NZHistory, New Zealand history online - sport

Auckland Warriors debut

The Auckland Warriors played their first match in the New South Wales Rugby League’s expanded Winfield Cup competition. Thirty thousand fans at a revamped Mt Smart stadium – and hundreds of thousands more watching free-to-air television – saw New Zealand’s first fully professional rugby league team and glamour boys Brisbane Broncos run onto the field, heralded by a haka, dry ice and a frenzied ground announcer. The actual match was something of an anticlimax, with the Broncos prevailing 25–22.

Coached by John Monie and captained by Dean Bell, the Warriors had their first win in their third match, only to be stripped of the two points for accidentally fielding too many replacements. That was the margin by which they eventually missed out on the end-of-season playoffs. After a year in the breakaway Super League Telstra Cup competition in 1997, the rebranded New Zealand Warriors made the NRL playoffs for the first time in 2001.

The Warriors’ best year so far is 2002, when they were minor premiers (topping the regular season table) and reached the grand final. In the next decade they made the playoffs five more times, reaching the grand final again in 2011. The NRL title has so far eluded them.

Image: Auckland Warriors original logo (Wikipedia)

Ted Morgan

Ted Morgan was a boxer and a plumber, and was the first New Zealander to win an Olympic gold medal.

Born in London, England, an infant Morgan and his parents emigrated to New Zealand. Attending Wellington College, he became a promising boxer, finishing second in the college bantamweight championship in 1921 and the same in the lightweight class the following year.

Having left school, Morgan joined Tim Tracy’s gymnasium, while undergoing a plumbing apprenticeship. As a 5’9” southpaw, Morgan won the Wellington amateur lightweight championship in 1925, followed by a national title. Morgan failed to retain his national title in 1926, but, upon seizing it again in 1927, was selected for the 1928 Olympic team.

Upon reaching the Amsterdam Olympics, Morgan was forced to fight as a welterweight, as, during the voyage, he had gained too much weight to remain a lightweight. Having made his way through the preliminary bouts with relative ease, Morgan met Argentinian Paul Landini in the final, and scored a unanimous points victory.

After the Olympics, Morgan turned down offers from British and American promoters to fight professionally, and returned to New Zealand. He turned professional in 1929, and would go on to have 26 professional bouts, winning 13. Given his Olympic success, the professional chapter of Morgan’s career was perhaps a disappointment.

Upon his retirement from boxing, Morgan owned and managed a successful plumbing business in Wellington’s Cuba Street. Ted Morgan died of lung cancer aged 46, brought on by the inhalation of fumes during his plumbing work.

By N. A. C. McMillan; adapted by Patrick Whatman

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Arthur Lydiard

Arthur Lydiard (left), having finished second to Gordon Bromley in the New Zealand Marathon Championships, March 1949.

Lydiard was a marathon runner and athletics coach, whose most notable trainees included national, Olympic and Commonwealth Games champions.

Read biography of Arthur Lydiard

Credit:

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: PAColl-8602-35
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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arthur lydiard

Arthur Lydiard

Arthur Lydiard was a marathon runner and athletics coach, whose most notable students included Olympic and Commonwealth Games champions. He is also credited with stimulating enthusiasm for jogging worldwide.

Lydiard joined the Lynndale Athletics Club, and, upon realising his own lack of fitness, began developing a system of training that involved daily running, maintaining a steady pace. Once a strong base fitness was established, strength was built by running up hills and over sand dunes. A disagreement over coaching methods saw Lydiard leave Lynndale in 1950 set up a harriers section at the nearby Ōwairaka Athletic Club. He soon attracted disciples and began coaching high-performance athletes.

His own athletic highlights came in the marathon. Lydiard won the national marathon title in 1953 and 1955 and placed 13th at the Auckland Empire Games in 1950.

As a coach, his earliest success came with Murray Halberg. The first New Zealander to break the four-minute mile, from 1958 to 1962 Halberg was virtually unbeatable between 2 miles and 5,000 metres, winning two Commonwealth titles and breaking two world records.

Lydiard’s greatest training triumphs came at the 1960 Rome Olympics. First the 800 metres was won by a near-unknown 21-year-old, Peter Snell; then Halberg won the 5000 metres by sprinting with three laps to go. A few days later, Barry Magee came third in a world-best marathon.

