Following the success of the 1905 All Blacks, Robinson published a booklet explaining why the All Blacks were so good and what made NZ different. The booklet details some early club and provincial Rugby history

semi story fashion” recalling tales of early rugby in New Zealand

Published in 4 volumes, it provides a summary of provincial and international matches by season, from 1870 to 1991. Volume 1 covers 1870-1945, Volume 2 covers 1946-1957, Volume 3 covers 1958-1979 and Volume 4 covers 1980-1991. Volumes 1 and 2 were written by Arthur Sawn, while Volumes 3 and 4 were written by Rod Chester and Neville McMillan. The Rugby Almanack provides greater detail and is the go-to reference from 1934. Prior to 1934, these volumes provide some details. Mike Parkinson is writing a much more detailed (and accurate) history of the period from 1870 to 1934, in his series of records.

The Whangarei City Council opened Okara Park Municipal Stadium (Okara Park to all of us) on May 22nd, 1965. The North Auckland (Northland) Rugby Union celebrated the occasion by playing a match between North Auckland and the Coronation Shield District XV. The 12-page programme was produced by Rugbyite to commemorate the occasion. The programme also includes information on the Coronation Shield District and a brief history on Coronation Shield rugby. Special thanks to Murray Dunn who kindly gifted the programme to enable its inclusion on the site.

Written to commemorate the centennial of rugby in New Zealand. The book is deidicated to “the Aupori Rugby Club in the far north, The Bluff Rugby Club in the far south, and all the Rugby clubs in the middle.”

This programme is for the championship finals of the Rotorua banner championship in 1985 – between Ngongotaha and Eastern Suburbs. The programme includes all the championship winners from 1938 to 1984 and also the history of each senior club, at that time.

Records and Statistics 1946 – 1997

A Record of the History of Athletic Park

The Seddon Shield came into being in 1906, when the Marlborough, West Coast, Buller and Nelson Rugby Unions purchased this handsome trophy for competition among the four unions. The shield was named after Richard John Seddon, the West Coast miner who became one of New Zealand’s outstanding Prime Ministers.

A wonderful book covering all the sports at Lancaster Park from 1881

The Ranfurly Shield of Central Otago Rugby Clubs. The cup was donated by the White Horse Distillers Ltd, through its Dunedin agent R Wilson & Co, to be contested by clubs in the Lakes, Vincent, Tuapeka and Maniototo sub-unions in 1926.

A record of all the Golden Oldies Rugby Festivals from 1979 in Auckland to 2016 in Cardiff. There are 2 pages devoted to each festival.

Wonderful book that explores the “tales of the lost Rugby clubs of Wellington”. Many of these clubs were very strong in the early days of Wellington Rugby, winning competitions and supplying All Black and representative players.

The Peace Cup was donated by Mr Bill English in 1921 for sub-union rugby in the Auckland province south of Auckland. The Peace Cup was the symbol of rugby sub-union supremacy in the Waikato, Thames Valley, King Country and Bay of Plenty regions. Winners to 1920 are: Te Awamutu (19), Hamilton (11), Morrinsville (11), Rotorua/Central Bay of Plenty (11), Thames (10), South Waikato (9), Matamata (7), Maniapoto (5), Tauranga (4), Pukekohe (2), Hauraki Plains (2), Paeroa (2), Western Bay of Plenty (2), Ōtorohanga (1), Waihi (1), Cambridge (1), Te Puke (1). To view a pdf of the booklet click here.

Wonderfully detailed history of all the players who have played for New Zealand from 1884 – 2023 and, therefore all the matches. Includes the provinces of the All Blacks and the clubs represented by the opposition players. Large book with printed card covers