Sport and Kiwi Culture

A word from our Alumni

"What will always stick with me from my time abroad was one evening when a big group of friends were hanging out, and we all headed out to the university fields and spent the evening, long into the night hours, teaching each other how to play our country's pastimes. We taught the Kiwis baseball, and they taught us cricket and rugby. It was a night of not only memories, but learning and laughing. I gained an appreciation for the sports they were always talking about and watching, and I can't think of a more entertaining way to share our cultures with each other!"

- K. McNichols, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Semester Abroad at University of Waikato

Rugby Union is inarguably New Zealand 's dominant spectator sport. The All Blacks, NZ's national team, is the world's most consistently high-performing team. The All Blacks carry so much importance in the lives of New Zealanders that their success has actually been known to have direct effects on the country's economy and even politics. Perhaps The All Blacks biggest rival is Australia 's national rugby union team, the Wallabies, who have consistently been top international contenders as well.

The All Blacks are a formidable power in international rugby union, possessing a winning record against all rugby nations. As well as winning the Rugby World Cup in 1987 they have been Tri Nations champions seven times (in the 11 year history of the tournament) and have twice (in 1978 and in 2005) completed a Grand Slam (wins over England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland) tour of the Home nations. They are also current holders of the Bledisloe Cup, contested annually against Australia. They are currently the number-one ranked team in the world.

Each region in New Zealand also has a local rugby team. Follow this guide to get a heads up on who you might be cheering for in the stands soon enough:

 

HOW IT'S PLAYED: Rugby involves 15 players on each team. Players advance the oval-shaped ball by running with it or kicking it, but forward passes are illegal. Teams score points from either a try (worth 5 points), a conversion (attempted after a try, worth 2 points), a drop kick in general play (worth 3 points), or a penalty kick (worth 3 points). Play only stops when a try is scored, the ball goes out of play, or a penalty occurs. In a scrum the opposing forwards bind together in a unit and push against the other forwards, trying to win the ball with their feet.

IF YOU'RE A RUGBY PLAYER YOURSELF, the best way to immerse yourself in the Kiwi rugby culture while studying abroad is through a Rugby Study Abroad Program. LEARN MORE>

 

The British influence of both countries comes out in the game of Cricket. Its slow pace is a sharp contrast to both Rugby and Aussie Rules, yet it is still a top sport for Kiwis. New Zealand's national team is called the Black Caps, and there are also many local domestic teams to cheer for.

HOW IT'S PLAYED: Cricket is played by two teams of eleven on an oval-shaped field. Two wickets (consisting of two wooden crosspieces ("bails") resting on three wooden stumps) are placed 20 meters apart near the middle of the field. At each wicket stands a batsman. At the opposing wicket stands a bowler, who attempts to knocks down the bails of the batsman's wicket with a hard, leather-covered ball while the batsman attempts to bat it away with his paddle-shaped bat. A run is scored if the batsman hits the ball with his bat far enough so that both batsmen may run to exchange places. When the ball is hit a long distance (in any direction, since there are no foul lines), up to four exchanges or runs may be made. If it clears the boundary in the air, six are scored. The One-Day matches can take several hours to complete, while Test matches can last up to 5 days.

 

The city of Auckland sits on a narrow strip of land surrounded by the sea and is rightly called the "City of Sails." Aucklanders clearly have the biggest draw to sailing, but the sport is actually popular throughout the nation. The America's Cup is the World's Most Prestigious Sailing Race and Kiwis are typically well tuned into the event each year.

New Zealand was the first nation outside the United States to successfully defend the America's Cup, when Team New Zealand beat Prada 5-0 in the cup match in March 2000.

Eighty superyachts visited Auckland during the 1999/2000 Louis Vuitton Cup and America's Cup series. Fortunately Auckland had the largest superyacht marina in the Southern Hemisphere to berth them.

On average, 1990 spectator craft of all shapes and sizes went out on the Hauraki Gulf each day of the 1999/2000 America's Cup Regatta to watch Team New Zealand do battle with the Italian Challenger, Prada.

During the six months of the 1999/2000 Cup festivities, 4.2 million people visited the America's Cup Village - a purpose-built harbor-side quarter which housed all 12 competing syndicates and became the entertainment heart of Auckland. 

New Zealand is a golfer’s paradise. Not only does it have the second most golf courses per capita in the world, but nearly all courses are equipped with stunning views and spectacular scenery. Additionally, with New Zealander Michael Campbell winning the U.S. Open in June 2005 the sport is growing into a nation-wide passion.

If you're an avid golfer yourself, consider studying abroad at Victoria University of Wellington and participate in their optional Golf Study Abroad Program. It offers you the opportunity to incorporate your passion for golf into your semester abroad and experience a different side of the New Zealand culture.

 

Get into the local sporting culture while living in New Zealand through a GlobaLinks Learning Abroad Program.