Snell broke the world 800 metres, half-mile and mile records in one week in 1962, and overwhelmed his 800- and 1500-metres opponents at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Perhaps most significantly, Arthur Lydiard is seen as being responsible for the popularity of jogging for health and fitness. American running experts called him the distance coach of the 20th century, and the individual who had most influenced running in the second half of the century.

In 1962 Lydiard was made an OBE. In 1990 he became a member of the Order of New Zealand and an inaugural member of the Sports Hall of Fame. He was made a life member of Athletics New Zealand in 2003.

By David Green; adapted by Patrick Whatman

Read full biography of Arthur Lydiard (DNZB)

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Overview - NZ in the 1970s

Population

New Zealand’s population reached three million in late 1973. Then the rate of natural increase slowed as the contraceptive pill became more widely used and an economic downturn meant that young couples were less eager to start families. There were also more emigrants and fewer immigrants. The population had only reached 3.2 million by the end of the decade.

Non-Māori still lived longer than Māori, although the gap was narrowing. Life expectancy for non-Māori men was 69 years and for women 76, as opposed to 63 and 68 respectively for Māori. Māori infant mortality had fallen by almost half since the 1950s, but at 22 per 1000 was still significantly higher than the non-Māori rate of just over 15. Nevertheless the total Māori population had increased fourfold in 50 years. In 1976 nearly 45% of the Māori population was aged 15 and under, compared with just under 30% of the non-Maori population.

Economy

Todd Motors assembly plant, 1973

Developed economies worldwide reeled as a result of the twin oil shocks of 1973 and 1978–9. Soaring oil prices had severe consequences for our economy, which relied heavily on imported oil. Our balance of payments worsened while unemployment and inflation both increased. By 1976 New Zealand was in recession. In a bid to reduce oil consumption the government employed a variety of methods ranging from carless days to the more ambitious – and expensive – ‘Think Big’ energy projects.

Britain’s position as our major export market had already begun to decline by the time the United Kingdom entered the European Economic Community in 1973. Britain’s share of our exports was still around 50% in 1965, but by the end of the 1970s it was less than 15%.

In 1975 the average weekly wage was $95 per week (equivalent to around $850 per week in 2012). This rose to $157 per week by 1979, but because of inflation the average Kiwi was no better off. The minimum wage for all workers was set at $1.95 an hour (around $11.30 per hour in 2012) compared to the average hourly rate of $4.52 per hour ($20.26 in 2012).

Popular Culture

In 1970 the single state-run television channel (a second began broadcasting in 1975) broadcast 65 hours of programmes per week. The opening of the Warkworth satellite station in 1971 enabled us to receive news from overseas more quickly and to watch events ‘live’ without physically being there. Colour television arrived in 1973, but it was expensive. In 1975 a 26-inch colour set could set you back around $840 ($7,500 in 2012) and its annual licence fee of $35 ($330 in 2012) was almost double that for a black and white set. With advertising restricted to five days a week for much of the ‘70s, the licence fee was an important source of revenue for television broadcasting.

The rise and fall of Play School

Although American and British shows dominated the television listings, important steps were made in the development of local content. Good examples included the ‘soaps’ Pukemanu (1971) and Close to home (1975). While they caused some ‘cultural cringe’, viewers did get used to hearing an authentic Kiwi twang on the telly. We explored our past through The governor and laughed at our rural roots with Fred Dagg and his host of ‘Trevs’ as well as Murray Ball’s Footrot Flats. Shows such as A week of it allowed us to laugh at our politicians; the catchphrase ‘Jeez, Wayne’, became part of the national lexicon. For our kids, Play school (1972), which featured Big Ted, Little Ted, Humpty, Jemima and Manu, and the award-winning Spot on (1974) became compulsory viewing.

Music shows continued to be popular. Ready to roll, The Grunt machine, and its successor Radio with pictures all attracted strong viewer numbers. Music videos were coming into vogue but talent shows remained popular. Studio one/New faces, described by music historian John Dix as ‘a talent quest in search of safe innocuous performers’, actually covered the full gamut of musical styles and acts. Nevertheless, Osmond and Partridge family wannabes appeared frequently.

On the big screen, Sleeping dogs (1977) was the first full-length feature film made entirely by a New Zealand production crew. It attracted large audiences here and was also released in the United States.

