World Cup is a win for Māori, showcasing Indigenous New Zealand culture once banned

AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Ceillhe Sperath's ancestors arrived in New Zealand nearly two centuries before Christopher Columbus sent off for the New World. Yet for much of the past two centuries the Māori, the descendants of those early Polynesian explorers, have had to fight for the rights, recognition and respect they deserved.

So for Sperath, the most important moment of this summer's Women's World Cup, which kicks off early Thursday morning Pacific time, will come just before the first game when the Tino Rangatiratanga, the red and black Māori flag, is raised above Auckland's Eden Park Stadium and "God Save New Zealand," the country's national anthem, is sung in te reo, the Māori language.

"It will be nothing short of inspirational," said Sperath, who is a member of the Ngāpuhi Northern tribe of New Zealand.

The Māori flag will fly over all four World Cup stadiums in New Zealand while the red, black and yellow Aboriginal flag will rise above six soccer venues in Australia. During a Women's World Cup that will make history for being