Michael Mika

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Michael Mika

| image = Mike Mika of the Southland Licensing Trust (cropped).jpg

| alt =

| caption = Mika in 2021

| office = Judge of the District Court

| term_start = 8 March 2021

| term_end =

| birth_name = Michael Alaifatu Mika

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1968|7|24}}

| birth_place = Lower Hutt, New Zealand

| alma_mater = University of Otago

| occupation = Lawyer

| module = {{Infobox rugby biography | embed = yes

| height = {{convert|6|ft|1|in|m|order=flip}}

| weight = {{convert|252|lb|kg|order=flip}}

| position = Prop

| amatyears1 = 1992–1994

| amatyears2 = 1994–1995

| amatyears3 = 1996–1998

| amatteam1 = Otago University

| amatteam2 = Star

| amatteam3 = Kaikorai

| province1 = Otago

| province2 = Southland

| provinceyears1 = 1992–1995

| provinceyears2 = 1997–1998

| provinceapps1 = 49

| provinceapps2 = 14

| provincepoints1 = 20

| provincepoints2 = 0

| ru_provinceupdate =

| superyears1 = 1996–1998

| super1 = Otago Highlanders

| superapps1 = 15

| superpoints1 = 0

| years1 = 1998–1999

| clubs1 = Coventry RFC{{Cite web|url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/RUGBY+UNION%3A+Mika+bids+fond+farewell+to+Cov.-a0100451300|title = RUGBY UNION: Mika bids fond farewell to Cov. - Free Online Library}}

| apps1 =

| points1 =

| repyears1 = 1995–1999

| repteam1 = {{nrut|Samoa}}

| repcaps1 = 15

| reppoints1 = 0

}}

Michael Alaifatu Mika (born 24 July 1968) is a New Zealand District Court judge and former Samoan rugby union international. He played as a prop.

Rugby career

Mika was born in Lower Hutt, and first played for Samoa during the quarter-finals against South Africa during the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Although he was part of the 1999 Rugby World Cup roster, playing three matches in the tournament,{{Cite web|url=http://www.espnscrum.com/statsguru/rugby/player/11992.html|title=Rugby Union - ESPN Scrum - Statsguru - Player analysis - Mike Mika - Test matches|website=ESPN scrum|access-date=2019-10-28}} with his last international cap being during the match against Wales, at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.

Mike Mika played for Otago and was a member of the Otago team that defeated the British and Irish Lions in 1993.{{Cite web|date=2011-10-23|title=Rugby Union: Mauled Lions hurt in all manner of ways: Battered|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby-union-mauled-lions-hurt-in-all-manner-of-ways-battered-tourists-see-forward-flaws-exposed-a-week-before-first-test-against-the-all-blacks-as-otago-open-up-defence-with-five-tries-1490205.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220514/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby-union-mauled-lions-hurt-in-all-manner-of-ways-battered-tourists-see-forward-flaws-exposed-a-week-before-first-test-against-the-all-blacks-as-otago-open-up-defence-with-five-tries-1490205.html |archive-date=14 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-16|website=The Independent|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=2017-06-12|title=Lions tour: How Otago's famous win over the British and Irish Lions revolutionised rugby|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/international/93590405/lions-tour-how-otagos-famous-win-over-the-british-and-irish-lions-revolutionised-rugby|access-date=2021-05-17|website=Stuff|language=en}} 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.{{Cite web|title=Mike Mika|url=http://skillswithmils.co.nz/mike-mika|access-date=2021-05-16|website=Skills With Mils|language=en-US}} He also represented New Zealand Universities in 1992, 1993 and 1995.{{Cite web|title=Michael Alaifatu N Mika {{!}} New Zealand Rugby History|url=https://www.rugbyhistory.co.nz/player/mike-a-n-mika|access-date=2021-05-17|website=www.rugbyhistory.co.nz|language=en}}

Post-rugby career

Currently, he works as lawyer at Preston Russell Law, based in Invercargill.{{cite web |url=http://www.roarsports.co/mike-mika/ |title=Mike Mika — Roar Sports |website=www.roarsports.co |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116163823/http://www.roarsports.co/mike-mika/ |archive-date=2017-01-16}} 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.prlaw.co.nz/our-people/partners/mike-mika/ |title=Mike Mika • Preston Russell Law |website=www.prlaw.co.nz |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602091640/http://www.prlaw.co.nz/our-people/partners/mike-mika |archive-date=2016-06-02}}

From 2010 to 2021 he served as deputy president of the Invercargill Licensing Trust board, resigning after being appointed as a district court judge by Attorney-General David Parker.{{cite web |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/124144814/invercargill-lawyer-mike-mika-appointed-district-court-judge |title=Invercargill lawyer Mike Mika appointed district court judge |date=4 February 2021 |work=Stuff.co.nz |first=Damian |last=Rowe}}

In April 2021, he became first Pasifika judge appointed to a district court outside Auckland, as a resident judge at the Hutt Valley District Court in Lower Hutt.{{cite web |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/124780623/former-samoa-rugby-star-becomes-first-pasifika-judge-appointed-outside-auckland |title=Former Samoa rugby star becomes first Pasifika judge appointed outside Auckland |date=9 April 2021 |work=Stuff.co.nz |first=Matthew |last=Tso}}