Protest and issues

The 1976 Montreal Olympics boycott

Anti-Vietnam War protests intensified before New Zealand’s complete withdrawal from the conflict was announced shortly after Labour’s victory in the 1972 general election. Opposition to French nuclear testing continued and led to questioning of whether we should allow nuclear ship visits from our American allies. Sporting contact with South Africa continued to dog New Zealand and New Zealanders. In 1970 Māori players toured South Africa for the first time, but only as ‘honorary whites’. Fearing violence should it proceed, the Kirk government cancelled the proposed 1973 Springbok tour to New Zealand. The All Blacks’ tour of South Africa in 1976 resulted in a boycott of the Montreal Olympics by 26 African nations.

The 1970s brought major changes for Waitangi Day as (briefly re-branded as New Zealand Day in 1974) it became a focus for renewed Māori activism. The 1975 land march and high profile protests at Bastion Point and Raglan highlighted the issue of Māori land loss. The establishment of the Waitangi Tribunal in 1975 was an important constitutional development that enabled Māori to seek redress from the Crown for breaches of the Treaty.

The women’s movement grew in strength through the decade, influencing significant legislative and social changes. United Women’s Conventions attracted thousands in the main centres. The message of women’s rights was brought to the streets in marches and protests. Key issues for women included the right to safe legal abortion, pay equity, matrimonial property rights, and legislative change to outlaw discrimination against women.

Race relations suffered a setback with the controversial dawn raids by police on the homes of ‘overstayers’ who were alleged to have remained in the country after their visas expired. Samoans and Tongans in particular were singled out for attention.

Politics

National finally lost power after four terms in office when a revitalised Norman Kirk led Labour to a landslide victory in 1972. Kirk’s interest in foreign affairs brought new links with Africa and Asia and a new sense of national identity. Following his sudden death in August 1974 there was a genuine outpouring of grief and thousands attended his state funeral. The new National Party leader, Robert Muldoon, portrayed Kirk’s successor Bill Rowling as weak and dismissed Labour’s economic policies as ‘borrow and hope’. National’s pledge of a tax-funded superannuation scheme wooed many voters and helped National reverse the 1972 election result in 1975. Muldoon’s abrasive style created a divisive brand of politics that was captured perfectly by one particularly memorable interview with Simon Walker on the current events show Tonight in 1976.

In 1972 the term of Sir Arthur Porritt, the first New Zealand-born Governor-General, came to an end. Unlike Porritt his successor, Sir Denis Blundell, had spent most of his life in New Zealand. From now on this would be a requirement for appointees to the position. The 1977 appointment of Keith Holyoake – a serving cabinet minister – was controversial. Many doubted his ability to be impartial and the precedent of appointing a retiring politician has not been repeated.

Sport

Rugby remained a powerful sporting and cultural force. Prior to the establishment of a two-tier National Provincial Championship in 1976, the Ranfurly Shield was the symbol of provincial supremacy. Smaller unions such as North Auckland (Northland), South Canterbury, Manawatu and more famously Marlborough all enjoyed tenures of note. This was not a vintage era for the All Blacks, who tasted defeat in 14 of their 48 tests – much worse than their usual record – including controversial series losses in South Africa (1970, 1976) and at home against the British Lions (1971). During an internal tour in 1973 they were even defeated by the Junior All Blacks. A first ever ‘grand slam’ against the home unions in 1978 was the highlight of an otherwise mediocre decade for the men in black.

The New Zealand cricket team had a little more to shout about, with first-ever test wins against both Australia and England.

1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch

The victory by the New Zealand rowing eight at the 1972 Munich Olympics was hailed as one of our greatest Olympic moments. Four years later our participation at Montreal was overshadowed by the boycott of the games by 26 African nations in protest over that year’s All Black tour of South Africa. On the track John Walker won gold in the 1500m and the New Zealand men’s hockey team upset the more-fancied Australians to win the gold medal. But it is the 1974 Christchurch Commonwealth Games that stood out for many Kiwis. Dick Tayler’s celebrations after winning the men’s 10,000 metres on the opening day would become one of the iconic sporting images of the decade.

Fans of the round-ball code of football received a boost with Sunday lunchtime screenings of England’s Match of the day and (from 1973) live screenings of the English FA Cup final. Locally a national league was established in 1970. Mount Wellington and Christchurch United each won three titles during the decade.

Outdoor basketball was renamed netball in 1970. Auckland staged the fourth world championships in 1975, and in 1979 New Zealand shared the world title with Australia and hosts Trinidad and Tobago.

