At 11-years-old, he is the youngest member of the Otago wheelchair rugby team, known as the WheelLanders.
Wheelchair rugby has a reputation as an aggressive, high-impact sport that is sometimes called "Murderball".
But that has not stopped Matthew from embracing the challenge of being part of the team.
He had been enthusiastic about wheelchair rugby since he was eight-years-old, and watching wheelchair rugby during the Tokyo Paralympic Games was particularly inspiring, he said.
He was delighted to join the WheelLanders when he was ten and a-half, and had now been part of the team for about a year.
With the help of other team members, he has been learning how to be a valued member of the squad.
He was learning the rules of the game, including that you could only hold on to the ball for up to ten seconds.
Warm-ups included playing bullrush, which was similar to octopus tag, he said.
Practising passing was another warm-up exercise.
Matthew plays as an attacker on the court, and said sometimes he was a bit nervous in the middle of a game "because someone could hit you".
But he was gaining confidence and experience every time he played.
Matthew's ambition was to one day go to the Paralympics.
"That’s my end goal."
