{"id":476828,"date":"2026-06-14T12:30:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T12:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/476828\/"},"modified":"2026-06-14T12:30:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T12:30:24","slug":"supercars-news-ryan-woods-maori-heritage-celebrated-for-indigenous-round","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/476828\/","title":{"rendered":"Supercars news: Ryan Wood\u2019s M\u0101ori heritage celebrated for Indigenous Round"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Wood\u2019s<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\"\"\/
<\/a><\/p>\n

The themed round is now in its fifth season and largely showcases indigenous Australian culture.<\/p>\n

However, last year Supercars permitted Jaxon Evans to highlight his Fijian background, with Wood\u2019s M\u0101ori livery the latest addition.<\/p>\n

Born and raised in the Upper Hutt, New Zealand, Wood\u2019s M\u0101ori heritage comes through his mother\u2019s side of the family.<\/p>\n

The art was designed by contemporary M\u0101ori artist Petera Te Hiwirori Hatea and is said to be a celebration of the journey that shaped Wood as a person and Supercars driver.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis livery means a lot to me,\u201d said Wood.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up in New Zealand, I\u2019ve always been proud of my M\u0101ori heritage through Mum\u2019s side of the family, and to be able to celebrate a culture that means a lot to me in this way is really special.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been proud to represent New Zealand whenever I race, but having the chance to carry a livery that reflects my heritage on the Mobil 1 Truck Assist Toyota GR Supra makes this weekend even more meaningful.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t thank Hiwirori enough for the work he\u2019s put into this design. He\u2019s created something that means so much to me and my family, and the whole process has helped me learn more about and connect more deeply with my M\u0101ori culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

About the artwork (according to Walkinshaw TWG)<\/p>\n

Titled Mang\u014dpare, the M\u0101ori word for Hammerhead Shark, the artwork reflects Wood\u2019s connection to his M\u0101ori culture and identity.<\/p>\n

The Mang\u014dpare is a powerful symbol within M\u0101ori culture, representing strength, resilience, guidance, and protection, qualities that have become synonymous with Wood both on and off the racetrack.<\/p>\n

Drawing inspiration from the whakatauk\u012b (proverb) \u201cKei mate wheke, kia mate ururoa\u201d (Do not die like an octopus, die fighting like a hammerhead shark) the design embodies the determination, courage and fighting spirit that Wood and the Walkinshaw TWG Racing team bring to every race.<\/p>\n

Flowing forms of the P\u012btau-a-Manaia pattern can also be seen throughout the livery which symbolises the unwavering support of Ryan\u2019s family, friends, team and team partners including Mobil 1 and Truck Assist, whose encouragement strengthens his journey.<\/p>\n

Through new learnings, growth, connections and inspiration, Wood carries the mana and pride of being M\u0101ori wherever he goes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The themed round is now in its fifth season and largely showcases indigenous Australian culture. However, last year…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":476829,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,13401,9335,40,38,41,39,154397],"class_list":["post-476828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-ryan-wood","tag-slot2","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories","tag-walkinshaw-twg-racing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=476828"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476828\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/476829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=476828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=476828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=476828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}