Michael Alaifatu Mika (born 24 July 1968) is a New Zealand

District Court District courts are a category of courts which exists in several nations, some call them "small case court" usually as the lowest level of the hierarchy. These courts generally work under a higher court which exercises control over the lower co ...

judge and former Samoan rugby union international. He played as a

prop A prop, formally known as a (theatrical) property, is an object actors use on stage or screen during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

Rugby career

Mika was born in

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt () is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropoli ...

, and first played for

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

during the quarter-finals against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

during the

1995 Rugby World Cup The 1995 Rugby World Cup (), was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country. The World Cup was the first major sporting event to take place in ...

. Although he was part of the

1999 Rugby World Cup The 1999 Rugby World Cup () was the fourth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial international rugby union championship. It was the first Rugby World Cup to be held in the sport's History of rugby union#The professional era, professional era. Four a ...

roster, playing three matches in the tournament, with his last international cap being during the match against

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, at the

Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium (), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium () for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it has a retractable roof and is the home of the Wales national rugby union team; it has ...

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

. Mike Mika played for

Otago Otago (, ; ) is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local go ...

and was a member of the Otago team that defeated the

British and Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England national rugby union team, England, Ireland national rugby union team, Ireland, Scotland national rugby union team, Scotland, and ...

in 1993. Mike Mika played for Otago between 1992 and 1997, then for Southland in 1997 and 1998, He also played for the Highlanders between 1996 and 1998. Between 1999 and 2003 Mike Mika played for

Coventry RFC Coventry Rugby Football Club is a professional rugby union club based in Coventry, England. The club enjoyed great success during the 1960s and 70s, with many players representing their countries. Coventry's home ground is the Butts Park Arena, ...

. He also represented New Zealand Universities in 1992, 1993 and 1995.

Post-rugby career

Currently, he works as lawyer at Preston Russell Law, based in Invercargill. He is a SANZAAR Judicial Technical Advisor and performs the same role on the World Rugby Judicial Panel. He is also a Judicial Officer of the Oceania Rugby Judicial Panel. From 2010 to 2021 he served as deputy president of the

Invercargill Licensing Trust The Invercargill Licensing Trust, (ILT), is a licensing trust in the city of Invercargill in New Zealand. It has a monopoly on the development of premises licensed for the sale of alcoholic beverages, and associated accommodation in the city, a ...

board, resigning after being appointed as a district court judge by Attorney-General David Parker. In April 2021, he became first Pasifika judge appointed to a

district court District courts are a category of courts which exists in several nations, some call them "small case court" usually as the lowest level of the hierarchy. These courts generally work under a higher court which exercises control over the lower co ...

outside

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, as a resident judge at the Hutt Valley District Court in

References

External links

*
Mike A. N. Mika at New Zealand Rugby History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mika, Michael 1968 births Living people Rugby union players from Lower Hutt Samoan rugby union players Rugby union props New Zealand sportspeople of Samoan descent Invercargill Licensing Trust Board members Samoa international rugby union players University of Otago alumni 21st-century New Zealand judges District Court of New Zealand judges 1995 Rugby World Cup players 1999 Rugby World Cup players Otago rugby union players Southland rugby union players New Zealand lawyers Highlanders (rugby union) players