'Meat and drink'

We remained a ‘meat and three veg’ people. Our appetite for beef increased from 45 kg per person in 1969 to 57 kg in 1977. Counting mutton and lamb as well, the average Kiwi scoffed nearly 90 kg of red meat each year. Potatoes (57 kg), carrots (8 kg), cabbages (5 kg) and cauliflower (4 kg) were the main vegetables eaten.

Delivering milk in Wellington, 1975

Milk – almost always full-cream – was delivered by the local ‘milkman’ in a glass bottle. In 1979 we each drank 188 litres of the stuff. The amount of cheese consumed almost doubled during the decade to 8 kg per person per year, in part because of the fad for fondues. We also spread 15 kg of full-fat butter on our sandwiches.

Kiwis still enjoyed a ‘flutter’ at the track or the TAB. The amount ’invested’ annually on horses and dogs increased more than threefold to just over $500 million, and the betting age was lowered from 20 to 18 years. A bet went hand in hand with a beer. By the late 1970s we were consuming 119 litres of beer a year per person – quite some effort given the numbers who didn’t touch alcohol. We were also drinking more wine – 4.5 litres in 1969 but 11 litres in 1979.

US Marines playing baseball in Wellington

Take me out to the ball game: On 31 January 1943, 25,000 spectators packed into Wellington’s Athletic Park to watch an exhibition game of baseball between two US Marine teams.

Read a report from the Evening Post (1 February 1943) on the game.

Archives New Zealand
Reference: Weekly Review No. 77, 1943
See more about this film on Archives New Zealand's Audio Visual Wiki
Permission of Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga must be obtained before any re-use of this material.

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Overview - NZ in the 1960s

Population

Red Cross babies

In 1960 New Zealand was still in the midst of the post-war baby boom. The peak came in 1961 when 65,476 babies were born. The baby boom ended in 1964. Immigration meant that we continued to enjoy steady if unspectacular population growth. The onset of economic recession in 1968 reversed this trend. Over the course of the decade New Zealand's population grew from approximately 2.4 million to just under 2.8 million.

Economy

Wool industry cartoon

The twin pillars of our economic prosperity were the security of the British market and the high prices for wool, which accounted for more than a third of our total export earnings. In 1967 the export price for wool fell by 30% and as a result unemployment and inflation both rose steadily. Our access to the British market was also compromised by that country’s desire to join the European Economic Community. Britain's share of our exports fell from just over 50% in 1965 to 36% five years later. Within another decade it would be less than 15%.

The average wage for full-time employees (including any overtime or bonus payments) by the end of 1969 was just under $50 per week (equivalent to around $1100 per week in 2011), an increase of $20 since 1959. The minimum weekly wage for adult males was $42, equivalent to $850 per week in 2008.

Popular culture

TV report of the Wahine disaster

Television had a great impact on life in this country following the first broadcasts in 1960. In 1962 there were only 23,000 television licence holders nationwide but this number increased to more than half a million by 1968. Television shrank our world. From the comfort of our living rooms we watched the tragedy of the Wahine disaster as well as the out of world experience of Neil Armstrong's ‘one small step for man’ on the surface of the moon. We watched as Vietnam became the television war. Kiwi kids had new heroes who appeared in American westerns such as High Chaparral, Gunsmoke and Bonanza.

In the mid-1960s local television shows like Let's go and C'mon boomed as New Zealand youngsters dressed up like their shaggy overseas counterparts. These shows gave local musicians the opportunity to show off their talents. Many made a name for themselves by copying the music and style of the big international acts.

The Beatles in Wellington

The joy, dizziness and sheer optimism of the 1960s youth experience was captured by Ray Columbus and the Invaders, whose single 'She's a mod' became a smash hit on both sides of the Tasman in 1964. Others viewed this new youth culture with disdain. They were appalled by the hysteria associated with the Beatles tour of 1964. They disliked how young New Zealanders adopted the music and fashion trends of new sub-cultures such as the British ‘mods’ and ‘rockers’. Fights between the two groups were not uncommon. The 1966 killing of Christchurch rocker Les ‘Lightning’ Thomas by Bill Gilchrist, a mod, seemed to confirm their fears. Worse still, the trial that followed exposed a dark underbelly to the city, involving rival gangs of teenagers engaged in sex, drinking and brawling.

