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New Zealand may have a small population, but it takes its sport very seriously, particularly Rugby and when playing against Australia. New Zealand is a relatively small country but there is no denying the fact that they are very successful when it comes to sports.

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New Zealand have participated in many Olympic Games and they have had a good amount of success. The sports played in New Zealand is largely influenced by the British. The most popular sport in this country is rugby union.

Cricket and netball are also quite popular in the country. New Zealand has at times been one of the strongest teams in world cricket. The women's netball team is also very strong.

Below are details of sports, sporting events and sports people related to New Zealand.

Popular sports of New Zealand

• Rugby Union, Cricket, Netball, Rugby League, Basketball, Football (Soccer), Sailing, Skiing

Traditional or Regional Sports

• Ki-o-rahi — a traditional New Zealand Maori game played on a circular field.
• Canoe Hurdling — a traditional Maori sport in which participants in canoes attempt to paddle over logs placed in the water.

New Zealand Sporting Success

• Rugby World Cup winners 1987
• ICC Champions Trophy winner - 2000

Great athletes from New Zealand

• Yvette Corlett (nee Williams) (track and field)
• Richard Hadlee (Cricket)
• Hamish Carter (Triathlon)
• Valerie Adams (shot put)

New Zealand Sports trivia

• Dunedin race walker Joe Scott became in 1888 the first New Zealander to win a world title in any sport
• At the 1908 and 1912 Summer Olympic Games, athletes from Australia and New Zealand competed together as a single team, designated Australasia (ANZ). It was not until 1920 that New Zealand first competed at the Olympics as a separate country.
• New Zealand first played a cricket test match in 1930 but had to wait until 1956 to win its first match.
• Before going to the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, runner Peter Snell had never run in a 1500m race, but that did not stop him winning the gold medal.
• Val Young won five gold medals (shot put and discus) at the Commonwealth Games - the most by any New Zealander.
• Yvette Corlett (nee Williams) is the only New Zealander to have set a world record in an athletics field event (long jump). She was also the first New Zealand woman to win an Olympic gold medal.
• The first Winter Olympic medalist from the southern hemisphere was New Zealand skier Annelise Coberger, who won a silver medal in the women's slalom at Albertville in France in 1992.

New Zealand at major events

• New Zealand at the Summer Olympics
• New Zealand at the Winter Olympics
• New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games
• New Zealand at the FIFA World Cup
• New Zealand at the Cricket ODI World Cup
• New Zealand at the Cricket T20 World Cup
• New Zealand at the Rugby World Cup
• New Zealand women's football team at the FIFA Women's World Cup
• New Zealand at the Netball World Cup

Past sporting events hosted in New Zealand

• 1950 Commonwealth Games Auckland
• 1974 Commonwealth Games Christchurch
• 1987 Rugby World Cup hosted in Australia and New Zealand
• 1990 Commonwealth Games Auckland
• 1992 Cricket World Cup hosted in Australia & New Zealand
• 2011 Rugby World Cup
• 2015 Cricket World Cup to be hosted by Australia & New Zealand

Upcoming sporting events for New Zealand

• 2022 ODI World Cup for Women
• 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup (co-hosted with Australia)
• 2028 T20 Cricket World Cup co-hosted with Australia

Annual sporting events held in New Zealand

Sporting Facilities in New Zealand

• High Performance Sport New Zealand
• Eden Park
• Some Stadiums in New Zealand

Other

• Workplace Assessments for departments in New Zealand
• Sport Science Study Institutions in New Zealand
• sports videos about 'New Zealand'

Is there something missing? If you know of something that should be listed here, please let me know.

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Related Pages

• Countries list
• Sport in Australia