1.
Rugby union
–
Rugby union, known in some parts of the world simply as rugby, is a contact team sport which originated in England in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its most common form, a game is between two teams of 15 players using a ball on a rectangular field with H-shaped goalposts on each try line. Historically an amateur sport, in 1995 restrictions on payments to players were removed, World Rugby, originally the International Rugby Football Board and from 1998 to 2014 the International Rugby Board, has been the governing body for rugby union since 1886. Rugby union spread from the Home Nations of Great Britain and Ireland, early exponents of the sport included Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and France. Countries that have adopted rugby union as their de facto national sport include Fiji, Georgia, Madagascar, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Rugby union is played in over 100 countries across six continents, there are 101 full members and 18 associate members of World Rugby. The Rugby World Cup, first held in 1987, takes place four years with the winner of the tournament receiving the Webb Ellis Cup. The Six Nations Championship in Europe and The Rugby Championship in the Southern Hemisphere are major annual competitions. The origin of football is reputed to be an incident during a game of English school football at Rugby School in 1823. Although the evidence for the story is doubtful, it was immortalised at the school with a plaque unveiled in 1895, despite the doubtful evidence, the Rugby World Cup trophy is named after Webb Ellis. Rugby football stems from the form of game played at Rugby School, Old Rugbeian Albert Pell, a student at Cambridge, is credited with having formed the first football team. During this early period different schools used different rules, with pupils from Rugby. Other important events include the Blackheath Clubs decision to leave the Football Association in 1863, despite the sports full name of rugby union, it is known simply as rugby throughout most of the world. The first rugby football international was played on 27 March 1871 between Scotland and England, by 1881 both Ireland and Wales had representative teams, and in 1883 the first international competition, the Home Nations Championship had begun. 1883 is also the year of the first rugby tournament, the Melrose Sevens. During the early history of union, a time before commercial air travel. The first two notable tours both took place in 1888—the British Isles team touring New Zealand and Australia, followed by the New Zealand team touring Europe, All three teams brought new styles of play, fitness levels and tactics, and were far more successful than critics had expected. After Morgan began singing, the crowd joined in, the first time a national anthem was sung at the start of a sporting event, in 1905 France played England in its first international match
2.
New Zealand Rugby
–
New Zealand Rugby is the governing body of rugby union in New Zealand. It was founded in 1892 as the New Zealand Rugby Football Union,12 years after the first provincial unions in New Zealand. In 1949 it became an affiliate to the International Rugby Football Board, now known as World Rugby and it dropped the word Football from its name in 2006. The brand name New Zealand Rugby was adopted in 2013, NZR Headquarters are located in Wellington, New Zealand, with an office in Auckland. New Zealand Rugby’s purpose is to lead, grow, support and it is committed to New Zealand rugby being financially secure, attracting top partners and contributing actively to the global game. There are currently 11 NZRU Board members, the President, David Rhodes, was elected in 2015. The President may attend Board meetings but is not a Board member, Steve Tew is the current chief executive and Sir Brian Lochore is the current Patron. It also delivers Investec Super Rugby in New Zealand and manages Test matches in New Zealand, New Zealand Rugby has a staff of approximately 90 people, mostly based in Wellington and Auckland but also working in locations all around New Zealand. NZR was initially governed by a committee of delegates from the provincial unions until replaced in 1894 by a seven-member Wellington-based management committee, administrative responsibilities were initially held by honorary secretaries, and then secretaries, from 1907. This was expanded 43 years later to two entities, the ruling NZRU Council and an executive committee. In 1986, three geographical zones were formed to elect the members of the council, and the executive committee was replaced by an administration committee. Since 1990, the NZRU has been managed by a CEO, in 1996, the NZRUs ruling council was replaced by an expanded board to include independent members and an elected Maori representative. New Zealand Rugbys Patron fills a role as the figurehead for the organization. The current Patron is former All Blacks captain Sir Brian Lochore, the President and Vice President are the Unions two officers who represent New Zealand Rugby at functions and events. Unlike the Patron, the President and Vice President may attend meetings of New Zealand Rugby. The President and Vice President are elected for two years each, the current President is David Rhodes and the current Vice President is Maurice Trapp. The Board is charged with setting strategy, direction and policy for the New Zealand Rugby Union, many of the decisions concerning New Zealand’s national teams, domestic competitions, financial management and rugby traditions are made by the Board. As of April 2015, the Board has nine members, six elected members, any provincial union in New Zealand may nominate candidates for vacant elective positions
3.
Taranaki Rugby Football Union
–
The Taranaki Rugby Football Union are a New Zealand governing body of rugby union in the New Zealand province of Taranaki. The main stadium is Yarrow Stadium which is located in New Plymouth, the union also represents the Taranaki Bulls, which is professional rugby union team who compete in the Mitre 10 Cup competition and contest for the Ranfurly Shield. Before 2006 the Bulls competed in the National Provincial Championship, on 25 October 2014 Taranaki won their first ITM Cup, defeating Tasman 36–32 in New Plymouth. This was the first time a team from outside the population centres had won the premier New Zealand domestic rugby competition since Manawatu in 1980. Taranaki has won the NPC second division more than any other Union in New Zealand, Taranaki also plays for the Ryan Wheeler memorial trophy, a trophy played for annually with the Waikato Rugby Union. In 2013, Taranaki changed its Super Rugby allegiance to the Chiefs, after severing ties with the Hurricanes, on May 31,1889 the Hawera club convened a meeting in Hawera, of delegates from the Hawera, Waimate, New Plymouth, Okaiawa, and Eltham clubs. This meeting agreed to form the Taranaki Union, by the turn of the century, Taranaki R. F. U. had produced eleven All Blacks, six of whom toured Great Britain in 1905. Taranaki currently plays in the professional Mitre 10 Cup, which it won in 2014, coastal Rugby and Sports Club, Merger of the Okato Rugby Football Club, the Rahotu Rugby Football Club and the Opunake Rugby Football Club. Eltham Kaponga Rugby Football Club, Merger of the Eltham Rugby Football Club, the Taranaki Rugby Referees Association has the backing of sponsor Farmlands. Each year the TRRA names a Top Five, Top Five after the 2016 season is, Cameron Stone Richard Kelly Will Johnston Max OLeary Trent Mischefski Paul Williams was not considered due to his Super Rugby commitments. These five referees are involved as assistant referees and substitution controllers at the local Mitre 10 Cup, Super Rugby and they are also involved in local development and age-group representative matches as New Zealand Rugby Union have given most of the representative appointments back to the local provinces. The Dean Cup is believed to be the oldest competition trophy still being played for in the sport of rugby union. In 2003 when Whangamomona challenged Strathmore for the cup and the game was played at Yarrow Stadium on 19 April as a curtain raiser to the Hurricanes versus Highlanders Super 12 match. Strathmore were victorious, on occasion, holding on to defend the cup. This is the first time that the Dean Cup has been played for outside of the Eastern Districts. The T. R. F. U. has several teams under its control and their top professional team, the Bulls is coached by Colin Cooper and captained by midfielder Charlie Ngatai. Their traditional colors are amber and black hoops with white shorts and they are also sponsored by Port Taranaki. The Taranaki squad for the 2016 Mitre 10 Cup was announced on 2 August, samoan international Isaia Tuifua was listed as injury cover
4.
Mitre 10 Cup
–
The Mitre 10 Cup is a professional Rugby union league consisting of 14 teams, divided equally between the Premiership Division and the Championship Division. The Mitre 10 Cup is one of the professional rugby leagues in the world. The Mitre 10 Cups 11-week regular season two weeks after Super Rugby to the third week after Labour Day, with each team playing 10 games. The Mitre 10 Cup was formed in 1976 as the National Provincial Championship before renaming itself the Air New Zealand Cup for the 2006 season, the NZRU introduced the beginning of a professional era, announcing New Zealands first ever professional rugby competition following the 2005 season. Today, the Mitre 10 Cup is one of the most popular league in New Zealand. The team with the most NPC championships is Auckland with fifteen, the current champions are Canterbury, who defeated Tasman 43–27 in Christchurch. The 2006 reorganisation of New Zealand provincial rugby replaced the NPCs former three-division setup with two competitions and this differs from the original two-division setup used in the NPC from its creation in 1976 to 1984 in two key ways. The number of teams was reduced to 26, as the Marlborough, the 2006 expansion of the Super 12 and Tri Nations Series had a major effect on the Air New Zealand Cup. This expansion created the Super 14, adding two extra fixtures to that competition, and also added two more Tri-Nations matches for the All Blacks in non-World Cup years. Because of these changes, it was intended for players in the All Blacks selection pool to only limited appearances in the Air New Zealand Cup. Before 2006, a number of competitions involving regional and provincial rugby union teams had taken shape in New Zealand, the earliest of these was the National Provincial Championship, which was launched in 1976 and continued until 2006. The competition was launched as the National Provincial Championship in 1976, the competition, was the major domestic rugby competition in New Zealand. The National Provincial Championship saw many alterations to its format and brand and it was first contested in 1976, and although the basic format of Division One was much the same from then until the 2006 reorganisation, there were a number of changes to the lower divisions. The only change before 2006 was in 1998, when the number of teams in each division was changed to ten in Division One, nine in Division Two, having an even number of teams in Division One removed the necessity for byes. Starting that year, automatic promotion/relegation between the top two divisions was ended, in its place, the winner of Division Two played a promotion-relegation match against the bottom club in Division One to determine whether the clubs would switch places. Through 2002, this match was hosted by the team in Division One. Auckland were the most successful team in the championship, having won 15 of the 30 series, the inaugural 2006 season was played by 14 teams over 13 weeks from 28 July until the grand final on the 21 October. The inaugural format saw the split into two rounds
5.
Super Rugby
–
Super Rugby is the preeminent professional mens rugby union football competition in the Southern Hemisphere and Japan. By 2006, matches were being broadcast in 41 countries, SANZAAR is the body that administers Super Rugby, and has the Australian, New Zealand, South African and Argentine rugby unions as its sole members. The organisation was formed in 1995 to establish and run the Super 12, prior to 2011, Super Rugby was a round-robin competition where each team played with every other team once, a team had six or seven home games, and six or seven away games each. The winner received four points, if the game was a draw two points were awarded to each team. The Rugby union bonus points system was used, where any team scoring four or more tries, and/or losing by seven points or less. In 2016, the try bonus changed, a team now has to score three more tries than their opponents. The top four teams at the end of the round-robin phase then played semi-finals – the first placed team hosting the fourth placed team, the two winners then played the final at the home ground of the top surviving seed. There were 91 regular season games in total, games were held over 14 weekends with each team receiving one bye. From 2011 –2015 the format changed, with each country forming its own conference, each team within a conference plays each of the other teams in its conference twice, once at home and once away. Each team then plays four out of the five teams each of the other conferences once. Competition points are awarded on a basis as before. The four lower ranking teams are paired in two sudden death games, the winners of two games each play one of the two top ranked teams. Those winners play for the championship, in 2016 the format changed with three more teams joining. There are four conferences with Africa getting two conferences, the finals now have eight teams with each conference winner getting a home quarter final. They are joined by four wild card teams, three will be from the Australasian group and one from the South African group, before 1996, a number of transnational competitions involving regional and provincial rugby union teams had taken shape in the southern hemisphere. The earliest of these was the South Pacific Championship, which was launched in 1986, after the demise of the South Pacific Championship, with no tournament played in 1991, the competition was relaunched as the Super 6 in 1992. In 1993, the Super Six competition was revamped and expanded into the Super 10 tournament, the inaugural competition featured the following teams, Waikato, Auckland, Otago and North Harbour, Natal, Transvaal and Northern Transvaal, Queensland and New South Wales and Western Samoa. The Super 10 was won by Transvaal in 1993, and by Queensland in 1994 and 1995, the official declaration of professionalism in rugby union in August 1995 led to a restructuring of the Super 10 competition
6.