Protest

The 1960s are synonymous with protest. Homegrown protest developed around environmental issues associated with the Manapouri hydro scheme. The origins of New Zealand's anti-nuclear policies of the 1980s can be traced back to opposition to French atmospheric tests of nuclear weapons from the mid-1960s. Our anti-nuclear stand did not yet extend to nuclear ship visits. The 1960 visit of the American nuclear-powered and -armed submarine USS Halibut was greeted warmly and it was perhaps reassuring that our principal ally knew the whereabouts of our ports.

Anti-Vietnam war poster

The major protests of the period were centred on the Vietnam War. Following our decision to send combat forces in 1965 opposition to the war intensified. Thousands mobilised in opposition to our involvement. The New Zealand Monthly Review noted in 1965 that New Zealanders were ‘behaving in ways quite uncharacteristic of the species as recognised by their ancestors’.

In 1960 the All Blacks toured South Africa minus any Maori players. More than 150,000 outraged New Zealanders signed a petition opposing this tour. The South Africans toured here in 1965 with little protest but a proposed All Black tour to South Africa in 1967 was called off. When the All Blacks finally made it back to the Republic in 1970, Maori were included but for the duration of the tour were classified as ‘honorary whites’. It was hard to know what was worse.

Politics

Interview with PM Keith Holyoake, 1963

The new music, fashions and politics of the 1960s seemed to challenge the conservative values of ‘the establishment’. Some could be forgiven for thinking this challenge largely passed us by. The National Party led by ‘Kiwi’ Keith Holyoake swept to power in 1960 and remained there until 1972. National aimed to preserve the economic prosperity and general stability of the period. Holyoake's political and social vision was best summed up by his 1963 election slogan ‘steady as she goes’. The longevity of his administration suggests that he had correctly read the mood of mainstream New Zealanders.

Governments were formed on the basis of which party won the most electorates (the ‘first past the post’ system). National and Labour's stranglehold on Parliament was broken briefly in 1966 when the Social Credit candidate Vern Cracknell won the Hobson seat. Normal service was resumed in 1969 (when the voting age was lowered from 21 to 20) when National regained the electorate with a substantial majority. In 1969 the number of seats in Parliament was increased from 80 to 84.

Rugby, racing and beeR

In the 1960s the ‘three Rs’ of ‘rugby, racing and beeR’ were dominant.

Rugby was a powerful sporting and cultural force. Its place was largely unchallenged on and off the field. The Ranfurly Shield was the ultimate symbol of provincial supremacy. The decade saw provinces such as Hawke’s Bay and Taranaki dominate possession of the log o’ wood.

My old man's an All Black

This was also a golden age for All Blacks rugby. They lost only four tests out of 40 and suffered only one series defeat, to South Africa in 1960. This was the era of full-scale, epic tours. The 1963-64 All Blacks’ tour of the British Isles, France and Canada involved 36 matches in four months. This was also the age of amateurs so such tours represented a significant financial strain for those selected. Men from this era such as Meads, Whineray, Tremain, Lochore, Gray and Nathan achieved legendary status.

Kiwis attended racecourses in large numbers while many also made a regular trip to the local TAB. In the early 60s we spent in excess of £50 million annually at racecourses or at the TAB.

New Zealanders drank on average 71 litres of beer and stout per person. Up to 1967 a good deal of this was consumed during the 'six o'clock swill'. We hadn't yet embraced wine, although its consumption in this country received a boost in 1961 when wine was allowed to be served in restaurants for the first time.

Other sports

Peter Snell winning in 1964

While rugby was king, other sportsmen gained international recognition. Peter Snell established himself as one of the greatest middle-distance runners of all time when he backed up his 800-metre gold at the 1960 Rome Olympics with the 800/1500 double four years later in Tokyo. He also set world records for 800 metres and the mile in 1962.

Bob Charles achieved a notable first for New Zealand golf when he won the 1963 British Open. Denny Hulme was crowned the champion Formula One racing driver in 1967. In spite of New Zealand's lowly test status John Reid established himself as one of cricket's premier all-rounders.

Marise Chamberlain became the first New Zealand woman to win an Olympic track medal when she ran third in the 1964 800 metres. She is also remembered for her stumble just short of the finishing line in the final of the 880 yards at the Kingston Empire (Commonwealth Games) in 1966. The stumble with the gold medal virtually hers saw her finish a heart-breaking sixth.

John Reid

John Richard Reid was born in Auckland on 3 June 1928. He excelled at sport at school and when he entered the third form at Hutt Valley High School in 1943 he went straight into the First XI and First XV. He was widely tipped to represent New Zealand at rugby and cricket, but his rugby-playing days ended following two bouts of rheumatic fever and a resulting heart murmur.

