The Huntly United Rugby Football League Club (est. 1937) was another “carry-over” from the 1930s Kia Ora team, which consisted largely of Māori players who had found it difficult to gain selection in existing teams of the time.
Tonga Mahuta, a foundation member of the Huntly South RFLC, was also instrumental in establishing Huntly United, alongside Harold Adams and Tom Nash.
The club’s history is notable for its unusual circumstances — at the time of selection, not a single Kiwi was in its playing ranks, though many have passed through its “transit lounge” over the years. One such icon was the legendary Waiterimu “Seagull” (no, not duck shooter!) Tawera Nuieia Nikau (1989–97, NZ Junior Kiwi 1986). A loose forward of fierce determination, Nikau often stationed himself out in the centres — “seagulling”, as it was known back in the day. With deft hands and raw strength, he would draw in two or three defenders before sending his centre or wingman on a clear run to the try line.
Nikau first cut his rugby league teeth in the 1984 Huntly United U17s, coached by Arthur Fortune, before moving into the senior ranks the following year. A brief stint with whānau at the Rangiriri Eels RFLC (est. 1982?) followed, before the well-resourced Ōtāhuhu Leopards in Auckland — coached by league great Joe Gwynne — made an offer too good to refuse.
Returning in 1987 to captain a Waikato North XIII against Waikato South XIII in the Endean Shield Challenge marking the Davies Park 50th Jubilee, Nikau was soon heading to Sydney under a NZRL rookie scheme with the Canterbury-Bankstown club. The rest, as they say, is well-documented history.
Also notable was Roger “Spud” Tait (1965–68), who played for Waikato in 1961 before swapping the blue and white of Huntly United for the same colours at Glenora Bears in Auckland. In 1963, he captained Auckland against South Africa — tika!
Other Huntly United “transit lounge” personnel included Kiwis Bevin Hough (1950–53), Don Parkinson (1968), and Graeme “Scob” Farrar (1961–64), all of whom found gainful employment — or “petrol money”, as it was known — during the 1970s as senior team coaches.
The Horo brothers, Shane (1985–88) and Mark (1987–96), were members of the mighty Hamilton City Tigers (est. 1965) sides of the late 1970s and early 1980s, teams that were always contenders come September footy. By the time both made NZ Kiwi selection, the bright lights of Auckland had called — with Northcote Tigers and Te Atatū Roosters sharing their talents. NRL clubs Parramatta and Wests, along with UK Super League sides Salford, Leigh, Castleford, and Whitehaven, all benefited from the Horos’ skills. Top-level coaching stints followed for Mark after his stellar playing career.
The Hukanui RFLC (est. 1979) can proudly claim Kelly Shelford (1989–91) and Sam Rapira (2007–11, NZ Junior Kiwi 2004) as favourite sons — along with their one and only WRL Championship win in 2001, defeating Turangawaewae at Davies Park, Huntly.
After a topsy-turvy UK Super League career — first with Whitehaven in the 1980s and later Warrington in the early 1990s — Shelford returned to Hamilton, home of his partner, to become player/coach for Hukanui in 1998, before switching to cross-town rivals Hamilton City Tigers in 1999.
Vodafone Warrior Sam Rapira followed in the footsteps of his “hard as nails” Hukanui prop father Cliff Rapira, spending time in the black, red, and white strip alongside younger brother Steve.
Jason Donnelly (1993, NZ Junior Kiwi 1988) is possibly one of the few Waikato Kiwis to play in a winning Waikato Rugby League Grand Final team. Turning out on the wing in 1987 for the Mark Sullivan–coached Frankton Albions RFLC (est. 1920), he helped secure the club’s one and only Championship win — a 22–10 victory over Turangawaewae.
Later donning the famous red V of the St. George Dragons in Sydney — the same club my granduncle Brownie Paki played for in 1921 — Donnelly became equally well-known for some off-field antics. A promising junior decathlete who trained alongside British Olympic champion Daley Thompson, Donnelly shifted his focus back to rugby league after missing the 1990 NZ Commonwealth Games team.
Picked up by St. George through the NZRL draft system in 1992, he soon caught the attention of NZ selectors. But the 1993 Kiwis tour to Great Britain and France made headlines for all the wrong reasons, when Donnelly and teammate Stephen Kearney fell from a first-floor balcony in Carcassonne — breaking Donnelly’s ankle and leaving Kearney concussed.
Te Maire Martin (2016–22, NZ Junior Kiwi 2014–15), though born in Tokoroa, steadfastly regards the iron sands of Tahāroa as his papakāinga. Representing the Tahāroa Steelers (est. 2012) — the whānau team where he later revived his NRL career — Martin’s rise was as rapid as it was dramatic.
A Turangawaewae RFLC (est. 1947) prodigy alongside Isaac John (2014, NZ Junior Kiwi 2006), Martin moved to the Gold Coast as a teenager on a scholarship to Keebra Park State High School around 2012. From there, the NRL conveyor belt took over: Wests Tigers (2013–14), Penrith Panthers (2015–16), and then North Queensland Cowboys (2017), where he played alongside legend Johnathan Thurston.
But in early 2019, tragedy struck — a brain bleed forced Martin into immediate retirement. He returned home to Tahāroa for rest, recovery, and reflection.
Not one to sit still, Martin received medical clearance in 2021 and reignited his career — beginning fittingly with the Tahāroa Steelers at Davies Park, Huntly. From there, he rejoined the NRL with the Brisbane Broncos before returning home to play for the New Zealand Warriors. A 2023 appearance for the Māori All Stars added another chapter to his remarkable journey.
From slightly left field, Barry Porteous of the Glen Afton club, though not a full Kiwi, did wear the black and white for a NZ XIII against Great Britain at Addington Showgrounds, Ōtautahi, in 1962. Known as a ten-stone (soaking wet!) “bootlace tackler”, he famously kept the 16-stone British legend Billy Boston in check.
Lastly, a nod to our referees who have represented New Zealand internationally. Huntly locals Arthur Harlock and Roland (Rolly) Avery were Test referees in the 1950s and 1960s, respectively, while Paki Parkinson — former Taniwharau Schoolboy and mokopuna of Kiwi #464 Don Parkinson — officiated at the 2022 Rugby League World Cup in England.
Researched by Rex Hohaia – 2 April 2023
EX-KIWIS CAN FLY
This four (4) part series acknowledges all the Kiwis who played for Waikato Clubs in the past 112 years from Reg Sprague in 1911 to Te Maire Martin in 2021. Ngaruawahia, Huntly South, Taniwharau, Hukanui, Turangawaewae, Tahaaroa, Frankton Albions, Huntly United, Rangiriri, Glen Afton and Hamilton City Tigers.
