GOLF – HAHAUPŌRO

The earliest evidence of Māori Golf that has been discovered dates back to the 1800’s Balls were hit off mud-heaped up tees using the clubs fashioned from Manuka and gorse. No knickerbockers of fancy skirts for the players, merely tartan blankets, used as rapaki by the males, korowai for the females.

The Manawatu Golf Course opened in 1895 and is New Zealand’s oldest. Napier Golf Club opened the following year in 1896 on land donated by Ngāti Kahungunu.

Māori have been prominent golfers. In 1903 Kurupō Tāreha (Ngāti Kahungunu) won the Amateur Championship. His son, Kapi, and Kapi’s daughter, Audrey, also became prominent golfers.

While in Great Britain in 1897 Kurupo was taken to see the St Andrews Royal and Ancient Golf Club, and, according to family tradition, first acquired his interest in the game of golf.

On his return to New Zealand, he and brother Te Roera developed golf-links on 100 acres of their Waiohiki property, which became known as the Waiohiki Links and later as the Napier Golf Links.

In 1930 The first Māori Golf championships were held at Waiohiki, Napier.

Today NZ Māori Golf Association, fosters, promotes and administers Māori Golf.