A punishing right-hand batsman, Reid made his first-class debut for Wellington against Canterbury on New Year's Day 1948. He played 246 first-class matches, amassing 10,535 runs and capturing 466 wickets. After debuting for New Zealand against England in 1949 Reid went on to play another 57 tests for his country, 34 of those as captain. He scored 3428 test runs at an average of just over 33. He scored six test centuries, with a highest score of 142, and took 85 wickets, largely bowling right-arm fast-medium.

In 1951 Reid married Norli Le Fevre. They had met in 1946 when Norli was a nurse at Hutt Hospital, where Reid had been admitted with his second bout of rheumatic fever. They were to have three children; Richard, their only boy, went on to play one-day cricket for New Zealand.

In today's cricketing world, dominated by limited overs cricket, Reid would have been a great attraction. In 1963 he set a world record for the most sixes in an innings - 15 - while smashing 296 for Wellington against Northern Districts at the Basin Reserve. (This record stood until 1995 when Andrew Symonds hit 16 sixes for Gloucestershire against Glamorgan.) During the 1961-62 tour of South Africa Reid took only 68 minutes to hit a century against Orange Free State.

In 1956 Reid led New Zealand to its first victory in a test match, in the fourth and final test against the West Indies. His first innings score of 84 set the New Zealanders on their way. He was also in charge when New Zealand won its first overseas test in South Africa in 1962 but he never achieved a much sought-after victory over the English. He was a member of the team that was humiliated when bowled out for 26 by the English in the second test at Eden Park in 1955. His first innings score of 73 was the highest of the match for any batsman. In 1963, in the third test at Christchurch, New Zealand took a slender first innings lead over the English - Reid top-scored with 74 - but was bowled out in the second innings for a disappointing 159. Reid contributed exactly 100 runs in the lowest all-out test match total to include a century.

Reid enjoyed playing South Africa. On the 1953-54 tour he scored more than 1000 runs and took more than 50 wickets. During the 1961-62 tour he averaged a shade over 60 in the five tests.

Despite New Zealand's poor international record, Reid's ability and reputation was recognised in 1965 when he was appointed captain of the Rest of the World for two matches against an England XI. These matches marked the end of his first-class career. He retired from international cricket holding New Zealand test records for the most runs, wickets and catches.

Reid's contribution to New Zealand cricket was recognised with an OBE in 1962. He won New Zealand's highest batting award, the Redpath Cup, on three occasions and the Windsor Cup, for bowling, once. He was a New Zealand selector between 1958 and 1965 and again between 1975 and 1978. Between 1993 and 2002 Reid was an ICC match referee. In this capacity he pulled no punches regarding the modern game, believing that the traditional values of cricket had been allowed to deteriorate.

In 1981 Reid and Norli moved to South Africa where they were to live until 1992 pursuing new work opportunities. He became a selector and coach of Northern Transvaal shortly after the highly controversial Springbok tour of New Zealand. South Africa was firmly in the spotlight as pressure increased on the apartheid regime. Despite worldwide opposition to apartheid Reid rejected the validity of the sporting boycotts placed on South Africa, firmly believing politics had no place in sport.

John Reid was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.

See also image and statistical information on CricInfo

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Sports writing

Cover of Alex Veysey’s Colin Meads: All Black (1974).

Seasons of gold

When thoughts turn to great New Zealand literary moments, titles such as The whale rider, Once were warriors and The bone people spring to mind more readily than Iceman – the Michael Jones story or Save the last ball for me – Chris Pringle. Lance Cairns’ autobiography Give it a heave may not have won a Montana Book Award either, but sport has been a source of inspiration for many New Zealand writers. Though some loathe the subject, many Kiwis can’t get enough sports books.

The stereotypical notion of Kiwis in love with ‘rugby, racing and beer’ might seem outdated in the 21st century, but sport remains popular with publishers, booksellers and readers. Leading New Zealand sportswriter Joseph Romanos noted that a ‘great’ All Black’s biography could expect to sell 20,000 copies. According to Booksellers NZ this level of sales is in the silver category for Premier New Zealand Bestsellers, ranking alongside great contemporary writers such as Maurice Gee and Patricia Grace.

