History of NZ women’s rugby brought to life

An interactive exhibition charting the rise and challenges of women’s rugby kicks off in Kaitāia at the end of this month.

Herstory of Women’s Rugby, created by the New Zealand Rugby Museum, will be on display at Te Ahu in the Far North town from next week. It features three game-changing periods: the early years; the beginning of regular competitions between 1980 and 2000, World Cup events, and the Sevens teams; and the Black Ferns between 2000 and 2021. 

Large touch screens will run player interviews and historical footage, and fans can have their image super-imposed with the Black Ferns in an interactive photo booth.

There is the opportunity to see how the uniforms have evolved – from the 1880s knickerbockers and the 1980s hand-me-down men’s gear to the specially designed uniforms we see today.

The exhibition also pays tribute to some of the trailblazers of the women’s game including Vicky Dombroski, the first and only woman to have coached the Black Ferns and the manager when the team won the 1998 Rugby World Cup; Dr Farah Palmer, three times World Cup winning captain and current NZ Rugby board member; Selica Winiata, winner of the ‘fans try-of-the-year’ in 2013; and Sara Hirini, captain of the Black Ferns Sevens and Olympic gold medallist.

Herstory of Women’s Rugby is free to view and runs from Monday 28 August to Saturday 30 September.  

Photo: Artefacts, stories and pictures will be on show at the Herstory of Women’s Rugby exhibition in Kaitāia.