The original Howick Rugby Club has a fascinating history that dates back more than a century. While the name “Howick” is no longer on the Premier Union team sheets today, the club’s DNA forms the exact foundation of what is now the Pakuranga United Rugby Club (PURC).
The story of Howick Rugby Union spans three distinct eras.
1. The Early Foundation (1920–1934)
The Howick Rugby Club was founded in 1920 by Mr. C.R. McInnes. At this time, Howick was a small, remote rural township. The club served the rugby-playing interests of a sprawling farming community that included Whitford, Brookby, and Pakuranga.
• Local players who wanted to play competitive rugby previously had to travel all the way to Papatoetoe or central Auckland.
• From 1920 to 1934, the club fielded one or two teams each year in the Auckland Rugby Union (ARU) competitions, based out of the Howick Domain.
• The club was forced into recess in 1934 due to the financial strains of the Great Depression, followed immediately by the outbreak of World War II.
2. The Sub-Union Era & Disbandment (1945–1956)
Directly after the war ended in late 1945, former players rallied to reform the club. To better manage rugby across the growing eastern districts, they established a sub-union known as the Howick District Rugby Football Union.
• Local Competition: This sub-union managed localized competitions featuring teams from Howick, Bucklands Beach, Whitford, Brookby, East Tāmaki, and an Ōtara State Hydro team.
• Early Success: The Howick Club won the local Senior Championship in 1946 and again in 1952.
• The “Pub” Recruitment: In the late 1940s, player numbers dwindled so severely that committee members famously had to drag potential players out of the local pub on Saturday afternoons just to field a full 15-man squad.
• Junior Growth: In 1952, the club officially took over responsibility for schoolboy rugby. By 1959, junior numbers boomed to 14 teams.
• The Split: By 1956, severe political tension and infighting broke out between the various local sub-clubs. The Howick District Sub-Union was disbanded, and the Howick Club was re-admitted directly into the main Auckland Rugby Union as a Senior Affiliated Club.
3. The Move to Pakuranga & Rebranding (1964–1965)
By the early 1960s, East Auckland was undergoing a massive suburban housing boom. The club drastically outgrew its small clubrooms at the Howick Domain.
To survive competing sports (like soccer and rugby league) also moving into the area, the club called a pivotal mass meeting at St Kentigern College in October 1964. They passed a motion to formally extend the club’s boundaries right to the Tāmaki River to incorporate players from Bucklands Beach and the fast-growing Pakuranga housing developments.
To eliminate any geographical bias and unite the entire expanding district under one banner, the club officially changed its name to Pakuranga United Rugby Club in 1965. Supported by a land gift from benefactor Duffy Bell, the club relocated to Bell Park (now part of the wider Lloyd Elsmore Park complex), where it still operates today.
Milestone Legacy
Carrying the historical torch of the original 1920 Howick Club, Pakuranga United reached the absolute pinnacle of Auckland Club Rugby when they won their maiden Gallaher Shield title in 2013, defeating University in the final
