Michael Alaifatu N. Mika (born 24 July 1968) is a New Zealand district court judge and former Samoan rugby union player. He played as Prop.

Rugby career

Mika was born in

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai) is a 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 metropolitan area. It is New Zealand's sixth most p ...

, and first played for

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

during the quarter-finals against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

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 Sou ...

. 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 principally hosted by Wales, and was won by Australia. This was the first Rugby World Cup to be held in the sport's professi ...

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

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

, at the

Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rug ...

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

. Mike Mika played for

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

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, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

in 1993. Mike Mika played for Otago between 1992 and 1997, then for

Southland Southland may refer to: Places Canada * Dunbar–Southlands, Vancouver, British Columbia New Zealand * Southland Region, a region of New Zealand * Southland County, a former New Zealand county * Southland District, part of the wider Southland Reg ...

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; and u ...

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 outside

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, 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