The history of the Huia Rugby Club Taihape follows a rich, century-long narrative that is deeply intertwined with the rural heartland of the central North Island. Just like the Howick Club in Auckland, Huia’s original identity ultimately merged into a broader regional force.
Today, its lineage is preserved through the Taihape Rugby and Sports Club.
1. Foundation and Centenary (1897–1997)
The Huia Rugby Club was officially formed in 1897, centered around the tight-knit rural community of Taihape and the nearby Moawhango district.
• For decades, Huia was a proud cornerstone of the Taihape Sub-Union (competing within the wider Whanganui Rugby Football Union boundaries).
• The club was known for a deeply passionate, tight-knit culture heavily rooted in local Māori families and multi-generational farming communities. Notable rugby families, like the Chase family, played vast amounts of local sports under the Huia banner across the decades.
• In 1997, the club marked an incredible milestone, celebrating its Huia Centennial (1897–1997) with the release of a commemorative 24-page historical booklet documenting a century of central North Island rugby.
2. The Great Taihape Merger (1999)
By the late 1990s, changing demographics and shifting employment in rural New Zealand made it increasingly difficult for individual small-town clubs to sustainably field complete team rosters across multiple grades.
Taihape had two major historic clubs competing for local players and resources: Huia (est. 1897) and their fierce local rivals, the Taihape Pirates Rugby Club (est. 1909).
• Following a series of strategic meetings across 1998, a historic decision was made by both committees to put their long-standing rivalry aside for the survival of the game.
• In 1999, Huia and Pirates officially amalgamated to form the Taihape Rugby Club (which renamed itself the Taihape Rugby and Sports Club in 2008).
3. Preserving the Legacy: The Colors and Logo
To ensure that neither club’s history was erased, careful thought went into the new club’s identity, designed by local stalwart Eddie Lawton (Hau):
• The Playing Strip: The combined team adopted the colors White, Black, and Red—weaving together the historical playing strips of both the old Huia and Pirates squads.
• The Modern Success: The merger proved to be a masterstroke. Uniquely renowned in the modern Whanganui Premier Competition for rarely using “imported” outside players, the club relies almost purely on local talent.
• The Shared Honors: When the club hands out Life Memberships today, it equally honors the pillars of its past. For instance, in 2006, Tahi Chase and Eddie Lawton (representing the Huia legacy) were inducted alongside Alan Thomas and Bruce Fannin (representing the Pirates legacy).