Canterbury Rugby Union
–
The Canterbury Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in a portion of the Canterbury Region of New Zealand. Its colours are red and black in a hooped design and their most recent victory was the 2015 competition. Canterbury also acts as a feeder to the Crusaders, who play in the Super Rugby competition. The union is coached by Scott Robertson, the union also administers all club rugby within the region, including senior club rugby and school rugby. Canterbury are the current holders of the Ranfurly Shield having won it off Waikato on 28 September 2016 after a 29–23 victory in Hamilton, the Canterbury Rugby Football Union was established in 1879 following a match between South Canterbury and North Canterbury in Timaru. He succeeded in getting Canterbury clubs to adopt the rules in 1876. It had been proposed that the new organisation be the New Zealand Rugby Union, but this was rejected. Canterbury was the first provincial union within New Zealand, with the Wellington Rugby Football Union was formed later that year, by 1890 fourteen provincial unions had been founded within New Zealand. As well as being the oldest union within New Zealand, the CRFU was actually founded before one of the Home Unions – the Welsh Rugby Union was founded in 1881, Canterbury hosted an Otago side that triumphed by a try to nil. The first rugby match at Lancaster Park was played the following year – a ground that would be the home of Canterbury rugby until the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, the occurred only a few years prior to the formation of the New Zealand Rugby Football Union in 1892. The CRFU had originally voted to join the NZRU in 1891, along with the Otago and Southland provinces, the CRFU objected to the requirement that NZRU executive committee members reside in Wellington. South Canterbury had joined the NZRU, and the representative sides did not meet in 1893. As well as this, players from Canterbury were not eligible for selection in the 1893 New Zealand team that toured Australia, the CRFU eventually relented, and in 1894 joined the NZRU, both Otago and Southland joined the following year. In 1904 a sub-union of the South Canterbury Rugby Union was formed around the Ashburton area – the Ashburton Country Rugby Union, in 1905 it came under the umbrella of the CRFU, but split away to become completely independent in 1927. It was renamed the Mid Canterbury Rugby Football Union in 1952, nPC/Air New Zealand Cup/ITM Cup/Mitre 10 Cup,1977,1983,1997,2001,2004,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2015,2016. Ranfurly Shield, 1927–28, 1931–34,1935,1950, 1953–56, 1969–71, 1972–73, 1982–85, 1994–95, 2000–03, 2004–06,2007,2009, 2010–11, 2016–present. In addition to the Mens 1st XV, the CRFU has a number of representative teams for both Men and Women. Their Womens team is part of the Womens Provincial Championship, the Country Cup is the premier club competition over the Canterbury Country region
7.
Rugby League Park
–
The Rugby League Park is a rugby league and rugby union stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand. Formerly called the Addington Showgrounds, the ground is owned by the Canterbury Rugby League, the ground was bought by the Canterbury Rugby League from the Christchurch City Council in the 1990s. It was at this ground that the Kiwis won the 1988 Great Britain Lions tours sole test in New Zealand to qualify for the 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup final, Rugby League Park sustained significant damage during the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake and was closed until 24 March 2012. After the earthquake the stands had to be demolished, however Lancaster Park, the main sporting ground in Christchurch, was damaged beyond repair. As a temporary replacement for the city, Rugby League Park was upgraded to seat 18,000 by March 2012 with an expansion to 26,000 for major games. As a result, the Crusaders are based there indefinitely, and the stadium has also hosted All Blacks test matches, on 9 November 2013 it held a round 5 A-League match between Wellington Phoenix and Perth Glory in which the teams drew 1-1. A list of rugby league test matches played at the Addington Showgrounds / Rugby League Park, *Played as part of the 2017 Rugby League World Cup. Christchurch Stadium med. govt. nz Rugby League Park rleague. com Rugby League Park rugbyleagueproject. org Rugby League Park wcities. com AMI Stadium
8.
Christchurch
–
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. The Christchurch urban area lies on the South Islands east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula and it is home to 389,700 residents, making it New Zealands third most-populous urban area behind Auckland and Wellington. The city was named by the Canterbury Association, which settled the province of Canterbury. The name of Christchurch was agreed on at the first meeting of the association on 27 March 1848 and it was suggested by John Robert Godley, who had attended Christ Church, Oxford. Some early writers called the town Christ Church, but it was recorded as Christchurch in the minutes of the management committee of the association, Christchurch became a city by Royal Charter on 31 July 1856, making it officially the oldest established city in New Zealand. The Avon River flows through the centre of the city, with a park located along its banks. At the request of the Deans brothers, the river was named after the River Avon in Scotland, the usual Māori name for Christchurch is Ōtautahi. This was originally the name of a site by the Avon River near present-day Kilmore Street. The site was a dwelling of Ngāi Tahu chief Te Potiki Tautahi. The Ōtautahi name was adopted in the 1930s, prior to that the Ngāi Tahu generally referred to the Christchurch area as Karaitiana, a transliteration of the English word Christian. The citys name is abbreviated by New Zealanders to Chch. In New Zealand Sign Language, the name is the fingerspelled letter C signed twice, with the second to the right of the first. Archaeological evidence found in a cave at Redcliffs in 1876 has indicated that the Christchurch area was first settled by moa-hunting tribes about 1250 CE. These first inhabitants were thought to have followed by the Waitaha tribe. Following tribal warfare, the Waitaha were dispossessed by the Ngati Mamoe tribe and they were in turn subjugated by the Ngāi Tahu tribe, who remained in control until the arrival of European settlers. Their abandoned holdings were taken over by the Deans brothers in 1843 who stayed, the First Four Ships were chartered by the Canterbury Association and brought the first 792 of the Canterbury Pilgrims to Lyttelton Harbour. These sailing vessels were the Randolph, Charlotte Jane, Sir George Seymour, the Charlotte Jane was the first to arrive on 16 December 1850. The Canterbury Pilgrims had aspirations of building a city around a cathedral and college, the name Christ Church was decided prior to the ships arrival, at the Associations first meeting, on 27 March 1848
9.
Governor-General of New Zealand
–
The Governor-General of New Zealand is the viceregal representative of the monarch of New Zealand, currently Queen Elizabeth II. The office is mandated by letters patent and the officeholder is formally titled the Governor-General, when travelling abroad, the governor-general is seen as the representative of New Zealand, and of the Queen of New Zealand. For this reason, the governor-general is viewed by some as the de facto head of state, under the Niue Constitution Act, the governor-general also represents the monarch in Niue. The governor-general initially represented the British monarch and the government of the United Kingdom, therefore, many officeholders have been British statesmen. In 1972, Sir Denis Blundell became the first New Zealand resident to be appointed to the office, governors-general are not appointed for a specific term, but are generally expected to serve for five years. The current Governor-General is Dame Patsy Reddy, who has served since 28 September 2016, administrative support for the governor-general is provided by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Appointment to the Office is made by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister of New Zealand, the Prime Ministers advice has sometimes been the result of a decision by Cabinet, although there is no requirement for this. The appointment of Anand Satyanand met with the approval of every leader in the House of Representatives, by convention the Leader of the Opposition is also consulted on the appointment, however this too has not always been the case. This suggestion was in turn criticised by the Government, as Sir Edmund had backed Labour in 1975 as part of the Citizens for Rowling campaign, however, the right granted by the convention was not exercised directly by a New Zealand Prime Minister until 1967. Although non-partisan while in office, there have been a number of appointments of Governors-General to the office that have attracted considerable controversy, despite their political backgrounds, neither of these appointments could be said to have discharged their duties in a partisan way. There has often been speculation that a member of the Royal Family might take up the position, before the Governor-General enters office, his or her commission of appointment is publicly read in the presence of the Chief Justice of New Zealand and the members of the Executive Council. The Governor-General must take the Oath of Allegiance and the oath for the due execution of the office, from time to time, there have been proposals to elect the Governor-General. When first drafted by then Governor George Grey, the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 contained provision for the Governor to be elected by New Zealands Parliament. This provision was removed from the enactment, probably because the Colonial Office wanted to keep a check on New Zealands colonial government. In 1887 Sir George Grey, by then also a former Premier, the Bill was narrowly defeated 46–48, being opposed by the government of Harry Atkinson. In 2006 political commentator Colin James suggested that the Governor-General could be elected by a 60% majority of votes cast in Parliament, James argued that the New Zealand public should be given the ability to choose the Queens representative, and that the current system is undemocratic and not transparent. National MP Nikki Kaye queried whether several one-member parties in parliament could veto the decision, the Republican Movement responded that the method would ensure appointments were made that most MPs and parties found acceptable. The Governor-General holds office at the pleasure of the Queen, under clause II of the Letters Patent
10.
Uchter Knox, 5th Earl of Ranfurly
–
Uchter John Mark Knox, 5th Earl of Ranfurly GCMG PC JP DL was a British politician and colonial governor. He was Governor of New Zealand from 1897 to 1904, Lord Ranfurly was born in Guernsey, the second son of Thomas Knox, 3rd Earl of Ranfurly, by his wife Harriet, daughter of John Rimmington, of Broomhead Hall, Yorkshire. Becoming a cadet on board H. M. S, britannia, he passed for the Royal Navy, but, giving up a naval career, entered Trinity College, Cambridge, at the age of eighteen. He succeeded in the earldom in May 1875 when his brother died on a shooting expedition in Abyssinia. Ranfurly served as a Lord-in-Waiting under Lord Salisbury between 1895 and 1897 and was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and he was appointed to succeed The Earl of Glasgow as Governor of New Zealand on 6 April 1897, assuming office on 10 August. Lord Ranfurly became Honorary Colonel of the 1st Wellington Battalion and of the 1st South Canterbury Mounted Rifles. He was created a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George in June 1901, on the occasion of the visit of TRH the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York to New Zealand. His term ended on 19 June 1904, when he handed over office to Lord Plunket. He is remembered for his donation of the Ranfurly Shield, a New Zealand sporting trophy, on his return to England Ranfurly was made an Irish Privy Counsellor, then for a time he returned to farm in Mildura, Victoria, Australia. But he soon devoted more and more time to his great interest. In 1914 he was a Knight of Justice, and Registrar of the Order in London, in 1919 the French Government made him an Officer of the Legion of Honour for his services in this connection during the war. After the partition of Ireland, Lord Ranfurly was made a Privy Counsellor for Northern Ireland in 1923, also serving as Deputy Lieutenant and he continued his association with the Order of St. John, becoming Bailiff Grand Cross in 1926. Lord Ranfurly died on 1 October 1933, aged 77, and was succeeded by his grandson, Daniel Knox, Lord Ranfurly married the Honourable Constance Caulfeild, only child of James Alfred Caulfeild, 7th Viscount Charlemont, on 10 February 1880. C. Bailiff Grand Cross of the Order of St. John, Deputy Lieutenant and Justice of the Peace, County Tyrone by Bernard John Foster, research Officer, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington. Hansard 1803–2005, contributions in Parliament by the Earl of Ranfurly Media related to Uchter Knox, 5th Earl of Ranfurly at Wikimedia Commons
11.
