All Blacks prop Tyrel Lomax says becoming a father inspired him to reconnect with his Māoritanga, determined to give his tamariki the cultural grounding he felt he had missed growing up.

Lomax (Tūhoe, Muaupoko) was among a rōpū of All Blacks who spent Tuesday morning at Birkenhead Primary School on Auckland's North Shore, joining tamariki for classroom activities, kapa haka and a barbecue before the squad departs for South Africa.

The All Black - who recently celebrated his 50th test in June - said the visit was a reminder of why representation matters.

"When you reflect on your career as a rugby player, but also standing in your Māoritanga, how important is it for other rangatahi Māori to see themselves reflected in a team like the All Blacks?" RNZ's Te Manu Korihi asked him.

"I think massively important," Lomax said.

"I spent a lot of my childhood going back and forth from New Zealand to Australia, so I was a little bit distant from te ao Māori."

That experience has shaped the way he and his wife are raising their own tamariki.

Lomax said both of his young children attended kōhanga reo, with his daughter set to go to a kura kaupapa Māori next year. While his wife is Australian, he said supporting their tamariki through Māori-medium education had become something they were both deeply committed to.

"It's something that both my wife and I have always supported.

"My kids going through that Te Aho Matua schooling system… I think it's very important, especially for schools like that, kura kaupapa, seeing myself as Māori, achieving some of the dreams that I had since I was their age."

Te Aho Matua is the foundational philosophical and teaching document for Kura Kaupapa Māori (Māori-medium state schools) in Aotearoa and is structured around six core kaupapa: Te Ira Tangata, Te Reo, Ngā Iwi, Te Ao, Ngā Āhuatanga Ako and Ngā Tino Uaratanga.

The journey has not always been easy. Lomax admitted reconnecting with his culture came with moments of whakamā as someone who had not been raised immersed in te ao Māori.

But he said those uncomfortable moments were worth it if it meant his tamariki would never experience the same disconnect.

"It's always something that I sort of longed for as a kid, and now I get to give my kids that opportunity to know who they are, know where they come from, know their reo.

"I was willing to go through that whakamā, that uncomfortableness, so that they don't have to."

Reconnecting with his culture has had a ripple effect beyond his own whānau. He said seeing more All Blacks embracing Māori-medium education for their own tamariki was quite special.

"There's another, Billy [Proctor], he's sent his daughter to the same kōhanga.

"That's probably been the biggest thing out of it. Other dads are starting to send their kids down the same route, and they'll grow up together in the same kōhanga, go to kura and speak Māori to each other.

"That's been awesome."

Lomax said support from his own kōhanga community had reinforced just how meaningful that decision had become.

After celebrating his 50th Test for the All Blacks, a group of pāpā from his children's kōhanga travelled together to support him.

"They support me massively," he said.

Lomax hoped tamariki were able to see themselves reflected when they take the field. He encouraged tamariki Māori who aspire to be an All Black or to succeed in any chosen sport to "dream big".

"If your dreams don't sound crazy, then you're not dreaming big enough.

"You can achieve whatever you set your mind to."

A 44-strong All Blacks squad will travel to South Africa and the United States on Wednesday for the inaugural Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Tour.

The side will play eight matches while they are away, including a four-Test series against the world champion Springboks - in a match up that has been described as one of the toughest tours in world rugby.

Like many players in the squad, Lomax said the hardest part of the tour would be leaving his young whānau behind.

"It is going to be a long time," he said.

"There's a lot of people in here with young kids. I've got two young kids at home, so I miss them a lot. But what a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go to South Africa and do something that is pretty special."

Lomax said the opportunity to take on the Springboks in their backyard was one every All Black wanted.

"It's called rugby's greatest rivalry because that's what it is.

"They are our greatest rivals.

"We played them in the last World Cup, lost to them. They've earned the right to be called the best in the world, so we get to go over there and have four Tests against them.

"It'll be a tough tour, but also exciting."

Lomax believes the squad has built strong momentum under the new coaching group and is well placed heading into the series.

"The new coaching staff have come in and told us how they want us to play, and I think we've adapted to that pretty well. We had a couple of good Tests that I think will definitely help us leading into this big tour."