Events In History
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14 May 1870First game of rugby played in NZAround 200 people were on hand at Nelson’s Botanic Reserve to watch a new version of rugby football brought to New Zealand by Charles Monro. Read more...
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5 October 1866Maungatapu murderers hanged in NelsonBurgess, Kelly and Levy were hanged. Joseph Sullivan, the fourth member of the 'Burgess gang', received a life sentence after turning Queen's evidence and helping convict his co-accused. Read more...
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21 January 1859Ice comes to NelsonEnjoying a cold drink on a hot afternoon was not always as simple as adding ice from the freezer to water from the refrigerator. Once the ice made a much longer journey. Read more...
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7 April 1856First state secondary school opens in NelsonThe first state secondary school in New Zealand, Nelson College, opened in temporary premises in Trafalgar St with a roll of just eight boys. Read more...
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1 February 1842First NZ Company settlers arrive in NelsonThe Fifeshire arrived in Nelson with immigrants for the New Zealand Company's latest venture, which followed the settlement of Wellington, Whanganui and New Plymouth. Read more...
Edward Stafford
Edward Stafford was New Zealand's youngest leader and a stable influence on the early colonial government. He held the post of premier on three different occasions - 1856 - 1861, 1865 - 1869, and 1872.
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Charles Monro
The man credited with introducing rugby to New Zealand is the Nelson-born Charles Monro.
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Thomas Brunner
Thomas Brunner’s exploits in the north and west of the South Island between 1846 and 1848 were the greatest single piece of overland exploration in New Zealand's European history.
Read more...Articles
Regional rugby
The passion and parochialism of provincial rugby has helped give the game a special place in New Zealand’s social and sporting history. Read brief histories, highlights and quirky facts about each of New Zealand's 26 regional rugby teams.
- Page 22 - Tasman rugbyHistory and highlights of rugby in the Tasman
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Nelson is the largest urban area in the upper South Island, positioned on the shores of Tasman Bay. The site of the city was chosen in 1841 as it had the best harbour in the region – Nelson Haven – and was close to the fertile Waimea Plains. Māori have lived in the region since the 1300s, and knew the area that is now Nelson city as Whakatū. In 1858 Nelson became a city when Queen Victoria made it the seat of an Anglican bishop. Yet it had just over 5,000 people, and cattle still wandered the streets. Nelson grew very slowly from the 1860s until the 1950s, when population growth increased and new suburbs developed.