Association football
–
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. It is played by 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies making it the worlds most popular sport, the game is played on a rectangular field with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to score by getting the ball into the opposing goal, players are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands or arms while it is in play, unless they are goalkeepers. Other players mainly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, the team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is level at the end of the game, the Laws of the Game were originally codified in England by The Football Association in 1863. Association football is governed internationally by the International Federation of Association Football, the first written reference to the inflated ball used in the game was in the mid-14th century, Þe heued fro þe body went, Als it were a foteballe. The Online Etymology Dictionary states that the word soccer was split off in 1863, according to Partha Mazumdar, the term soccer originated in England, first appearing in the 1880s as an Oxford -er abbreviation of the word association. Within the English-speaking world, association football is now usually called football in the United Kingdom and mainly soccer in Canada and the United States. People in Australia, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand use either or both terms, although national associations in Australia and New Zealand now primarily use football for the formal name. According to FIFA, the Chinese competitive game cuju is the earliest form of football for which there is scientific evidence, cuju players could use any part of the body apart from hands and the intent was kicking a ball through an opening into a net. It was remarkably similar to football, though similarities to rugby occurred. During the Han Dynasty, cuju games were standardised and rules were established, phaininda and episkyros were Greek ball games. An image of an episkyros player depicted in low relief on a vase at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens appears on the UEFA European Championship Cup, athenaeus, writing in 228 AD, referenced the Roman ball game harpastum. Phaininda, episkyros and harpastum were played involving hands and violence and they all appear to have resembled rugby football, wrestling and volleyball more than what is recognizable as modern football. As with pre-codified mob football, the antecedent of all football codes. Non-competitive games included kemari in Japan, chuk-guk in Korea and woggabaliri in Australia, Association football in itself does not have a classical history. Notwithstanding any similarities to other games played around the world FIFA have recognised that no historical connection exists with any game played in antiquity outside Europe. The modern rules of football are based on the mid-19th century efforts to standardise the widely varying forms of football played in the public schools of England
12.
Wellington
–
Wellington is the capital and second most populous urban area of New Zealand, with 405,000 residents. It is at the tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range. Wellington is the population centre of the southern North Island and is the administrative centre of the Wellington Region. It is the worlds windiest city, with a wind speed of over 26 km/h. Situated near the centre of the country, Wellington was well placed for trade. In 1839 it was chosen as the first major planned settlement for British immigrants coming to New Zealand, the settlement was named in honour of the Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington and victor of the Battle of Waterloo. As the nations capital since 1865, the New Zealand Government and Parliament, Supreme Court, despite being much smaller than Auckland, Wellington is also referred to as New Zealands cultural capital. The city is home to the National Archives, the National Library, architectural sights include the Government Building—one of the largest wooden buildings in the world—as well as the iconic Beehive. Wellington plays host to artistic and cultural organisations, including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. It has an urban culture, with many cafés, restaurants. One of the worlds most liveable cities, the 2014 Mercer Quality of Living Survey ranked Wellington 12th in the world, Wellingtons economy is primarily service-based, with an emphasis on finance, business services, and government. It is the centre of New Zealands film and special effects industries, Wellington ranks as one of New Zealands chief seaports and serves both domestic and international shipping. The city is served by Wellington International Airport, the third busiest airport in the country, Wellingtons transport network includes train and bus lines which reach as far as the Kapiti Coast and Wairarapa, and ferries connect the city to the South Island. Wellington takes its name from Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington and victor of the Battle of Waterloo, his title comes from the town of Wellington in the English county of Somerset. One of the founders of the settlement, Edward Jerningham Wakefield, reported that the settlers took up the views of the directors with great cordiality, in Māori, Wellington has three names. In New Zealand Sign Language, the name is signed by raising the index, middle and ring fingers of one hand, palm forward, to form a W, and shaking it slightly from side to side twice. The citys location close to the mouth of the narrow Cook Strait leads to its vulnerability to strong gales, legends recount that Kupe discovered and explored the district in about the 10th century. The earliest date with hard evidence for Maori living in New Zealand is about 1280, European settlement began with the arrival of an advance party of the New Zealand Company on the ship Tory on 20 September 1839, followed by 150 settlers on the Aurora on 22 January 1840
13.
Heartland Championship
–
The Heartland Championship competition, known for sponsorship reasons as the Mitre 10 Heartland Championship, is a domestic rugby union competition in New Zealand. It was founded in 2006 as one of two competitions to the countrys former domestic competition, the National Provincial Championship. The countrys 27 provincial teams were split into two separate competitions, thirteen of the original teams, plus one merged side created from two other teams, entered the new top-level professional competition, the Air New Zealand Cup. The Lochore Cup, named after Brian Lochore, the Heartland Championship is held annually, and starts in August. Rugby teams from 12 provincial unions compete and this was similar to the structure of the 2006 Air New Zealand Cup, but that competition collapsed its first two phases into one effective in 2007. At the start of Round One, the 12 teams would split into seeded pools of six each, Pool A. Seedings were also based on positions in the years competition. During Round One, each team would play the teams in its pool once. All teams would have two or three home fixtures, with the three highest seeds in each pool at the start of the season receiving the extra home fixture. All teams would advance to Round Two, the top three teams in each pool advance to the Meads Cup, while the bottom three teams enter the Lochore Cup. Round two saw each team in both the Meads and Lochore Cups playing the three teams that it did not play during Round One. The three teams with the most competition points in Round One would play two home fixtures and one away, while the three teams would play one home fixture and two away. All competition points from Round One carried over to Round Two, the top four teams in the Meads and Lochore Cup competitions at the end of Round Two advanced to the semifinals. This round sees the 12 teams playing 8 games each, 1st to 4th on the ladder at the end of the 8 weeks will play off for the Meads Cup, while 5th to 8th play off for the Lochore Cup. The Meads and Lochore Cup winners are determined in four-team single-elimination tournaments. The semifinal matchups are seeded 1-4 and 2-3, with the higher seed receiving home field advantage, the highest surviving seed hosts each Cup final. The remaining teams competed in Division Three of the NPC, ITM Cup National Provincial Championship List of New Zealand rugby union teams Heartland Rugby website
14.
South Canterbury Rugby Football Union
–
The South Canterbury Rugby Football Union is a rugby province based in the central South Island city of Timaru, New Zealand. The South Canterbury team play from Alpine Energy Stadium located in Timaru, Club rugby in South Canterbury predated the formation of South Canterbury RFU by at least two decades. The first recorded rugby match in South Canterbury was played on 15 October 1867 between The Timaru and Temuka Clubs at Arowhenua. Eight years later, in 1875, the South Canterbury Football Club was formed, founded by Alfred St. George Hamersley the former captain of the England national rugby union team and resident of Timaru. Soon after on 24 May 1875 a match was played between North and South Canterbury at Ashburton that resulted in a draw, more clubs were formed, such as the Waimate Football Club on 24 May 1876, and Christchurch are recorded as playing Temuka in 1876. The South Canterbury Rugby Football Union was formed in 1888 when it broke away from the Canterbury Rugby Football Union, soon after, a representative match was played on 24 July 1888 against the New Zealand Native Team on the Athletic Grounds, Timaru. South Canterbury has produced a number of All Blacks and are one of the few unions to have played in all three Divisions of the NPC. Also 2011 saw two sell out Super 15 games played at Alpine Energy Stadium in Timaru - the Crusaders vs the Bulls, the South Canterbury Rugby team play from Alpine Energy Stadium, Timaru and they play their rugby in the Heartland Championship. They also compete against Mid Canterbury and North Otago for the Hanan Shield, South Canterbury along with Canterbury, Tasman, Buller, Mid Canterbury and West Coast make up the Crusaders Super Rugby franchise. South Canterbury won the 2nd division South Island in 1976,1977,1981 and the 3rd division in 1986,1991,1998, and the Lochore Cup in 2013. First played for in 1946, the Hanan Shield is based on a challenge system played between North Otago, South Canterbury and Mid Canterbury, South Canterbury are the current holders of the Shield after beating Mid Canterbury 17-15 on 13 October 2012
15.
Coat of arms
–
A coat of arms is an heraldic visual design on an escutcheon, surcoat, or tabard. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the heraldic achievement which in its whole consists of shield, supporters, crest. A coat of arms is traditionally unique to a person, family, state. The ancient Romans used similar insignia on their shields, but these identified military units rather than individuals, the first evidence of medieval coats of arms has been attributed to the 11th century Bayeux Tapestry in which some of the combatants carry shields painted with crosses. However, that heraldic interpretation remains controversial, coats of arms came into general use by feudal lords and knights in battle in the 12th century. By the 13th century, arms had spread beyond their initial battlefield use to become a flag or emblem for families in the social classes of Europe. Exactly who had a right to use arms, by law or social convention, in the German-speaking regions both the aristocracy and burghers used arms, while in most of the rest of Europe they were limited to the aristocracy. The use of spread to the clergy, to towns as civic identifiers. Flags developed from coats of arms, and the arts of vexillology, the coats of arms granted to commercial companies are a major source of the modern logo. Despite no widespread regulation, heraldry has remained consistent across Europe, some nations, like England and Scotland, still maintain the same heraldic authorities which have traditionally granted and regulated arms for centuries and continue to do so in the present day. In England, for example, the granting of arms is and has controlled by the College of Arms. Unlike seals and other emblems, heraldic achievements have a formal description called a blazon. Many societies exist that also aid in the design and registration of personal arms, in the heraldic traditions of England and Scotland, an individual, rather than a family, had a coat of arms. In those traditions coats of arms are legal property transmitted from father to son, wives, undifferenced arms are used only by one person at any given time. Other descendants of the bearer could bear the ancestral arms only with some difference. One such charge is the label, which in British usage is now always the mark of an apparent or an heir presumptive. Because of their importance in identification, particularly in seals on legal documents and this has been carried out by heralds and the study of coats of arms is therefore called heraldry. In time, the use of arms spread from military entities to educational institutes, the author Helen Stuart argues that some coats of arms were a form of corporate logo
16.
War
–
War is a state of armed conflict between societies. It is generally characterized by extreme aggression, destruction, and mortality, an absence of war is usually called peace. Warfare refers to the activities and characteristics of types of war. Total war is warfare that is not restricted to legitimate military targets. While some scholars see war as a universal and ancestral aspect of human nature, as concerns a belligerents losses in proportion to its prewar population, the most destructive war in modern history may have been the Paraguayan War. In 2013 war resulted in 31,000 deaths, down from 72,000 deaths in 1990, in 2003, Richard Smalley identified war as the sixth biggest problem facing humanity for the next fifty years. Another byproduct of some wars is the prevalence of propaganda by some or all parties in the conflict, the word is related to the Old Saxon werran, Old High German werran, and the German verwirren, meaning “to confuse”, “to perplex”, and “to bring into confusion”. In German, the equivalent is Krieg, the Spanish, Portuguese, the scholarly study of war is sometimes called polemology, from the Greek polemos, meaning war, and -logy, meaning the study of. Studies of war by military theorists throughout military history have sought to identify the philosophy of war, asymmetric warfare is a conflict between two populations of drastically different levels of military capability or size. Biological warfare, or germ warfare, is the use of weaponized biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, chemical warfare involves the use of weaponized chemicals in combat. Poison gas as a weapon was principally used during World War I. Civil war is a war between forces belonging to the nation or political entity. Conventional warfare is declared war between states in which nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons are not used or see limited deployment, cyberwarfare involves the actions by a nation-state or international organization to attack and attempt to damage another nations information systems. Information warfare is the application of force on a large scale against information assets and systems, against the computers. Nuclear warfare is warfare in which weapons are the primary, or a major. War of aggression is a war for conquest or gain rather than self-defense, the earliest recorded evidence of war belongs to the Mesolithic cemetery Site 117, which has been determined to be approximately 14,000 years old. About forty-five percent of the skeletons there displayed signs of violent death, since the rise of the state some 5,000 years ago, military activity has occurred over much of the globe. The advent of gunpowder and the acceleration of technological advances led to modern warfare
17.
Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union
–
The Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union within the Gisborne district, in the area surrounding Poverty Bay on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The mens representative team play from Rugby Park, Gisborne, in 1981, Rugby Park was the scene of clashes between pro-tour supporters and anti-tour protesters prior to a match against the touring South African side. Poverty Bay ultimately lost the game by 6 -24, Poverty Bay won the Third Division of the National Provincial Championship, in 1987 and 2005, and finished as runners-up in the same division in 1994,1995 and 1999. Since 2006, Poverty Bay have competed in the Heartland Championship, since the introduction of the format in 2006, the team have had great success, winning the Lochore Cup on four occasions -2006,2007,2008 and 2011. Poverty Bays placings in the Heartland Championship are listed below, Poverty Bay have never held the Ranfurly Shield, in 1980, Poverty Bay came close to defeating Auckland, losing a hard fought encounter 12 -19. Poverty Bay along with Wellington, Wairarapa Bush, Wanganui, East Coast, Hawkes Bay, Manawatu, Hosea Gear is the most notable player from the Poverty Bay region to have played for the side. There have been six players selected for the All Blacks whilst playing for Poverty Bay, most notable amongst these players are Ian Kirkpatrick and Richard Tiny White. Other players include John Collins, Brian Fitzpatrick, Lawrie Knight, there have also been players such as Rico Gear, Hosea Gear and Charlie Ngatai who became All Blacks having started their careers with Poverty Bay
18.
Moa
–
The moa were nine species of flightless birds endemic to New Zealand. The two largest species, Dinornis robustus and Dinornis novaezelandiae, reached about 3.6 m in height with neck outstretched, when Polynesians settled New Zealand around 1280 CE, the moa population was about 58,000. Moa belong to the order Dinornithiformes, traditionally placed in the ratite group, however, their closest relatives have been found by genetic studies to be the flighted South American tinamous, once considered to be a sister group to ratites. The nine species of moa were the only wingless birds lacking even the wings which all other ratites have. They were the dominant herbivores in New Zealands forest, shrubland and subalpine ecosystems for thousands of years, Moa extinction occurred around 1300 CE -1440 CE ±20 years, primarily due to overhunting by Māori. The spine was attached to the rear of the rather than the base. This would have allowed them to graze on low-elevation vegetation, while being able to lift their heads and this has resulted in a reconsideration of the height of larger moa. Although there is no surviving record of what sounds moa made, the trachea of moa were supported by many small rings of bone known as tracheal rings. These are the only known to exhibit this feature, which is also present in several other bird groups including swans, cranes. The feature is associated with deep, resonant vocalisations that can travel long distances, research published starting in 2010 has found that the moas closest cousins are small terrestrial South American birds called the tinamous which are able to fly. Previously, the kiwi, the Australian emu, and cassowary were thought to be most closely related to the moa, although dozens of species were described in the late 19th century and early 20th century, many were based on partial skeletons and turned out to be synonyms. Currently, eleven species are recognised, although recent studies using ancient DNA recovered from bones in museum collections suggest that distinct lineages exist within some of these. A2009 study showed that Euryapteryx curtus and Euryapteryx gravis were synonyms, a 2010 study explained size differences among them as sexual dimorphism. A2012 morphological study interpreted them as subspecies instead, ancient DNA analyses have determined that there were a number of cryptic evolutionary lineages in several moa genera. These may eventually be classified as species or subspecies, Megalapteryx benhami which is synonymised with M. didinus because the bones of both share all essential characters. Size differences can be explained by a north-south cline combined with temporal variation such that specimens were larger during the Otiran glacial period, similar temporal size variation is known for the North Island Pachyornis mappini. Some of the size variation for moa species can probably be explained by similar geographic. The earliest moa remains come from the Miocene Saint Bathans Fauna, known from multiple eggshells and hindlimb elements, these represent at least two species of already fairly large sized species
19.
Auckland Rugby Union
–
The Auckland Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in a portion of the Auckland Region of New Zealand. Its colours are blue and white in a hooped design. The ARFU govern the running of the Auckland representative team which have won New Zealands first-tier domestic competition National Provincial Championship 16 times—more than any other team and their most recent victory was the 2007 competition. Auckland also acts as a feeder to the Blues, who play in the Super Rugby competition. The union is coached by Paul Feeney the union also administers all club rugby within the region, including the Gallaher Shield, as well, the union is responsible for school rugby. The Auckland Rugby Football Union was officially formed in 1884, when it joined the Canterbury, Wellington, Auckland has been the most successful union in New Zealand rugby history, having won a record 16 ITM Cup titles. Auckland also holds the record for the most Ranfurly Shield wins, successful defences, in 1996, with the advent of professional rugby union, Auckland became the host, and primary feeder, to the Blues, known from 1996–99 as the Auckland Blues. There have been many notable eras in the teams history and it went undefeated for six seasons from 1897, and there was a ground breaking run in the early 1920s under Sir Vincent Meredith. The 1960–63 period, known as the Golden Era, was summed up in The Golden Years written by Don Cameron in 1983, there was also a relatively undisturbed spell of success from 1982 through to the 2007 Air New Zealand Cup victory. Auckland won 16 of the 26 Air New Zealand NPC titles available in that time – a period that included 61 Ranfurly Shield defences, Auckland went undefeated for six seasons from 1897, and there was an undefeated run in the early 1920s under Sir Vincent Meredith. The 1960 to 1963 period, known as the Golden Era, was summed up in The Golden Years written by Don Cameron in 1983. Auckland were the first holders of the Ranfurly Shield in 1902 and have won 153 out of 194 shield matches – the most successful record of any provincial union. Notable periods include from 1905 to 1913, when they defeated 23 successive challenges,1960 and 1963, when 25 challenges were defeated,1985 to 1993, Auckland most recently held the shield between 2007 and 2008, when 5 challenges were defeated. In 1993, Auckland defeated the British Lions by 23–18 during their tour to New Zealand, with six titles in the 1990s, and four so far in the new century, Aucklands domination of the New Zealand rugby landscape continues. The 2007 team is the first since the 1990 side to remain unbeaten in a season and win the Ranfurly Shield and their womens team, known as the Auckland Storm, are the most successful womens team in New Zealand. They are the current National Champions, and have won 13 of the 14 Womens Provincial Championship, among the earliest founding clubs in Auckland were Grafton, Ponsonby and College Rifles, Marist, University, Grammar and Suburbs. He became the sole selector to the Auckland team, leading the side to eight successive Ranfurly Shield wins and he then joined the army at a relatively late age, and was killed in the Passchendaele offensive in 1917 aged 43. His Ponsonby side has dominated the Gallaher Shield, winning it 33 times, the Auckland Rugby Football Union consists of 20 clubs from the Auckland isthmus
20.
HMS Endeavour
–
The navy renamed and commissioned her as His Majestys Bark the Endeavour. She departed Plymouth in August 1768, rounded Cape Horn, and she then set sail into the largely uncharted ocean to the south, stopping at the Pacific islands of Huahine, Bora Bora, and Raiatea to allow Cook to claim them for Great Britain. In September 1769, she anchored off New Zealand, the first European vessel to reach the islands since Abel Tasmans Heemskerck 127 years earlier. In April 1770, Endeavour became the first ship to reach the east coast of Australia, Endeavour then sailed north along the Australian coast. She narrowly avoided disaster after running aground on the Great Barrier Reef and he then beached her on the mainland for seven weeks to permit rudimentary repairs to her hull. On 10 October 1770, she limped into port in Batavia in the Dutch East Indies for more substantial repairs, her crew sworn to secrecy about the lands they had visited. She resumed her journey on 26 December, rounded the Cape of Good Hope on 13 March 1771. Largely forgotten after her voyage, Endeavour spent the next three years sailing to and from the Falkland Islands. As of 2016 her wreck had not been located but was thought to be one of a cluster of five in Newport Harbor. Relics, including six of her cannon and an anchor, are displayed at maritime museums worldwide, a replica of Endeavour was launched in 1994 and is berthed alongside the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney Harbour. The US space shuttle Endeavour is named after the ship and she is depicted on the New Zealand fifty-cent coin and she was ship-rigged and sturdily built with a broad, flat bow, a square stern, and a long box-like body with a deep hold. A flat-bottomed design made her well-suited to sailing in waters and allowed her to be beached for loading and unloading of cargo. Her hull, internal floors, and futtocks were built from white oak, her keel and stern post from elm. Plans of the ship also show a double keelson to lock the keel, floors, some doubt exists about the height of her standing masts, as surviving diagrams of Endeavour depict the body of the vessel only, and not the mast plan. If correct, this would produce an oddly truncated mast a full 9 feet shorter than the standards of the day,1794 at the top of this page. The replica standing mizzen is built to this shorter measurement and stepped in the hold on the keelson, on 16 February 1768, the Royal Society petitioned King George III to finance a scientific expedition to the Pacific to study and observe the 1769 transit of Venus across the sun. The Royal Society suggested command be given to Scottish geographer Alexander Dalrymple, whose acceptance was conditional on a brevet commission as a captain in the Royal Navy. However, First Lord of the Admiralty Edward Hawke refused, going so far as to say he would cut off his right hand than give command of a navy vessel to someone not educated as a seaman
21.
Auckland
–
Auckland is a city in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the most populous area in the country. Auckland has a population of 1,495,000, which constitutes 32 percent of New Zealands population, a diverse and multicultural city, Auckland is home to the largest Polynesian population in the world. It has also been called Ākarana, the Māori pronunciation of Auckland, the Auckland urban area ranges to Waiwera in the north, Kumeu in the northwest, and Runciman in the south. It is not contiguous, the section from Waiwera to Whangaparāoa Peninsula is separate from its nearest neighbouring suburb of Long Bay, the surrounding hills are covered in rainforest and the landscape is dotted with dozens of dormant volcanic cones. The central part of the area occupies a narrow isthmus between the Manukau Harbour on the Tasman Sea and the Waitemata Harbour on the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the few cities in the world to have harbours on two major bodies of water. The isthmus on which Auckland resides was first settled around 1350 and was valued for its rich, Māori population in the area is estimated to have peaked at 20,000 before the arrival of Europeans. After a British colony was established in 1840, the new Governor of New Zealand, William Hobson and he named the area Auckland for George Eden, Earl of Auckland, British First Lord of the Admiralty. It was replaced as the capital in 1865, but immigration to the new city stayed strong, today, Aucklands Central Business District is the major financial centre of New Zealand. Auckland is classified as a Beta World City because of its importance in finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts, education and tourism. Aucklands landmarks such as the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, the Harbour Bridge, the Sky Tower, the isthmus was settled by Māori around 1350, and was valued for its rich and fertile land. Many pā were created, mainly on the volcanic peaks, Māori population in the area is estimated to have been about 20,000 people before the arrival of Europeans. As a result, the region had relatively low numbers of Māori when European settlement of New Zealand began, there is, however, nothing to suggest that this was the result of a deliberate European policy. Auckland was officially declared New Zealands capital in 1841 and the transfer of the administration from Russell in the Bay of Islands was completed in 1842. However, even in 1840 Port Nicholson was seen as a choice for an administrative capital because of its proximity to the South Island. After losing its status as capital, Auckland remained the city of the Auckland Province until the provincial system was abolished in 1876. Each of the four settlements had about 800 settlers, the men being fully armed in case of emergency but spent nearly all their time breaking in the land and establishing roads
22.
