On the way to their maiden ANZ Premiership title, the Central Pulse have often spoken about how close they are as one family and how Māori culture played a part in their unity.
The Pulse are now using their netball profile to pay what they've learnt back after news on Sunday of Tapu Te Ranga Marae burning down struck a chord with a few players.
For former Newtown School pupil Tiana Metuarau, it hurt seeing a place she often went to so damaged.
"I think it would sadden anybody to lose their home," she told 1 NEWS.
"And a sacred space like a marae is pretty heartbreaking as well."
Tapu Te Ranga Marae was also where Metuarau met future teammate Aliyah Dunn.
"We had a Māori secondary schools trials there, Dunn said.
"We went and stayed at the marae. It was really cool."
After such hospitality early on in their careers, the duo and other Pulse players are now giving back with Metuarau getting her teammates together to host a fundraising coaching clinic today, aptly called Whakaputa te Kotahitanga.
"What Whakaputa te Kotahitanga means - it's about togetherness, that's what netball is - it's community," Metuarau said.
Midcourter Maddy Gordon said it didn't take much to get the rest of the team involved.
"Once we heard about this we wanted to jump on board straight away."
But this isn't the first time they're giving back when it comes to Māori culture. All season, they've made a concerted effort to make te reo an integral part of the team, culminating with a post-grand final haka.
"I feel like everyone cared more about our haka than our actual win," Metuarau said.
"That's when I kind of realised the work we did this year to incorporate te reo Māori and kaupapa Māori was bigger than we thought."
Many members of the team even marked the title with a special Māori touch, with tā moko artist Tipi Wehipeihana giving the women a permanent reminder of the season.
Although Gordon admits there were some nerves beforehand.
"I was like, 'oh, not too sure,' but then I was like, ‘I've got to do it for this team’," she said.
"I love this team."
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