cayless are behind a strategy dubbed 'Taurahere'.
Kearney and Cayless are based in Queensland and New South Wales respectively.
A former player and coach of the Kiwis, Kearney said there is a plethora of New Zealand players playing age grade footy in Australia.
"I know a number of them have various representative tracksuits in their wardrobes and they weren't Kiwi ones, but they are Kiwi kids. So that's where it was born. It was really important that we give these kids a pathway to reconnect with the Kiwi jumper."
As part of Stacey Jones' Kiwis coaching staff, the pair are aiming to further enhance their connections with local New Zealand players.
Cayless knows first had how Kiwi players in Australia lose connections with home.
"I lived it. My parents moved over to Australia a year before I was born. I know it's like to live in a country and want to connect with where your family's from. A lot of people have asked me over the years, 'why did you make the decision to want to play for New Zealand?' I wanted to honour the sacrifice that my parents had made to move away from their families. They didn't know anyone in Australia. They worked extremely hard, to raise us. So that was the thing for me is honouring the sacrifice that they made. I don't regret it one bit."
First introduced in 2014 at Gold Coast's Runaway Bay, Taurahere unearthed current Kiwis captain James Fisher-Harris.
It is now set to re-launch with a three-day camp for under-17s players, starting on 13 September.
NZRL General Manager of Football and High Performance Motu Tony said it is a key part of the NZRL pathway that identifies and develops players from grassroots through to the NRL, NRLW and international arenas.
"We are excited to be bringing back our Taurahere programme to reconnect with our rangatahi across the ditch. Our aim is to not only grow their footy skills but also their understanding of 'the Kiwi Way' and the culture that binds our teams."
A group of 42 rising stars from New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria will take part in a one-off match, with former Kiwis Issac Luke, Brent Webb, Bronson Harrison, Matt Duffie and others involved as mentors.
All of the former Kiwis moved away from Aotearoa to pursue rugby league as a career.
Part of their role will be to help players and staff deepen their connection to Kiwi culture, whether they were born in New Zealand or not.
The opening day of the camp will be dedicated to the cultural aspect.
"After watching a lot of schoolboy footy here in Queensland over the last 24 months, it was a priority that we re-introduced our Taurahere programme to connect Kiwi talent with the Kiwi jersey, this is a step in that process," said Kearney.
Cayless said the players selected have had outstanding seasons with their clubs in the respective junior representative programs.
"NZRL have presented a wonderful opportunity for these highly talented young players with Kiwi heritage to represent their families, learn more about their culture and understand the Kiwi Way.
Additional NZRL youth events are taking place in Aotearoa over the next couple of months including the New Zealand Secondary Schools Tournament in Auckland on 6 September, which will feature more than 55 teams from around the country.
