Puti Tipene "Steve" Watene (18 August 1910 – 14 June 1967) was a New Zealand rugby league footballer and politician.

[3] In the 1933 Auckland Rugby League season Watene top scored in the senior grade competitions with 77 points from 1 try, 26 conversions and 11 penalties.

As a result, Manukau quickly became a force in the Auckland competition, winning both the Fox Memorial and Roope Rooster in their debut year.

[2] He also played lock for the New Zealand Māori rugby league team, who secured a famous 16–5 victory over Australia in 1937 at Carlaw Park in front of 11,000 spectators.

[5] Watene was politically active and during the 1951 waterfront dispute he toured the districts on behalf of the New Zealand Waterside Workers’ Union, urging Māori not to work as strike breakers.

[2] He was re-elected in 1966, but on 14 June 1967[6] suffered a heart attack and died in Parliament Buildings during a Maori Affairs Committee meeting.