Porirua has a proud history of producing sportsmen and sportswoman in many different codes and the National Sports Honour Wall, upstairs in Te Rauparaha Arena, goes some way to acknowledge their feats, and perhaps inspire the next generation to emulate them and take their place on the wall.
The National Sports Honours Wall is a digital photographic display located on the mezzanine floor at Te Rauparaha Arena.
Henry Smith (1955 - 2020) - Olympian. Titahi Bay Amateur Athletics Club, represented Samoa in the men's discus at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympic Games. Flag-bearer at the 1988 Olympics. Won gold in the 1983 South Pacific Games. Porirua Western Ward councillor, Porirua City Council, from 2007 to 2010. Find out more about Henry in this 2012 interview: Family key to Olympic success
Deslea Wrathall - NZ triple international in touch, softball and basketball. Tall Ferns, 2003 New Zealand women's basketball coach of the year and in 2007, coached Porirua to the New Zealand Under-19 Basketball Championship.
Frank Mulvihill - Won multiple championships with the Exchequer Saints, former coach of the Saints and represented New Zealand as a Tall Black. Porirua's under-13 basketball squad coach. Find out more about Frank in this 2011 article: Right on the Ball
Julie Ofsoski - Tall Ferns, represented New Zealand in the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympic Games.
Leone Patterson - Started her basketball career at Mana College, under 20s player for Porirua 1979 to 1981, New Zealand junior team 1979/80, NZ female player of the year 1991, Commonwealth Games representative 1982 and Summer Olympic Games 2000.
Lynette Bradnam - New Zealand senior women's basketball representative.
Pene Hippolite - Grew up in Takapuwahia, played basketball at Mana College and for New Zealand. Find out more about Pene in this 2015 interview, Pene Hippolite recalls her basketball career in Porirua. Also see Rugby league.
Tania Tupu (nee Brunton) - Titahi Bay resident, represented the Tall Ferns from 1992 to 2004, including at the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Summer Olympic Games.
Micheal Kenny - Titahi Bay resident, heavyweight boxer, won gold medal in the men's super heavyweight (+ 91 kg) division at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland.
Bevan Congdon OBE - (1938-2018). All-rounder 1965 to 1978, scoring seven centuries in 61 tests and taking 59 wickets over a 13-year test career. First New Zealand captain to record a victory over Australia. Member of Plimmerton Rotary in the 1980s and 1990s. Find out more about Bevan in this 2018 article.
Heremaia "Harry" Ngata - Played for Porirua Viard, the Kingz in the Australian NSL, Hull City and New Zealand. Find out more about Harry in this 2009 article "Harry Ngata revealed"
Michael Wilson - New Zealand midfielder, played college football at Stanford University. Helped found Olé Football Academy in Porirua in 1997 with his father Dave Wilson. Find out more about Michael here.
Michael Campbell - former Titahi Bay resident, won 2005 US Open, the HSBC World Match Play Championship and 13 other tournaments around the world. Reached World No 12 in 2001.
Lisa Bishop - Black Sticks representative in 2001-02.
Jake Hocking - Senior men's underwater hockey team at the World Championships 2013.
Jane Hocking - Vice-captain 1985 elite women's team, captain of the 1986 elite women's team.
Jesse Hocking - Senior men's underwater hockey team at the World Championships 2013.
Loreena Dawson - Rembuden Kendo Club member
Rex Redden - Crowned World Welterweight Muay Thai champion in 2002, 2003 and 2004.
Leiani Read - Silver Fern in 1992 and 1993, represented Samoa at the 1995 World Whampionships, and was re-selected for New Zealand in 1996.
Dick Joyce - Olympian. Represented New Zealand at the 1968 and 1972 Summer Olympic games. Dick is one of only 15 New Zealanders to have won two or more Olympic gold medals. He was an inaugural member of the NZ Sporting Hall of Fame and inducted into the Porirua Sporting Hall of Fame in 2011.
Donald Munro - Played at representative level for New Zealand and Wellington, as a wing, in the 1970s.
Nolan Tupaea - Represented the Kiwis in 1980 on their tour of Great Britain and France and in 1983 he toured Britain with the New Zealand Māori.
Paul Rauhihi - Played in both the NRL and Super League as a prop. Retired in 2009, after a successful career in New Zealand, Australia and England.
Pene Hippolite, Find out more about Pene in this 2015 interview, Pene Hippolite recalls her basketball career in Porirua. Also see Basketball.
Peter Mellers - Played for Petone and represented Wellington, in 1982 was selected for the New Zealand former rugby league team representing New Zealand.
Robert Piva - An international rugby league player who represented both New Zealand (1993) and Western Samoa (1996).
Deslea Wrathal - NZ Triple international, 1992 World Champion NZ Women's Touch Team. Also see Basketball and Softball.
Pieta Vis - NZ Touch Blacks
Aimee Sutorius - Nicknamed The Axe, she was a Black Fern from 2007-09, and played for Wellington Pride, NZ Sevens, and Otago Spirit. Debuted for Black Ferns on Porirua Park.
Nigel Hunt - Won a gold medal along with the NZ Sevens at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. A member of the NZ Sevens squads that won the Sevens World Circuit titles in 2006 and 2007.
Tamati Elison - part of the New Zealand Sevens team that won a gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Also see Rugby Union.