Before the 1970s Kiwi sporting biographies were rare. Notable exceptions included George Nepia (1964), in which ‘one of the great All Blacks ever’ told his story to the legendary sportswriter Terry McLean. Norman Harris’ more intriguingly titled It's me tiger – the Peter Jones story followed in 1965, and in 1966 A.H. & A.W. Reed published Don Clarke’s autobiography, The boot. Greater television exposure from the 1970s turned many of our sports figures into media stars. Stories about their lives, experiences while on tour and tips on playing the game became increasingly popular. The notion that ‘what happens on tour stays on tour’ has faded away in the professional era. With publishers seeking the ‘outspoken and provocative’, some sports figures have sold more books than their playing ability perhaps deserved.

Announcing the winners of the inaugural New Zealand Book Month competition in 2006, David Kirk, former All Black captain and CEO of one of Australasia’s largest media companies, summed up how central sport was to many New Zealanders:

sporting success has always played a big part in defining what it is to be a New Zealander, and still does. But just as important is the contribution our writers make to our national life. They stir our feelings and imagination and they make us think.

As the national game, rugby has dominated sports writing in this country. Colin Meads, still regarded as our greatest rugby player, has been the subject of two biographies, written nearly 30 years apart. Alex Veysey’s Colin Meads: All Black (1974) was the work of one of New Zealand’s foremost sportswriters. For some it is still the benchmark by which all sports biographies in New Zealand are measured. It sold more than 60,000 copies, including 3000 overseas. Leading New Zealand poet Brian Turner revived the Meads legend in 2002 with the publication of Meads, a commentary on the impact of professionalism on rugby that compared Meads’ era with the modern game. Sales of more than 50,000 – enormous in the context of New Zealand publishing – highlighted the continued relevance of the subject matter for many readers. How many other New Zealanders would merit not one but two best-selling biographies?

Many sporting books have a limited shelf-life. The biography usually marks the end of a player’s career, a literary swansong designed to capitalise on the nostalgia the public feel for a departing favourite. This helps sell books, but usually for a short time only; Christmas and Father’s Day are popular retailing opportunities. A few months after their release, many can be found in remainder bins or online auctions. As Jeff Wilson and Ron Palenski noted in their biography of the All Black, ‘the Seasons of Gold are all too brief'.

Further information

Sporting biographies (Bookenz.co.nz)

Credit:

Alex Veysey, Colin Meads: All Black (1974)

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Lovelock wins ‘Mile of the century’

In June 1934, a year after Lovelock set his world mile record at Palmer Stadium, Princeton, the college staged another invitational meeting. This time American Glenn Cunningham broke the record, running the mile in 4 minutes 6.7 seconds. The college decided to repeat the event on a grand scale in June 1935. The world’s top milers, including Lovelock, were invited to compete in what the media later dubbed the ‘Mile of the Century’.

Lovelock accepted his invitation in March 1935. He soon realised that other athletes from outside the US would not be attending. The focus of the race would be on his contest with the Americans. The event inspired great interest in Britain, the US and New Zealand. As Lovelock left England he received a telegram from New Zealand Prime Minister G.W. Forbes wishing him luck ‘on behalf of the Government and people of the Dominion’.

The weather on the day was hot; Lovelock wore his favourite floppy panama hat while warming up. The meeting was scheduled to start at 5.15 p.m., after a football match between Princeton and Yale, with the mile at 6 p.m. That morning the papers had speculated that a world record might be set. But the heat and the wind blowing directly up the straight put paid to this possibility.

The field included world-record holder Cunningham, Glen Dawson (who had beaten Cunningham a few weeks earlier), Bill Bonthron (the world record holder for the 1500 m), Gene Venzke and Joe Mangan. When the race began Dawson and Cunningham moved away fast, but within 30 m the field had settled and everyone seemed to be waiting for someone else to take the initiative. Dawson edged ahead, with Cunningham just behind, followed by Venzke, Lovelock and Bonthron. After 180 m Lovelock decided that ‘he had to get onto Cunningham’s heels’. He caught up to Cunningham and kept pace with him for much of the rest of the race. Lovelock made his move just before the final straight. He finished comfortably ahead of Cunningham, who was also overtaken by Bonthron.

Lovelock’s time of 4 minutes 11.5 seconds was his second-fastest mile but well outside the world record. The crowd didn’t seem bothered; hundreds were so keen to touch Lovelock that he needed protection. He lost his panama hat in the melee, but it was returned following a public plea – with the suggestion that he might provide his running shorts (autographed) in return.

Image: Jack Lovelock after the 'Mile of the Century'