What inspired you to start playing rugby league and to then progress to play for the Raiders?
My brother is the one who pushed me to play league. I was actually a sevens player; I grew up around league but never thought about playing until the women’s NRLW competition came into the industry. Ever since then, I played my first game at a local club in Auckland, fell in love with the sport and it all unfolded from there. I am currently in my third year of playing NRLW and was first inspired to work towards playing for The Raiders when I found out that they had a women’s team.
Do you ever get super nervous before a match?
One hundred percent, I always get nervous! I was honestly so nervous before our first game on Sunday, I was thinking ‘this is it; this is what I’ve been working hard for’ and then as soon as I got on the field and got that first hit and pass, the nerves went away.
I think I’m always going to be nervous and something my dad always told me was that “if you’re not nervous before the game then that means you should stop playing because nerves show passion”.
Does your team have any pre-game rituals or good luck charms?
I think all of the girls are different, mine is just to put my beats on and listen to my jams. I have one particular song I love to listen to, it’s a very chilled, old-school song called ‘Can We Talk’ by Tevin Campbell.
Apart from that I don’t really have a ritual, but I’ve always got to wear a scrunchie when I play, you’ll always see me with a scrunchie in my hair or around my wrist.
What is some advice that you could extend to young girls wanting to pursue a career in rugby league?
I’m so intent on trying to be a big role model for younger girls, especially from New Zealand and Polynesia. The best advice I can give young girls in a similar position is to keep going. A lot of girls that are young will often give up because they don’t have many pathways or opportunities to reach their goals. My main advice is to always keep pushing forward, don’t give up and be your most authentic self in whatever you do.
![mackenzie with her dad edited 1](https://qlivingmagazine.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mackenzie-with-her-dad-edited-1.jpg)
Has your dad given you training tips and support throughout your journey?
One hundred percent! My dad is like a coach to me and probably my biggest fan. I listen to him the most and I always ask him what I need to work on. Before each game, I’ll always send him my attack and defense goals and afterwards we’ll have a debrief on whether I achieved them and how I can improve for next time.
When I was younger, I always wanted to be a professional athlete no matter what sport it was. I did netball, swimming, sevens, and even cross fit. I wanted to make it big in one of those sports and then league came about and knowing that my old man played,. I thought it would be really special if I played it as well and followed in his footsteps. Of course, it’s a really proud moment for my dad to see me play for the raiders and debut in the same jersey number as him, (number four center). It was also a very special moment for me to make my own mark in the sport and give my own twist and offer my own skills.
“being his daughter comes with certain expectations, so He has always encouraged me to be my own person and try to make a name for myself and just show everyone that I have a different type of talent to give.” – Mackenzie Wiki
How has the community spirit of your birthplace Queanbeyan, as well as your homeland of the Cook Islands helped shape the community and sportsmanship values that you honor today?
Both communities are very alike. Canberra and Queanbeyan are like a home away from home for me. The community spirit and energy I have seen here is very similar to back home and I think that’s why I really adjusted to the community here. The people are all very nice, passionate and interested in what you do, and that made it a lot easier for me to adjust. In Auckland, the area that I grew up in was quite tight-knit and so it felt very similar to Canberra and Queanbeyan in that sense.
The community and sportsmanship values that I continue to honour throughout my career also stem back to my upbringing with my parents. Growing up, they were very involved with our local community and passed those traits onto me. Off the field I’m actually a personal trainer, so I used to work with my parents back home in New Zealand, helping the community in a gym called Wiki works fitness. I’m really big on giving back to the community and so is my family and that’s what they’ve inspired me to do. I’m actually getting back into personal training here and just got a job with one of the Raiders girls. It feels so good to get back to what I’m used to and passionate about off the field.
What has the pre-season looked like for your team and what would you like to see your team achieve this season?
Our pre-season leading up has been so good. We’re like a family, a sisterhood and it feels like we’ve known each other for more than eight weeks. Ever since we met before the pre-season training, we connected quite quickly and leading from that into the first game was so cool. To get on the field with the girls that you trained and pushed yourself so hard with is something truly incredible.
We got that loss in our first game, but that was our first proper match all together as we didn’t have the trial match game like other girls did. I think that our second game this weekend is going to show them all how skilled and talented we are.
I have a feeling our season is going to go really well with the talent and the skills we have, and I feel like we can get to that top. Canberra is really big on supporting their local teams and their support really fuels us to keep pushing towards our goals.
How long have you been in Australia and how did it feel to move back to the town you were born?
I’ve been here in Australia for about 7 months. After the world cup in England, I came here to check out the facility and I was told to move here within the week so I could start pre-season training.
I practically packed my life away in a week and have been playing here since. I initially played for The Mounties in Sydney and was travelling to Sydney three times a week with one of the girls who was doing the same before commencing our training here in Canberra.
It’s such a full circle moment from being born in Queanbeyan, moving to and growing up in New Zealand and then coming back here to play. I left Queanbeyan when I was three years old, so I didn’t remember much growing up but when I came back here so many memories started to come back from when I was younger.
It was definitely a very special moment to be brought back to my birth town to pursue my passion sport. As long as I get to play, I’ll be happy.
![IMG_9987](https://qlivingmagazine.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_9987.jpg)
“I didn’t really think about playing NRLW because I didn’t know a lot about it; got the opportunity to play cook islands, I played the royal cup in England and then I got told that NRLW was getting a team for Raiders and it opened my eyes a bit like ‘oh my god I could have the opportunity to play for the raiders if I play really well’… and here we are now, it’s crazy.” – Mackenzie Wiki
What are some of your personal goals for the rest of this season and do you plan to continue playing for the Raiders next season?
My personal goals for this season are mainly to play my first season, learn from my coach and the more experienced players in our team and not take things for granted.
My goal is to play every game and to hopefully make it to the finals series. Making history for the club and being the first team to do a whole season is definitely one of the main goals.
It would be so cool if I got to stay here for ages and hopefully the raiders keep me on, that would be the best thing. But honestly, to just keep playing NRLW would be amazing.
Other than your dad, were there any other significant role models that you have looked up to growing up on or off the field?
One hundred percent my mum. She is my best friend and the main woman in my life that has inspired me since I was young. I really admire how strong of an individual she is, and I feel like I am a lot like her. My mum always knows what to say, has the best advice and has taught me to be grateful for whatever opportunities are given to me.
I feel like I had a really good upbringing with both my parents being strong individuals and involved in the sports industry and I was definitely set up with a good foundation to succeed in this industry. I’ve got a lot of strong women around me. My gran, aunties, cousins and all of the women in my family are really strong.
![IMG_9994](https://qlivingmagazine.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_9994-1-scaled.jpg)
![IMG_9970](https://qlivingmagazine.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_9970.jpg)