Auckland Region
–
The Auckland Region is one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand, named for the city of Auckland, the countrys largest urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland metropolitan area, smaller towns, rural areas, with 34 percent of the nations residents, it has by far the biggest population and economy of any region of New Zealand, but the second-smallest land area. On 1 November 2010, the Auckland Region became a unitary authority controlled by the Auckland Council, replacing the previous regional council, in the process, an area in its southeastern corner was transferred to the neighbouring Waikato Region. The name Auckland Region remains present in casual usage, the region ends within a few kilometres of the mouth of the Waikato River. It is bordered in the north by the Northland Region, and it also includes the islands of the Hauraki Gulf. In land area it is smaller than all the other regions and its highest point is the summit of Little Barrier Island, at 722 metres. The Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea form the coastline around the Auckland region, the east coast is lapped by the waters of the Hauraki Gulf, an arm of the Pacific sheltered by a considerable number of small and large islands, notably Great Barrier Island in the northeast. An arm of the Gulf, the Waitemata Harbour, forms the main harbour of Auckland city, the mainland coastline is 1,613 kilometres long, with the total coastline being 3,100 kilometres. Much of the marine area comprises sensitive tidal inlets and estuaries and semi-enclosed Waitemata, Manukau. To the west lie two large natural harbours, the Kaipara and the Manukau, both of these have treacherous entrances and are little used by shipping. The Kaipara Harbour is one of the worlds largest natural harbours, Auckland Airport is located on the edge of the Manukau Harbour. The region is blessed with fine beaches, especially on the Tasman coast south of the Kaipara. These include Muriwai and Piha beaches, the Auckland Region is built on a basement of greywacke rocks that form many of the islands in the Hauraki Gulf, the Hunua Ranges, and land south of Port Waikato. The Waitakere Ranges in the west are the remains of a large andesitic volcano, the main isthmus and North Shore are composed of Waitemata sandstone and mudstone, and portions of the Northland Allochthon extend as far south as Albany. Little Barrier Island was formed by a relatively isolated andesitic volcano, the Manukau and South Kaipara Harbours are protected by the recent sand dune deposits of the Awhitu and South Kaipara Peninsulas. Recent basaltic volcanic activity has produced many volcanic cones throughout the Auckland Region, much of Aucklands urban area lies on top of the dormant Auckland Volcanic Field. The region is dotted by 49 volcanoes of varying age with the oldest being in the region of 150,000 years old, the most recent eruption occurred approximately 600 years ago, ending a few hundred years of activity during which Rangitoto Island was formed. Each volcanic eruption has tended to be bigger than the previous, all of the volcanoes are relatively small, most being less than 150 metres in height
23.
Eden Park
–
Eden Park is New Zealands largest stadium. Located in central Auckland, New Zealands largest city, it is three kilometres southwest of the CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and Kingsland. Although used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer, it has hosted rugby league, in 2011 it hosted pool games, two quarter-finals, both semi-finals and the final of Rugby World Cup 2011. In doing so it became the first stadium in the world to host two Rugby World Cup Finals, having held the final in 1987. It was a venue for the 2015 Cricket World Cup, which was hosted by Australia. Eden Park has been a sports ground since 1900, the park began as a cricket ground in 1903, and was due to the vision of one Harry Ryan, a cricket enthusiast who approached landowner John Walters to lease part of his land as a sports field. Ryan knew or at least imagined better and that bit of land was in fact located just up the road from Cabbage Tree Swamp, now Gribblehirst Park. Interestingly, those who saw Ryans vision as madness most likely felt vindicated when, in 1907, the same thing happened again later in the year. In 1913 the park was leased to the Auckland Rugby Union so it became both a summer and winter sporting venue, and in 1921 hosted the first international event, a NZ v South Africa Test. The Western part of the ground was just open space until 1950 when a stand was erected for the British Empire Games. In 1956 a permanent stand was built, but subsequently moved to North Harbour Stadium, the name ‘Eden Park’ settled into general usage around 1912, soon after it had been taken over by the Auckland Cricket Association. Still the home of Auckland Cricket, Eden Park has hosted many international Tests, One Day International, Rugby arrived in 1913 when, after negotiations with the Auckland Cricket Association, Auckland Rugby was granted a 21-year lease for games during the winter season. The first rugby test was held on 27 August 1921, when the Springboks beat the All Blacks 5–9 before a crowd of 40,000, the Auckland Rugby Football Union officially made Eden Park its home in 1925. In 1926 a Trust was set up to manage Eden Park primarily for the benefit of Auckland Cricket, the Trust still manages the Park. In 2013 the New Zealand Warriors announced they would be playing three games at Eden Park in the 2014 NRL season. In 2015, it hosted four matches during the 2015 Cricket World Cup, the $256 million redevelopment completed in October 2010 provided a permanent capacity of 50,000 with a further 10,000 temporary seats for the 2011 Rugby World Cup games. This is the largest of any New Zealand sports arena, temporary seating in front of the North Stand and the West Stand is required for the capacity to be reached. Due to sight-screens and the area required for cricket matches
24.
Buller Rugby Football Union
–
The Buller Rugby Union is a rugby union province based in the town of Westport, New Zealand. The Buller provincial boundary also includes other towns such as Reefton, Karamea, Granity, Charleston, Punakaiki. Buller has played in both the second and third divisions of the former NPC, after the New Zealand Rugby Union restructuring of the NPC in 2006 Buller currently play in the Heartland Championship. The side has performed with distinction in this competition having made the top tier Meads Cup section twice in the past 3 seasons, Buller has had some memorable matches against international sides in the past including victory over Australia. Historically Buller were a strong provincial Union particularly in the pre 1960 era, with the formation of the National Provincial Championship in 1976 Buller began to struggle as players moved to bigger Unions to further their rugby and work careers. However the Union has experienced a resurgence in fortunes over the last 4 seasons with the team performing well in the Heartland Championship. Buller along with Canterbury, Tasman, West Coast, Mid Canterbury, Buller has won one Provincial Championship, the Heartland Championship Lochore Cup in 2012 defeating South Canterbury in the Final. In 2014, Buller went through Round Robin Undefeated progressing to the Meads Cup Final only to fall to Mid Canterbury, Buller have never held the Ranfurly Shield despite a number of close matches. The best result being in 1949 when Buller drew 6–6 against Otago at Carisbrook, had the match been played using the modern scoring system, Buller would have won courtesy of scoring more tries than their Otago opposition. Established in 1906 in memory of Richard John Seddon, the Seddon Shield is a challenge shield contested by teams in the upper South Island. Buller along with Nelson Bays, Marlborough and West Coast currently compete for the shield, originally the Golden Bay-Motueka Rugby Union and the Nelson Rugby Union also competed for the shield before those unions amalgamated to form Nelson Bays. Buller have held the shield on a number of occasions but Nelson Bays are the current holders, in 2009 Buller lost their Seddon Shield challenge against Nelson Bays by 29–37. The Rundle Cup is contested annually between the Buller and West Coast Unions and it is one of the oldest trophies in NZ rugby. The Rundle Cup was donated to the West Coast provincial union during their Annual General Meeting at the Albion Hotel on 24 May 1911 by William Rundle as a trophy for Buller-West Coast matches. Rundle was a business man in the mining industry and former player for the Grey Football Club. He later perished on the frontline in France during World War One, the first contest for the cup was held in 1911 in Westport and was won by Buller. Buller has had six players selected for the All Blacks whilst playing their club rugby in Buller, Tom Fisher Edward Holder Charles McLean Bill Mumm Kenneth Svenson Robert Tunnicliff Also, C. Green B. Stack Other All Blacks to play for Buller at senior or junior level either before or after their national selection were, gilbert Fred Newton T. A. French A. Webster S
25.
Lion
–
The lion is one of the big cats in the genus Panthera and a member of the family Felidae. The commonly used term African lion collectively denotes the several subspecies in Africa, with some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. Wild lions currently exist in sub-Saharan Africa and in India, in ancient historic times, their range was in most of Africa, including North Africa, and across Eurasia from Greece and southeastern Europe to India. Lion populations are untenable outside designated reserves and national parks, although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are the greatest causes of concern. Within Africa, the West African lion population is particularly endangered, in the wild, males seldom live longer than 10 to 14 years, as injuries sustained from continual fighting with rival males greatly reduce their longevity. In captivity they can more than 20 years. They typically inhabit savanna and grassland, although they may take to bush, Lions are unusually social compared to other cats. A pride of lions consists of related females and offspring and a number of adult males. Groups of female lions typically hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates, Lions are apex and keystone predators, although they are also expert scavengers obtaining over 50 percent of their food by scavenging as opportunity allows. While lions do not typically hunt humans, some have, sleeping mainly during the day, lions are active primarily at night, although sometimes at twilight. Highly distinctive, the lion is easily recognised by its mane. It has been depicted in sculptures, in paintings, on national flags. Lions have been kept in menageries since the time of the Roman Empire, Zoos are cooperating worldwide in breeding programs for the endangered Asiatic subspecies. The lions name, similar in many Romance languages, is derived from the Latin leo, the Hebrew word לָבִיא may also be related. It was one of the originally described by Linnaeus, who gave it the name Felis leo, in his eighteenth-century work. The lions closest relatives are the species of the genus Panthera, the tiger, the snow leopard, the jaguar. P. leo evolved in Africa between 1 million and 800,000 years ago, before spreading throughout the Holarctic region and it appeared in the fossil record in Europe for the first time 700,000 years ago with the subspecies Panthera leo fossilis at Isernia in Italy. From this lion derived the later cave lion, which appeared about 300,000 years ago, Lions died out in northern Eurasia at the end of the last glaciation, about 10,000 years ago, this may have been secondary to the extinction of Pleistocene megafauna
26.
Westport, New Zealand
–
Westport is a town in the West Coast region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is on the bank and at the mouth of the Buller River. It is connected via State Highway 6 with Greymouth,100 kilometres to the south, the town is thought to have been named after Westport, County Mayo in Ireland, although the choice of name was no doubt also guided by the towns location. The population of the Westport urban area was 3,900 in the 2006 Census, including the surrounding area of Orowaiti, the 2006 population was 4,512. The Buller District Council gives a 2007 population of about 5,000, there is evidence that Māori settlers lived in the Buller area from very early on. The settlers appeared to live mostly coastal lives, though they explored the mountains for pounamu, the first white settlers came to Westport in 1861 as gold miners, and the first European vessel known to have entered the river was the sealing schooner Three Brothers in 1884. The 1880s saw many parties of geologists and surveyors combing the area for the presence of valuable resources. Amongst them were Charles Heaphy, William Fox and Thomas Brunner, during the period,1853 to 1876, Westport was administrated as part of the Nelson Province. The first railway of the area in 1864 ran from Westport 18 kilometres to the coal fields, the first section of railway from Westport to Fairdown via Sergeants Hill opened on 31 December 1875, this line ultimately reached Seddonville in 1895 and was known as the Seddonville Branch. The Westport climate is influenced by the high amount of precipitation from the Tasman Sea. Despite very high rainfall, Westport is often prone to drought. While colder than the northern parts of New Zealand, average temperature changes over the year are not extreme. Economic activity is based around fishing, coal mining and dairy farming, historically, gold mining was a major industry, and coal mining was much more extensive than today. However, the still is home to New Zealands largest opencast mining operation in Stockton. Some native forest logging occurred in the area until cessation around 1999, the Holcim company had a large cement plant in the southwest side of town until its closure on 30 June 2016. Tourism has some famous destinations in this area, such as the Oparara Basin Arches, for other wildlife such as whales and dolphins, Rafting and jetboating in the Buller Gorge are also popular. Westport is also a base for trips to Karamea, with the road access to the area running north from near Westport. The Coaltown Museum in Westport illustrates the history of the Buller District, a daily local newspaper is published in Westport, the Westport News
27.
