BASEBALL – POIPAPA

The game evolved from older bat-and-ball games already being played in England by the mid-18th century. This game was brought by immigrants to North America, where the modern version developed. By the late 19th century, baseball was widely recognized as the national sport of the United States, and had begun to spread throughout the Pacific Rim and the Americas. Today, baseball is popular in North America and parts of Central and South America, the Caribbean, and East Asia, particularly in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

The Hicks-Sawyer Minstrels were a troupe of African-American performers who toured Australia and New Zealand from 1888 to 1890. A group of talented baseball players among them made up the Hicks-Sawyer Baseball Club, which played games against local teams to promote both the troupe and the sport. They played at Newtown Park Wellington against a Wellington Baseball team on Saturday 10 November 1888.

In 1888 an exhibition match was played in Auckland between the Chicago White Stockings and All America, two professional teams which were undertaking a world tour organised by US baseballer and entrepreneur Albert Spalding.

In 1889 Aotearoa a Native Baseball Club was formed, with headquarters at Waiwhetū (Lower Hutt).
A list of the members and office-holders shows that many well-known Te Ātiawa families were involved with the club:
The president was Ēnoka Te Taitea, vice president was Pero Teone, the captain was T. M. Tāniora Love and the secretary and treasurer was Utiku Love.

In January 1943 Two US Marines teams put on this baseball demonstration match in Athletic Park, Wellington. The crowd of between 20,000 and 25,000 enjoyed the game despite some confusion over the rules. The American habit of arguing with the umpire was, however, considered unsporting by some.

A New Zealand Baseball Association (now Baseball New Zealand) was formed in Auckland in 1989. The sport is also played in Northland, Waikato, Wellington and Canterbury, with national senior and youth championships contested annually. New Zealand teams compete in the Australian Provincial and under-23 championships, and in Asian Zone age-grade championships. In 2014 a 12-and-under team played in the prestigious Cal Ripken World Series in Maryland.

New Zealand attempted to qualify for the 1996 Olympics. In 2012 it played qualifying matches for the 2013 World Baseball Classic, after which the Diamondblacks were ranked 28th in the world.

The Auckland Tuatara were admitted to the professional Australian Baseball League when this expanded in 2018/19, and reached the semi-finals of the eight-team competition in 2019/20. The Tuatara were owned by Baseball New Zealand, and their roster included New Zealanders and players of other nationalities aspiring to play in North America. After sitting out the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons because of COVID-19 travel restrictions, the Tuatara returned in 2022/23, again reaching the semi-finals. However, loss of income when seven home games were cancelled during the appalling Auckland summer proved to be the final financial blow to the franchise, which went into liquidation in April 2023.

 

 
 
 

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