Martha Mataele
Martha Mataele is a New Zealand rugby union and rugby league player. She played for Chiefs Manawa in the Super Rugby Aupiki competition, represented Canterbury at Provincial level, and currently plays for Parramatta Eels in the NRLW.
Rugby career
Mataele is of Tongan descent, she was born in Auckland and was raised in Christchurch. She first attended Villa Maria College before switching to Christchurch Girls’ High School in 2017.Mataele made her debut for Canterbury in 2021 and then debuted for Matatū a year later in Super Rugby Aupiki's inaugural season.
Mataele and her sister, Atlanta Lolohea, were part of Matatū's squad that won the 2023 Super Rugby Aupiki season. She scored a try in her sides win against the Chiefs Manawa. She played for the Western Force in the 2023 Super W season. In July 2023, she was awarded the Rebecca Clough Medal at the Western Force awards night.
Mataele was named in the Black Ferns 30 player squad that will compete in their final O'Reilly Cup test in September and in the inaugural WXV1 tournament in October. She scored a try in her test debut on 30 September against the Wallaroos at Hamilton.
In 2025, she joined Chiefs Manawa's squad in Round 2 as an injury replacement.