West Coast, New Zealand
–
The West Coast is a region of New Zealand on the west coast of the South Island, one of the more remote and most sparsely populated areas of the country. It is administered by the West Coast Regional Council, at the territorial authority level, the region comprises Buller District, Grey District and Westland District. The principal towns are Westport, Greymouth, and Hokitika, fiordland is on the west coast, but is in the Southland Region rather than the West Coast Region. Inhabitants of the West Coast are colloquially known as Coasters, the region reaches from Kahurangi Point in the north to Awarua Point in the south, a distance of 600 km. To the west is the Tasman Sea, and to the east are the Southern Alps, much of the land is rugged, with a coastal plain where much of the population resides. The land is very scenic, with wild coastlines, mountains, scenic areas include the Haast Pass, Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki and the Heaphy Track. The region has a high rainfall due to the prevailing northwesterly wind pattern and the location of the Southern Alps. The rain shadow effect is responsible for the arid climate of the Canterbury Plains on the other side of the Southern Alps. The regions area is 23,276 km2 and it is divided into the three districts of Buller, Grey and Westland. Industries on the West Coast include mining for coal and alluvial gold, forestry and wood processing, dairy farming has grown strongly - the local dairy co-operatives Westland Milk Products remained independent when most others merged to form Fonterra in 2001. Other industries are the manufacturing and sales of greenstone jewellery, sphagnum moss gathering, the sub-national GDP of the region was estimated at US$779 million in 2003, 1% of national GDP. The region is home to Māori, who valued it for the greenstone found there in abundance, the region was only occasionally visited by Europeans until the discovery of gold near the Taramakau River in 1864 by two Māori, Ihaia Tainui and Haimona Taukau. By the end of the year there were an estimated 1800 prospectors, many of them around the Hokitika area, after that time, the population dwindled, but the main towns that still exist had become established. Following greenstone and gold, the valuable mineral was coal. Discovered near the Buller River in the mid-1840s, mining began in earnest during the 1860s, by the 1880s coal had become the region’s main industry, with mines throughout the northern half of the region, especially around Westport. Many of these continued in operation until the mid-20th century, timber has also long been a major industry, although in recent years there has been an uneasy balance between forestry for wood and forestry for conservation. Much of the region is public land administered by the Department of Conservation, ecotourism is now an important industry, and this goes hand in hand with the conservation efforts. The region is populated, especially in the south, with the 2006 census recording 31,326 inhabitants, up from 30,303 in 2001
28.
Bay of Plenty Rugby Union
–
The Bay of Plenty Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in a portion of the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand. Its colours are blue and yellow in a hooped design. The BOPRU govern the running of the Bay of Plenty representative team which have won New Zealands first-tier domestic competition National Provincial Championship once and their most recent victory was the 1976 competition, they were the first side to win the competition. Bay of Plenty also acts as a feeder to the Chiefs. The union is coached by Clayton McMillan the union also administers all club rugby within the region, including the Bayfair Baywide competition, as well, the union is responsible for school rugby. Bay of Plenty played a prominent role in the history of rugby in New Zealand. The 1888–89 New Zealand Natives included five Warbrick brothers from the small Bay of Plenty settlement of Matata, dave Gallaher, the captain of the legendary 1905 All Black Originals, grew up in Katikati. But it was not until 1911 that a separate Bay of Plenty Rugby Football Union was established, before then Bay of Plenty was included within the South Auckland union. Bay of Plenty-based players were amongst the most prominent in the years of the game. Up until this time the BOP union was included within the South Auckland union boundaries. As the boundaries of the new union grew, and new sub-unions were formed, les McLean was the first of the 20 players who have so far been selected for the All Blacks from Bay of Plenty. He played as a forward in the second and third tests against the 1921 Springboks –, Bay of Plenty’s most capped All Black is Hika Reid. Hailing from Ngongotaha near Rotorua, Reid’s grandfather, J. Hikatarewa, Reid was selected for the All Blacks in 1980 when test incumbent Andy Dalton was unavailable for what turned out to be a disappointing tour of Australia. Reid’s performances at hooker, however, were impressive, a dynamic runner with ball in hand, he revolutionised the way in which hookers played the game. Sean Fitzpatrick was the most famous of those to adopt this high-energy approach and his try in the second test victory over Australia in Brisbane has been described as one of ‘the most spectacular tries in test history’. He started and finished a move that began 10 m from his own try line, despite this sort of ability, for much of his career Reid was Andy Dalton’s understudy. By 1986 he had slipped behind Fitzpatrick, and he was overlooked for the 1987 World Cup. Greg Rowlands, a 1976 All Black to Argentina, holds the record for the most games –161 – and most points –1008 – for Bay of Plenty
29.
Mount Maunganui
–
It was an independent town from Tauranga until the completion of the Tauranga Harbour Bridge in 1988, which connects Mount Maunganui to Taurangas central business district. Mount Maunganui is also the name of the lava dome which was formed by the upwelling of rhyolite lava about two to three million years ago. It is officially known by its Māori name Mauao, but is known in New Zealand simply as The Mount. Mount Maunganui is located atop a bar that connects Mauao to the mainland. Because of this formation, the residents of Mount Maunganui have both a beach and an ocean beach with great surf, within a short distance. At the base of Mauao, the distance between the harbour and ocean side is a couple of blocks, the ocean beach has Mauao or Mount Maunganui at its western end, and a man made land bridge connecting Moturiki Island at its eastern end. Adjacent to Mount Maunganui on its edge is Papamoa Beach. Papamoa Beach has a larger population than Mount Maunganui. Mauao is a lava dome which rises above the town. According to Maori legend, this hill was a pononga to a mountain called Otanewainuku, the conical headland which gives the town its name is 232 metres in height, and dominates the mostly flat surrounding countryside. It was formerly a Māori pā, and the remains of trenches can be seen in the ridges, today, it is open to the public year-round, and is a popular place to either walk around, or climb up. From the summit, a stretch of coastline can be seen in either direction. Over the years Mount Maunganui had suffered a number of attacks on its sovereignty by Tauranga but had fully and effectively to remain independent until the 1989 local government reforms. During 1974 Bob Owens was Mayor of both Mount Maunganui and Tauranga, a situation in the annals of local government in New Zealand. Mr Owens made no secret of the fact that he favoured the joining of the two municipalities, some Mount Maunganui residents are still of the opinion Tauranga and Mount Maunganui are separate towns, even though they officially amalgamated in 1989. One of the settlers, J. C. Adams, then suggested three names, which were Te Maire, Tamure, and Rakataura, with the latter name selected by the Survey Department. The official name Rakataura never came into use as Maunganui had long been the unofficial name of the town
30.
Canterbury Rugby Football Union
–
The Canterbury Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in a portion of the Canterbury Region of New Zealand. Its colours are red and black in a hooped design and their most recent victory was the 2015 competition. Canterbury also acts as a feeder to the Crusaders, who play in the Super Rugby competition. The union is coached by Scott Robertson, the union also administers all club rugby within the region, including senior club rugby and school rugby. Canterbury are the current holders of the Ranfurly Shield having won it off Waikato on 28 September 2016 after a 29–23 victory in Hamilton, the Canterbury Rugby Football Union was established in 1879 following a match between South Canterbury and North Canterbury in Timaru. He succeeded in getting Canterbury clubs to adopt the rules in 1876. It had been proposed that the new organisation be the New Zealand Rugby Union, but this was rejected. Canterbury was the first provincial union within New Zealand, with the Wellington Rugby Football Union was formed later that year, by 1890 fourteen provincial unions had been founded within New Zealand. As well as being the oldest union within New Zealand, the CRFU was actually founded before one of the Home Unions – the Welsh Rugby Union was founded in 1881, Canterbury hosted an Otago side that triumphed by a try to nil. The first rugby match at Lancaster Park was played the following year – a ground that would be the home of Canterbury rugby until the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, the occurred only a few years prior to the formation of the New Zealand Rugby Football Union in 1892. The CRFU had originally voted to join the NZRU in 1891, along with the Otago and Southland provinces, the CRFU objected to the requirement that NZRU executive committee members reside in Wellington. South Canterbury had joined the NZRU, and the representative sides did not meet in 1893. As well as this, players from Canterbury were not eligible for selection in the 1893 New Zealand team that toured Australia, the CRFU eventually relented, and in 1894 joined the NZRU, both Otago and Southland joined the following year. In 1904 a sub-union of the South Canterbury Rugby Union was formed around the Ashburton area – the Ashburton Country Rugby Union, in 1905 it came under the umbrella of the CRFU, but split away to become completely independent in 1927. It was renamed the Mid Canterbury Rugby Football Union in 1952, nPC/Air New Zealand Cup/ITM Cup/Mitre 10 Cup,1977,1983,1997,2001,2004,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2015,2016. Ranfurly Shield, 1927–28, 1931–34,1935,1950, 1953–56, 1969–71, 1972–73, 1982–85, 1994–95, 2000–03, 2004–06,2007,2009, 2010–11, 2016–present. In addition to the Mens 1st XV, the CRFU has a number of representative teams for both Men and Women. Their Womens team is part of the Womens Provincial Championship, the Country Cup is the premier club competition over the Canterbury Country region
31.
Sheep
–
The sheep is a quadrupedal, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, although the name sheep applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries. Numbering a little over one billion, domestic sheep are also the most numerous species of sheep. An adult female sheep is referred to as a ewe, a male as a ram or occasionally a tup, a castrated male as a wether. Sheep are most likely descended from the wild mouflon of Europe, one of the earliest animals to be domesticated for agricultural purposes, sheep are raised for fleece, meat and milk. A sheeps wool is the most widely used animal fiber, and is harvested by shearing. Ovine meat is called lamb when from younger animals and mutton when from older ones, Sheep continue to be important for wool and meat today, and are also occasionally raised for pelts, as dairy animals, or as model organisms for science. Sheep husbandry is practised throughout the majority of the inhabited world, in the modern era, Australia, New Zealand, the southern and central South American nations, and the British Isles are most closely associated with sheep production. Sheepraising has a lexicon of unique terms which vary considerably by region. Use of the sheep began in Middle English as a derivation of the Old English word scēap. A group of sheep is called a flock, herd or mob, many other specific terms for the various life stages of sheep exist, generally related to lambing, shearing, and age. Being a key animal in the history of farming, sheep have a deeply entrenched place in human culture, as livestock, sheep are most often associated with pastoral, Arcadian imagery. Sheep figure in many mythologies—such as the Golden Fleece—and major religions, in both ancient and modern religious ritual, sheep are used as sacrificial animals. Domestic sheep are relatively small ruminants, usually with a crimped hair called wool, domestic sheep differ from their wild relatives and ancestors in several respects, having become uniquely neotenic as a result of selective breeding by humans. A few primitive breeds of sheep retain some of the characteristics of their wild cousins, depending on breed, domestic sheep may have no horns at all, or horns in both sexes, or in males only. Most horned breeds have a pair, but a few breeds may have several. Another trait unique to domestic sheep as compared to wild ovines is their variation in color. Wild sheep are largely variations of brown hues, and variation within species is extremely limited, colors of domestic sheep range from pure white to dark chocolate brown, and even spotted or piebald
32.
