Please note image above is NOT of early Rangiora Hockey Club or Dudley Park. It is a representative image only.
rangiora hockey club history
This page remains under development, but here is some of the story we do know about early years of hockey in Rangiora and the wider Waimakariri district...
Founded in 1898, the Rangiora Hockey Club joined the Canterbury Hockey Association in 1902. Women in the district played field hockey under the name of Rangiora Physical Culture Club, which became the Rangiora Women's Hockey Club in the 1920s and soon merged with the men to form the club as we know it today.
The women's club was very successful in the 1920's, winning the Christchurch Senior Competition four years running and having many players chosen to play in New Zealand's Premier Hockey competition, the "K" Cup. Around that time three Rangiora players were also selected for the national team to tour South Africa days.
The club reintroduced high school and primary school hockey in the 1960, which led to a resurgence of women's hockey in the district, both in terms of representative players and strong administrators.
After a long period of decline the Rangiora Hockey Club underwent a renaissance in 2009 and the club membership grew in numbers so as to be able to field six teams. Since 2010 RHC has undergone an unprecedented period of growth in playing members, both as a result of relocations due to the Canterbury Earthquakes and also our success on the turf raising the profile of the club.
In 2012 the Rangiora Hockey Club won 10 of the 11 Canterbury Hockey Association competitions entered and in 2013 won eight of the 11 CHA competitions entered. With this success has come growth and Rangiora Hockey Club now has over 300 competition players.
For the 2018 season the club has fielded 27 teams in competitions from Mini Sticks to Masters and is active in promoting hockey in local primary schools.
More information about the early days of hockey can be found at the link below...
Sportswomen of the Waimakariri - click to download the PDF file
The history of hockey in Rangiora is closely linked to Dudley Park...
Dudley Park originated during the term of Robert McIntosh, Mayor from 1925 to 1927. In 1925 the Rangiora Borough Council bought thirteen acres of land from the Anglican Church Trustees, and named the park after Archdeacon Benjamin Woolley Dudley, the first vicar of Rangiora. It cost the Council £1200 and was initially leased out and sown with potatoes before being prepared for use by the hockey and rugby clubs in 1928.
The land was situated between Church and White Streets but there was no street crossing the front to give access to the park. Mr. McIntosh offered to purchase a strip of land to make a proper entrance so that people could have access from High Street to the park and this was dedicated to the council as a gift. Park Street was formed and Jubilee Memorial Gates were erected after the celebrations in 1928. There are two plaques on the gates:
Borough of Rangiora - This district was first settled by pioneers from Great Britain about the year 1850 – The Borough was constituted on May 4th 1878.
The gates were erected as a memorial of the fifty years Jubilee of the Borough of Rangiora – 1878-1928
The park became the premier sports ground for Rangiora from 1928, opening in May of that year. It was home to two rugby grounds, men’s and women’s hockey, and from the 1930s was also the home of cricket in the Borough. Rugby was played here until 1960, when the club shifted its home to the Showground’s.
In recent times, the park was considered to have one of the best pitches in Canterbury for representative cricket, but since 2004 matches have been at the Recreation Ground. The park is the main centre of netball in North Canterbury, and boasts a swimming pool, and squash courts, maintaining the excellent sporting standards the park has had since its beginning.
In 2015 the smaller asphalt netball courts near the Borough School were covered with a sand-dressed artificial hockey turf, with many of the materials used salvaged from Porritt Park, which was damaged beyond repair in the CHCH earthquakes.
Founded in 1898, the Rangiora Hockey Club joined the Canterbury Hockey Association in 1902. Women in the district played field hockey under the name of Rangiora Physical Culture Club, which became the Rangiora Women's Hockey Club in the 1920s and soon merged with the men to form the club as we know it today.
The women's club was very successful in the 1920's, winning the Christchurch Senior Competition four years running and having many players chosen to play in New Zealand's Premier Hockey competition, the "K" Cup. Around that time three Rangiora players were also selected for the national team to tour South Africa days.
The club reintroduced high school and primary school hockey in the 1960, which led to a resurgence of women's hockey in the district, both in terms of representative players and strong administrators.
After a long period of decline the Rangiora Hockey Club underwent a renaissance in 2009 and the club membership grew in numbers so as to be able to field six teams. Since 2010 RHC has undergone an unprecedented period of growth in playing members, both as a result of relocations due to the Canterbury Earthquakes and also our success on the turf raising the profile of the club.
In 2012 the Rangiora Hockey Club won 10 of the 11 Canterbury Hockey Association competitions entered and in 2013 won eight of the 11 CHA competitions entered. With this success has come growth and Rangiora Hockey Club now has over 300 competition players.
For the 2018 season the club has fielded 27 teams in competitions from Mini Sticks to Masters and is active in promoting hockey in local primary schools.
More information about the early days of hockey can be found at the link below...
Sportswomen of the Waimakariri - click to download the PDF file
The history of hockey in Rangiora is closely linked to Dudley Park...
Dudley Park originated during the term of Robert McIntosh, Mayor from 1925 to 1927. In 1925 the Rangiora Borough Council bought thirteen acres of land from the Anglican Church Trustees, and named the park after Archdeacon Benjamin Woolley Dudley, the first vicar of Rangiora. It cost the Council £1200 and was initially leased out and sown with potatoes before being prepared for use by the hockey and rugby clubs in 1928.
The land was situated between Church and White Streets but there was no street crossing the front to give access to the park. Mr. McIntosh offered to purchase a strip of land to make a proper entrance so that people could have access from High Street to the park and this was dedicated to the council as a gift. Park Street was formed and Jubilee Memorial Gates were erected after the celebrations in 1928. There are two plaques on the gates:
Borough of Rangiora - This district was first settled by pioneers from Great Britain about the year 1850 – The Borough was constituted on May 4th 1878.
The gates were erected as a memorial of the fifty years Jubilee of the Borough of Rangiora – 1878-1928
The park became the premier sports ground for Rangiora from 1928, opening in May of that year. It was home to two rugby grounds, men’s and women’s hockey, and from the 1930s was also the home of cricket in the Borough. Rugby was played here until 1960, when the club shifted its home to the Showground’s.
In recent times, the park was considered to have one of the best pitches in Canterbury for representative cricket, but since 2004 matches have been at the Recreation Ground. The park is the main centre of netball in North Canterbury, and boasts a swimming pool, and squash courts, maintaining the excellent sporting standards the park has had since its beginning.
In 2015 the smaller asphalt netball courts near the Borough School were covered with a sand-dressed artificial hockey turf, with many of the materials used salvaged from Porritt Park, which was damaged beyond repair in the CHCH earthquakes.