Aimee Sutorius - Nicknamed The Axe, she was a Black Ferns from 2007-09, and played for Wellington Pride, NZ Sevens, and Otago Spirit. Debuted for Black Ferns on Porirua Park.
Jerry Collins - (1980-2015) All Blacks (captain once, at the 2007 Rugby World Cup), loose forward for Wellington Hurricanes 20010 2008. He is considered to be one of hardest tacklers in rugby history.
John Schwalger - Junior All Blacks, All Blacks, Hurricanes, French rugby club SU Agen. He debuted for Wellington in 2005 against the touring British & Irish Lions.
Ken Gray MBE - (1938 - 1992) Represented the All Blacks in 24 games, playing lock and prop. 1973 became a Porirua City councillor.
Izzy Ford (nee Gray) - A long-time member of the Northern United Rugby Club and was a New Zealand Black Ferns representative from 1999 to 2005.
Ralph Caulton - Represented Wellington at a provincial level and the All Blacks from 1959 to 1964.
Riki Heimer - New Zealand Black Ferns representative, Flanker.
Rodney So'oialo - Won gold at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, an All Blacks 2002 to 2009, and 101 games for Wellington Hurricanes 2001 to 2011.
Tamati Ellison - Made his debut for the Wellington Lions in 2003, captained the Junior All Blacks to victory in the 2009 Pacific Nations Cup, part of the New Zealand Sevens team that won a gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. All Blacks 2009 end of year tour to Europe and won four caps all up. Also represented Junior All Blacks and NZ Māori. Also see Rugby Sevens.
Vince Bevan - Played for Wellington College Old Boys, represented Wellington at the provincial level. Member of the All Blacks from 1947 to 1954.
Vivian Boland - (nee Rees) Porirua Rugby Club and New Zealand Black Ferns
Carl Lampe Jnr - 2009 Expert Runabout Limited World Champion, 2007 Australian Expert Elite Stock Closed Course Champion and Expert Elite Stock Surf Champion.
Bevan Kelly - Two-time World Barefoot Waterskiing champion, in 2010 and 2014.
Simon Lyle Wi Rutene - Alpine skier, completed in four Winter Olympics from 1984 to 1994 in the downhill and slalom events.
Olly Brunton - Three-time New Zealand snowboard halfpipe champion and member of the New Zealand Olympic team to the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics.
Betsy Bishop - White Sox
Deslea Wrathal - NZ Triple international, 1982 World Champion White Sox team. Also see Touch Rugby and Basketball.
Don Tricker - ONZM, played softball for Porirua until he was 22, played for the Black Sox between 1986 and 1991, won three world titles as coach, named coach of the year at the 2000 Halberg Awards. Tricker was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to softball in 2004, senior advisor of high performance coaching at the New Zealand Academy of Sport.
Donna Pewhairangi - Represented Porirua City United, then played for Poneke Kilbirnie.
Fiona Perenara (nee Farrow) - Titahi Bay resident, New Zealand U19 softball team, New Zealand representative.
Jason Farrow - New Zealand Softball Under 19 Captain of World Championship winning team 1989 Prince Edward Island, Black Sox Softball Team
Lance Abbott - Black Sox
Loran Algar - Credited as one of the fastest pitchers in New Zealand. Played in the American League for Cedar Rapids during the 70's and 80's.
Nicole Stevenson - Wellington outfielder
Pat Farrow - represented New Zealand at world softball championships.
Paul Algar - Black Sox softball pitcher, played on many NZ national teams over the years with the highlight being winning the ISF World Champs Gold medal in 2000. Paul was afforded the ultimate recognition in the USA with his induction in the ISC Hall of Fame.
Rebecca Brunton - Represented Poneke Kilbirnie and played in the New Zealand national Women's Softball Open finals
Samantha Pewhairangi - Represented Porirua City United, then played for Poneke Kilbirnie.
Te Wera Bishop - Raised in Porirua, he was 17 when he signed with Major League franchise Boston Red Sox, before another stint with the Milwaukee Brewers and for Adelaide in the Australian pro league.
Paul Marshall - New Zealand taekwondo representative.
Epati Aiono - Represented New Zealand in the late 1980's and also coaches a men's club team, the Hawkz. Find out more about Epati in this 2016 article "St Mary's volleyball programme set for golden era as juniors claim rare NI title"
Lesa Laga - New Zealand women’s volleyball representative, representing New Zealand at the Asian Women’s Volleyball Champs in Vietnam (2003) and the Oceania Champs in Tahiti (2004). Also captain of the New Zealand Institute of Sport Women’s volleyball team.
Rebecca Toomaga - Represented New Zealand in Volleyball.
Owen Ranfurly - Represented New Zealand in Beach Volleyball.
Olivia Lee - attended Tairangi School and Aotea College. At the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester she won a silver medal in the 75+ kg snatch, and two bronze medals in the 75+ kg clean and jerk and combined total. Find out more about Olivia in this 2015 interview, Olympian Olivia Baker is embarking on a new career.
Sian Law - the first female wrestler to represent New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games (2010, in Delhi) and the World Champshionships in Russia in the same year. Find out more about Sian in the 2010 article Wrestler makes Commonwealth Games history.
Roy Hocking
The Sports Honours Wall is a great opportunity for us to recognise the amazing achievements and contributions that some of our locals have made for New Zealand and abroad.