Canterbury, New Zealand
–
Canterbury is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of 44,508 square kilometres, the region in its current form was established in 1989 during nationwide local government reforms. The Kaikoura District joined the region in 1992 following the abolition of the Nelson-Marlborough Regional Council, Christchurch, the South Islands largest city and the countrys third-largest urban area, is the seat of the region and home to 65 percent of the regions population. Other major towns and cities include Timaru, Ashburton, Rangiora, in 1848, Edward Gibbon Wakefield, a Briton, and John Robert Godley, an Anglo-Irish aristocrat, founded the Canterbury Association to establish an Anglican colony in the South Island. The colony was based upon theories developed by Wakefield while in prison for eloping with a woman not-of-age, due to ties to the prestigious Oxford University, the Canterbury Association succeeded in raising sufficient funds and recruiting middle-class and upper-class settlers. In April 1850, a group led by Godley landed at Port Cooper—modern-day Lyttelton Harbour—and established a port, housing. In December 1850, the first wave of 750 settlers arrived at Lyttelton in a fleet of four ships, following 1850, the provinces economy developed with the introduction of sheep farming. The Canterbury regions tussock plains in particular were suitable for sheep farming. Since they were valued by settlers for their meat and wool. By the 1860s, this figure had risen to three million, during this period, the architect Benjamin Mountfort designed many civic and ecclesiastical buildings in the Gothic Revival style. The Canterbury Province was formed in 1853 following the passing of the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 and it was formed from part of New Munster Province and covered the middle part of the South Island, stretching from the east coast to the west coast. The province was abolished, along with provinces of New Zealand. The modern Canterbury Region has slightly different boundaries, particularly in the north and it is New Zealands largest region by area, with an area of 45,346 km2. Canterbury was traditionally bounded in the north by the Conway River, to the west by the Southern Alps, the area is commonly divided into North Canterbury, Mid Canterbury, South Canterbury and Christchurch City. Canterbury is home to 600,100 people according to Statistics New Zealands June 2016,13 percent of New Zealands population and it the most populous in the South Island and the second most populous region in New Zealand. The median age of Canterburys population is 39.9 years, around 15.5 percent of the population is aged 65 or over while 18.7 percent is aged under 15. There are 97.5 males for every hundred females in Canterbury, just under 20 percent of Canterburys population was born overseas, compared to 25 percent for New Zealand as a whole. The British Isles remains the largest region of origin, accounting for 36.5 percent of the population in Canterbury
33.
Counties Manukau Rugby Football Union
–
The Counties Manukau Rugby Football Union is the governing body of rugby union in Southern Auckland and the Franklin district of New Zealand. The Steelers colours are red, white, and black horizontal bands, the Steelers moniker is a reference to the Glenbrook steel factory, which is in the area. The Union is based in Pukekohe, and plays at ECOLight Stadium in Pukekohe, the union was preceded by the South Auckland sub-union of the Auckland Rugby Football Union, the sub-union being founded in 1926. This became a union, with the name South Auckland Counties. The name was shortened to Counties just a year later, the name Counties Manukau was adopted in 1995. The history of Counties has been very much about football and taking risks. Counties first game was against Auckland in Waiuku in 1955, which they lost 95–3, in that inaugural year the team defeated an Wellington XV twice, the first 19 –6 on Bledisloe Park, Pukekohe, where the unions first All Black, Pat Walsh scored twice. Barry Bracewell, coach from 1961–63 and 1967–75, adopted a style in conflict with the ethos of the day of forward dominance, Bracewell, and Tauroa after him, selected mobile forwards and loose forwards with exciting backs with attacking game plans. The Counties team of this era had many highlights, winning the Inter-Dominion Championship against Queensland in Brisbane was another achievement, while the 1982 team beat Australia 15 –9, which included greats such as David Campese. The previous season the shield challenge against Waikato also ended in a draw after Counties conceded two late and controversial penalties, later in the game Warren McClean scored a try for Counties, making the final score 9–12, with Counties on the losing side. Counties finally improved during the mid-1990s, a highlight of that period came in 1997 during the semi-final in Hamilton. Behind at one stage 9–33, and stung by a ground announcement advertising tickets for a home Waikato final next week, Counties fought back with a 43–40 win. In 2006 Counties was selected to rejoin the top sides in the new Air New Zealand Cup Premier Division, success has been limited, a win over Auckland in 2008 being a highlight. Former All Black captain Tana Umaga joined Counties as player/coach in 2010 and was appointed coach in December 2011. The Steelers squad for the 2016 Mitre 10 Cup was named on 25 July. Counties players in the All Blacks Players who have played 100 or more games for the union In 2006 the Steelers finished the first round 5th in Pool B with 9 points and they finished 3rd in Repechage A with 5 points, including a draw with Manawatu. In 2007 the Steelers finished 14th with 2 points, from a draw with North Harbour, in 2008 the Steelers finished 13th with 13 points, including wins over Auckland and Manawatu. In 2009 the Steelers finished 14th with 12 points, including wins over Taranaki, in 2010 the Steelers finished 9th with 31 points, including wins over Otago, Wellington, Manawatu, Tasman, Northland, and North Harbour
34.
New Zealand Steel
–
New Zealand Steel Limited is the owner of the Glenbrook Steel Mill, the steel mill located 40 kilometres south east of Auckland in Glenbrook, New Zealand. The mill was constructed in 1968 and began producing steel products in 1969, currently, the mill produces 650000 tonnes of steel a year which is either domesticity used or exported. Over 90% of New Zealands steel requirements are produced at Glenbrook while the volume is produced by Pacific Steel. The mill is served by the Mission Bush Branch railway line, coal and lime trains arrive daily. Steel products are transported daily. The mill employs 1150 full-time staff and 200 semi-permanent contractors, New Zealand Steel is notable due to its unique utilization of ironsand as its ore. Because ironsand is a low grade ore with many contaminants, the primary plants operations. The west coast beaches of the North Island of New Zealand, from the late 19th century to the 1950s, there were many unsuccessful attempts to smelt steel from the ironsands. In 1954, the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research began investigated smelting from the ironsands, in 1959, The New Zealand Government established the NZ Steel Investigating Company under the Iron and Steel Industry Act 1959 as a vehicle for the investigations. New Zealand Steel Limited was incorporated by the New Zealand Government in 1965, in 1967, construction started on a mill at Glenbrook. Commercial operations began in 1968, with imported feed coil being used to produce steel for domestic and Pacific Island markets, the company pioneered the direct reduction process for reducing iron oxide into metallic iron. This culminated in the commissioning in 1970 of iron and steelmaking facilities to produce billets for domestic, expansion continued with the commissioning of a pipe plant in 1972 and a prepainting line in 1982. Total output at this time averaged 300000 tonnes a year, in the Think Big era of New Zealand industrialisation, the mill was upgraded. In 1987, New Zealand Steel was acquired by Equiticorp, however, Equiticorp was bankrupted in the New Zealand sharemarket crash of 1987. In 1989 New Zealand Steel was acquired by Helenus Corporation, which consisted of Fisher & Paykel, Steel & Tube, ANZ, in 1992, BHP took up a controlling interest with an 81% shareholding by acquiring the shares of Fisher & Paykel and Steel & Tube. The company was initially renamed BHP New Zealand Steel Limited, the ironsand ore is mined at an opencast mine at Waikato North Head. The ironsand is then mixed to form a slurry and transported to the mill by an 18 kilometre long pipeline, approximately,1.2 million tonnes of ironsand ore are delivered to the mill annually. Glenbrooks iron plant contains four multiple hearth furnaces, four rotary kilns, the rotary kilns reduce the ore to metallic iron
35.
Pukekohe
–
Pukekohe is a town in the Auckland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. Located at the edge of the Auckland Region, it is approximately 50 kilometres south of Auckland City. The hills of Pukekohe and nearby Bombay Hills form the southern limit of the Auckland region. Pukekohe is located within the boundaries of the Auckland Council. With a population of 29,800, Pukekohe is the 18th largest urban area in New Zealand, the Māori word puke-kohe means hill of the kohekohe, New Zealands native mahogany. Pukekohe was part of the Auckland area attacked during the war period 1807-1843 by Northern tribes. From the 1820s as a result of attacks the resident Māori population who survived mainly migrated south. When European settlers arrived the remnant Māori population initially provided them with food supplies, as the number of settlers grew, the Pukekohe area, which was largely bush covered, was opened up after 1843 and individual farmers purchased small blocks of land which they cleared by hand. By 1863 the land was still bush covered but with an number of small isolated farms. When Kīngitanga Māori refused to swear an oath of allegiance to the crown many Māori moved out of the area, a Māori from this area guided the first gunboats through the Waikato Heads and through the shoals of the Waikato River delta to help put down the rebel Kīngitanga uprising. Although surprised and severely outnumbered, the settlers held off the Kīngitanga invaders until troops arrived, no settlers were killed or injured while 30 Māori were killed with an unknown number wounded. 6 bodies were found near the church and 24 were later buried in the bush. The church still today and the bullet holes are still visible. Although there were other attacks on settlers in Auckland the Māori preferred isolated targets. As most women and children had been evacuated to Auckland city most of those murdered were men, rebels were able to hide in the pockets of bush and live off the settlers goods and livestock. Nearly the entire Pukekohe area was abandoned to the rebels apart from Military outposts, isolated attacks occurred as late as November 1863 after the Battle of Rangiriri. Pukekohe is a service town for the area formerly known as the Franklin District. It has a population of 29,800, mainly of European descent, with significant Māori and ethnic Indian, there are also a notable number of people of South African and Dutch descent
36.
Metrosideros excelsa
–
The pōhutukawa is one of twelve Metrosideros species endemic to New Zealand. The blossom of the tree is called kahika, the generic name Metrosideros derives from the Ancient Greek metra or heartwood and sideron or iron. The species name excelsa is from Latin excelsus, highest, sublime and its closest equivalent in other Polynesian languages is the Cook Island Māori word poutukava, referring to a coastal shrub with white berries, Sophora tomentosa. The -hutu- part of the word comes from *futu, the Polynesian name for the fish-poison tree, the pōhutukawa grows up to 25 metres high, with a spreading, dome-like form. It usually grows as a spreading tree. Its trunks and branches are sometimes festooned with matted, fibrous aerial roots, the oblong, leathery leaves are covered in dense white hairs underneath. The tree flowers from November to January with a peak in mid to late December, with brilliant crimson flowers covering the tree, there is variation between individual trees in the timing of flowering, and in the shade and brightness of the flowers. Pōhutukawa wood is dense, strong and highly figured, maori used it for beaters and other small, heavy items. It was frequently used in shipbuilding, since the naturally curvy shapes made strong knees, by the 1990s, pastoral farming and introduced pests had reduced pōhutukawa forests by over 90%. It also occurs naturally on the shores of lakes in the Rotorua area, a giant pōhutukawa at Te Araroa on the East Coast is reputed to be the largest in the country, with a height of 20 metres and a spread of 38 metres. The tree is renowned as a cliff-dweller, able to maintain a hold in precarious, like its Hawaiian relative the ʻōhiʻa lehua, the pōhutukawa has shown itself to be efficient in the colonisation of lava plains – notably on Rangitoto, a volcanic island in the Hauraki Gulf. In New Zealand, the pōhutukawa is under threat from browsing by the common brushtail possum which strips the tree of its leaves. The pōhutukawa is popular in cultivation, and there are examples in most North Island coastal cities. Vigorous and easy to grow, the tree flourishes well south of its natural range and it has also naturalised on Norfolk Island to the north. The pōhutukawa has been introduced to countries with mild-to-warm climates, including south-eastern Australia. In coastal California, it is a street and lawn tree. In parts of South Africa, the pōhutukawa grows so well that it is regarded as an invasive species, the Spanish city of A Coruña has adopted the pōhutukawa as a floral emblem. At least 39 cultivars of pōhutukawa have been released, duncan & Davies nurseries were a leading force in the mid-20th century, while Graeme Platt has been responsible for 16 different cultivars so far, including a rare white-flowering tree
37.
Gisborne District
–
The Gisborne District or Gisborne Region is an area of northeastern New Zealand governed by the Gisborne District Council. It is named after its largest settlement, the city of Gisborne, the region is also sometimes referred to as the East Cape, although that also refers specifically to the promontory at the northeastern extremity. More recently, it has been called Eastland, although that can also include Opotiki in the eastern Bay of Plenty to the northwest, and Wairoa to the south. Its Māori name, Te Tai Rāwhiti, means the Coast of the Sunrise, the district is located in the northeastern corner of the North Island. It ranges from the Wharerata Hills in the south, which divide it from the Wairoa district in the Hawkes Bay region, the western boundary runs along the Raukumara Range, which separates it from the Opotiki district. In the southwest, its boundary runs along the edge of Te Urewera National Park. It is sparsely inhabited and isolated, with small settlements mainly clinging to small bays along the shore including Tokomaru Bay. Three-quarters of the population –36,100 – lives in the city of Gisborne, no other settlement has a population of over 1000. The largest other settlements are the towns of Tolaga Bay and Ruatoria, inland, the land is rough, predominantly forested, hill country. A spine of rough ridges dominates the centre of the region and this mountain is the fifth highest mountain in the North Island, and the highest that is not a volcano. Regarded as sacred by the Māori, there is some justification to the claims that this is the first mountain to see the sun in summer. The regions population has higher than the average proportion of Māori - over 50% in some areas -. The predominant iwi are Ngāti Porou, Rongowhakaata, Ngai Tamanuhiri, Gisborne District Council is a unitary territorial authority, which means that it performs the functions of a regional council as well as those of a territorial authority. It includes a mayor,13 elected councillors, a chief executive officer,4 department managers. Its headquarters are in the city of Gisborne, the area it governs is constituted as both the Gisborne District and the Gisborne Region. Gisborne District Council was created as part of a major reform of local government in 1989. It was the unitary authority in New Zealand until three others were created in 1992. The sub-national GDP of the Gisborne region was estimated at US$1.031 billion in 2003, the region is sheltered by high country to the west and has a dry, sunny climate
38.
Hawke's Bay Rugby Union
–
The Hawkes Bay Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Hawkes Bay region of New Zealand. The union is based in Napier, the representative team of the HBRFU is the Hawkes Bay Magpies. The team jersey is white with black hoops, the Magpies home ground is McLean Park in Napier. Hawkes Bay has a team called the Hawkes Bay Tuis. This makes it the oldest Provincial Rugby Union outside the four main centres, Hawkes Bay has a very good Ranfurly Shield record with 24 defences from 1922 to 1927,21 successful defences between 1966 and 1969 as well as 2 defences in 1934. Hawkes Bay won the shield again, claiming it from Otago and they lost the shield soon after to Counties-Manukau, before winning it back from them in August 2014\. Hawkes Bays glory days as a rugby union came long before the NPC was founded, as such Hawkes Bay does not have a very flattering record in either that competition or the Air New Zealand Cup. The best position they have managed in either is 3rd, Hawkes Bay dominated the second division of the NPC in the 1990s before the Air New Zealand Cup was set up in 2006. In 1996 Hawkes Bay and Manawatu merged their teams to form the Central Vikings and it was an attempt to elevate the unions back to the then first division. Players including Mark Bull Allen, Christian Cullen, Mark Ranby, Stephen Bachop, the 1997 season saw Central finish overall second with 6 wins,2 losses and into the semi-finals. In the semi-final, the Vikings avenged their loss to Bay of Plenty in round robin play to face Northland in the final, Northland were thus promoted to the First Division. However, had the Vikings won, they would not have been eligible to be promoted,1998 saw a repeat of form for the Vikings who went unbeaten in the season. They subsequently won the final against Bay of Plenty at McLean Park, however, due to financial issues, the merger split back to Hawkes Bay and Manawatu. Both unions subsequently became foundation unions of the Air New Zealand Cup which started in 2006, in the past Hawkes Bay has produced some great All Blacks including Kel Tremain and George Nepia. Hawkes Bay also defeated the 1993 British Lions and in 1994 defeated France, in 2009 Hawkes Bay announced they intended to apply to join the Super Rugby competition, when it was announced a fifteenth franchise was to be created. However, in August 2009 the clubs chairman Richard Hunt announced they were withdrawing their bid because they had not had sufficient time to present a business plan and he insisted the club remained very serious about joining the club in the future. Hawkes Bay would be New Zealands sixth team if they were to join Super Rugby, Hawkes Bay made their best effort to date in the 2007 Air New Zealand Cup winning many games even against bigger unions such as Wellington and Waikato. They were the story of the competition surprising everyone to reach the semi-finals where they were beaten by Auckland
39.
Magpie
–
In addition to other members of the genus Pica, corvids considered as magpies are in the genera Cissa. Magpies also found in region of India i. Among the traditional magpies, there appear to be two distinct lineages, one consists of Holarctic species with black/white colouration and is probably closely related to crows and Eurasian jays. The other contains several species from South to East Asia with vivid colouration which is green or blue. Either the North American, Korean, and remaining Eurasian forms are accepted as three or four species, or there exists only a single species, Pica pica. Treepies are a group of corvids externally similar to magpies. The Australian magpie, Cracticus tibicen, is conspicuously piebald, with black and it is a member of the family Cracticidae and not a corvid. The Magpies Nest, an English fairy tale The Weaver Girl, heckle and Jeckle, a series of 1960s American cartoon shorts about two magpies who are always getting into trouble. The Magpie Salute A Rock band formed by Black Crowes co-founder Rich Robinson in October 2016, anonymous, The Word Origin Calendar, Sat. /Sun. Ericson, Per G. P. Jansén, Anna-Lee, Johansson, Ulf S. & Ekman, Jan, Inter-generic relationships of the crows, jays, magpies, journal of Avian Biology 36, 222–234. Lee, Sang-im, Parr, Cynthia S. Hwang, Youna, Mindell, David P. & Choe, phylogeny of magpies inferred from mtDNA data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 29, 250–257, Magpie videos, photos and sounds on the Internet Bird Collection
40.
Napier, New Zealand
–
Napier is a New Zealand city with a seaport, located in Hawkes Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island. The population of Napier is about 62,100 as of the June 2016, about 18 kilometres south of Napier is the inland city of Hastings. These two neighbouring cities are often called The Bay Cities or The Twin Cities of New Zealand, Napier is about 320 kilometres northeast of the capital city of Wellington. The City of Napier has an area of 106 square kilometres. Napier has also become an important grape and wine production area, with the grapes grown around Hastings, large amounts of sheeps wool, frozen meat, wood pulp, and timber also pass through Napier annually for export. Smaller amounts of materials are shipped via road and railway to the large metropolitan areas of New Zealand itself, such as Auckland. Napier is a popular tourist city, with a concentration of 1930s Art Deco architecture. It also has one of the most photographed tourist attractions in the country, thousands of people flock to Napier every February for the Tremains Art Deco Weekend event, a celebration of its Art Deco heritage and history. Other notable tourist events attracting many outsiders to the region annually include F. A. W. C, food and Wine Classic events, and the Mission Estate Concert at Mission Estate and Winery in the suburb of Taradale. Later, the Ngāti Kahungunu became the dominant force from Poverty Bay to Wellington and they were one of the first Māori tribes to come in contact with European settlers. The rivers were continually feeding freshwater into the area, captain James Cook was one of the first Europeans to see the future site of Napier when he sailed down the east coast in October 1769. He commented, On each side of this head is a low, narrow sand or stone beach. He said the harbour entrance was at the Westshore end of the shingle beach, the site was subsequently visited and later settled by European traders, whalers and missionaries. By the 1850s, farmers and hotel-keepers arrived, the Crown purchased the Ahuriri block in 1851. In 1854 Alfred Domett, a future Prime Minister of New Zealand, was appointed as the Commissioner of Crown Lands, Domett named many streets in Napier to commemorate the colonial era of the British Indian Empire. Napier was designated as a borough in 1874, but the development of the surrounding marshlands, development was generally confined to the hill and to the port area of Ahuriri. There was a swamp between the now Hastings Street and Wellesley Road and the sea extended to Clive Square, on 3 February 1931, most of Napier and nearby Hastings was levelled by an earthquake. The collapses of buildings and the fires killed 256 people
41.
Hawke's Bay Region
–
Hawkes Bay Region is a region of New Zealand on the east coast of the North Island. It is recognised on the stage for its award-winning wines. Hawkes Bay Regional Council sits in both the cities of Napier and Hastings and it derives from Hawke Bay which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke who decisively defeated the French at the Battle of Quiberon Bay in 1759. The region is situated on the east coast of the North Island and it bears the former name of what is now Hawke Bay, a large semi-circular bay that extends for 100 kilometres from northeast to southwest from Mahia Peninsula to Cape Kidnappers. Five major rivers flow down into the coast of Hawkes Bay, from north to south, they are the Wairoa River, Mohaka River, Tutaekuri River, Ngaruroro River and Tukituki River respectively. Lake Waikaremoana is situated in northern Hawkes Bay roughly 35 km from the coast and it is the largest lake in Hawkes Bay, 4th largest in the North Island and 16th largest in New Zealand. In June 2015, the Local Government Commission proposed the amalgamation of the four local councils with the Hawkes Bay Regional Council and this proposal was rejected by the affected communities. The region has a hill with the longest place name in New Zealand, taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu is an otherwise unremarkable hill in southern Hawkes Bay, not far from Waipukurau. The regions population is 161,500 as of June 2016,3.4 percent of New Zealands population, around 81 percent of the regions population lives in the Napier-Hastings conurbation. Below is a list of areas that contain more than 1,000 population. The region has a significant Māori population,24.3 percent of the population identified as of Māori ethnicity at the 2013 census, a major local Māori tribe is Ngāti Kahungunu. Around 50.5 percent of Hawkes Bays population affiliate with Christianity at the 2013 Census, Hawkes Bay Province was founded in 1858 as a province of New Zealand, after being separated from the Wellington Province following a meeting in Napier in February 1858. The Province was abolished in 1876 along with all provinces in New Zealand. It was replaced with a Provincial District, on February 3,1931, Napier and Hastings were devastated by New Zealands worst natural disaster, an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter magnitude scale, which killed 256 people. Napier rebuilt and now the city is world-famous for its Art Deco buildings, MTG Hawkes Bay, formerly Hawkes Bay Museum and Art Gallery, has an exhibition on the earthquake, its causes and impact. The GDP of the Hawkes Bay region was estimated at US$4.3 billion in 2003, the region is renowned for its horticulture, with large orchards and vineyards on the plains. In the hilly parts of the sheep and cattle farming predominates. The climate is dry and temperate, and the long, hot summers, missionaries in the mid 19th century planted the first vines in Hawkes Bay and it is now becoming an important place for full bodied red wines
Taranaki
Southland
Auckland
Northland
Wellington
Waikato
Hawke's Bay
Canterbury
Marlborough
South Canterbury
Manawatu
Bay of Plenty
North Harbour
Otago
Counties Manukau
Wairarapa
Manawhenua