KAINUKU ARIKI
Founding member of the Pacific Islands Church. First Secretary of the Pacific Island Church Netball Club and former Club President.
The Pacific Island Church started in the 1940s and we worshipped on The Terrace at the Congregational Church. There were ten of us at that time, all of us Rarotongans and we came from the London Missionary Society Church. Our first Orometua was Roro Rongotaua and when he died Papa Tavaaiti looked after our ekalesia.
Papa Tariu and Mama Tangi Teaia were transferred from Auckland and they started our social and sports clubs. Papa Tariu visited our people from Rotorua, Porongahau, Hastings, Wairarapa, Hutt Valley and Wellington.
So that's how we came together and started PIC. In those days "the papa'a umpire used to say to me 'Oh, your girls are strong" it was called basketball and we played nine-a-side. We started with enough players for three teams, but just in case, we decided just two teams to start with. So Mama Tangi was the President, I was the Secretary and Mata Lemberg was the Treasurer. I later became the President.
We had a lot of fun in those days. Every time a papa'a fell over, everyone had to go and help her up, but when our girls got bumped and fell over, we all laughed and carried on playing. The papa'a umpire used to say to me "Oh, your girls are strong". Most of the Rarotongan girls knew how to play basketball, but some of the others were still learning.
I remember some of the girls, Kite Rangi, Nena Walker, Mata Tikitau, Maria Tauma'a, Ina Stevenson, Tangane Aunoa, Mi'i Samuel, Roi Rongotaua and many, many more.
We started very small, with very little. The Church was the only place for us to gather and meet each other back then. The Church was the only place we could speak our own language and enjoy ourselves in our own way.

Anniversary Message
I want to thank God for all His blessings and for bringing the Pacific island Church Netball Club and all the people who have served faithfully.
Thank you to your administrators for remembering us so that we might share in this great celebration of sportsmanship and achievement of Pacific Island people in this country Aotearoa.
It's a great honor and we receive it with all humility. PIC, a small name in this world, celebrates its birthday in the New Zealand Parliament. My prayer is that God will continue to guide this club, that our talents and skills will be made known to the world and to glorify God's name. Kia orana. e kia manuia kotou katoatoa.

(Aunty Anna). Longest serving PIC Club President
Everything started from the Church in 1953. Originally we were formed to play social games. It was not until April 1953 we joined the association. Mama Tangi and Mata Nia were there at the beginning. It was not until 1953 or 1954 that the Samoans came, but we didn't mix till. along time after that. We didn't want to play together. The Cook Island girls were too good, kept the top team.
In 1980 we won Premier 1 and Premier 2, from then on PIC have always been on top.
Papa Tariu. and Mama Tangi came at the end of 1952. Papa started services in 1953 in Church. As well as Sunday School, the Cook Island sports during Labour Weekend also started that same year. Mama Tangi stayed and worked while Papa Tariu traveled.
It was easy in those days when meetings were called, all the girls were in the Church. We only focused on one team, the top team. Then there started to be more Cook Island teams.
PIC won the league in 1988.
I started in 1957. I came to Wellington and played about 3 games for PIC before I got very sick and spent 8 months in hospital. I couldn't play after that. In 1968 Anna came and I used to go and support her playing. I was a committee member during the 1960s and became President in 1970.

What do you consider the highlights of your career?
In 1969: the togetherness of the girls, especially the Cook Islanders.
The dances, balls and the fundraising. With Uncle, he helped me right through.
At our meetings it was great because we were all speaking our language, except Margaret Hill. She was our first papa'a to play for PIC and first papa'a Committee member.
Our girls were very friendly. We had a hard time fundraising for our uniforms. At the end of the season we always had a big function. A ball at Newtown School; you tell the girls and they're there to help. In those days, our girls respected me and they always came to help, I'm proud of that. The old green uniforms, I made them. If there was not enough money to buy the material, I used money from my own pocket. I knew Uncle would say yes, because it was for the girls. I really enjoyed the girls with me in those days. The change came after, with the different cultures.
We fundraised for the first trip to the Pan Am Games in Hawaii. We had two tickets that we raffled off as prizes. We didn't win, but our girls played well. It was good sports. We celebrated with England, Scotland and Wales. Australia shouldn't have won. They live in the Institution all the time.
Everyone paid their own fare. The money was to feed us all. Aunty Komera's husband, Reg, won the tickets. He was our cook, and he cooked for us from his own pocket, we still had our money. We went to Disneyland, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego, San Juan and Mexico. When we crossed the border we were timed because if you're not back by a certain time, you have to stay there.
On the second trip, we didn't even have a team, we just went for the trip. The Cook Islands team was there though and we supported them. It was in Hawaii again on the island of Kauai at Hanalei Bay We went to some of the same places. On the way back to NZ, we came back through Hong Kong, Singapore, Macao and China.

Highlights
1980- our two top teams won Prem. 1 goal average, Prem 2 and goal average. Those two teams swept their grades.
Swiss Maid we won in 1988 on the North Shore. There were lots of supporters and buses. All the Maori came to support Gail, Meka, Wai and Julie Wilson. Margaret Hill came with her twins. That was one of my proudest days for the girls. They deserved that win.
Sponsors came that day, no one wanted to support PIC before. Sometimes my heart cried. I asked our Cook Island Committee to help us with new
uniforms for that game, but they didn't. When we won that time, they wanted to help us. I can't remember who came with sponsorship offers. But it wasn't until 1988 that the Smokefree sponsorship started. We went to Parliament to receive our sponsorship from Helen Clark. Labour was government then and she was Minister of Health. We were the only team to be sponsored by the government. We have been Smokefree right up until this year.
East in those days were always the leading club. Once Margharet started playing for Wellington, that was the opening for PIC.

What Is your vision for PIC?
To go on winning and to always look ahead. To keep our name. We are the only Church to have a netball club. I always remember the day that John Murray came to Church and told us how very proud he was of us because we were the only Church in NZ to have a netball club! There are many, many things to talk about, like when we were poor and we worked very hard to fundraise. The only time we ever made any money was when we had our ball.
Fanaura started coaching in 1968 or 1969. She was a good coach and the first Pacific Islander to get her NZ Umpire's badge. Tere Hodges also played for PIC.

Honorary Life Membership1998. Mrs. Takau Ariki Taru first started playing for PIC in 1953 first of three generations of Taru women to be part of PIC awarded Honorary Life Membership in 1998.

How did you come to play for PIC?
I arrived in New Zealand in 1952 and I lived with the Luxford family in Karori.
In 1953 1 moved in with my aunty and uncle, Nga and Pati Henry, closer to town. We attended Church on The Terrace and it was at Church that I heard about the netball club. I have always loved netball, so it was easy for me to join. It was the same way for other island people coming to Wellington. I don't remember our team training like they train these days -our training was running from home through the Hataitai Tunnel to the courts.
We didn't always have a good reputation in the early days. The papa'a players thought we were rough players, maybe some of us were a bit rough, but mostly our girls were solidly built, they were tough players.
The Cook Island and Samoan girls had different styles of playing so we played mostly in separate teams. Our uniform was a green tunic, a white shirt, with the monogram in the middle of the tunic. There were many Cook Island girls in those days. I remember Mata Nia, Mata Cowan (committee members), Mi'i Samuel, Kite Rangi, Ina Stevenson, Maria, Helen Wohler, and so many more. I was in the lower team.
It was when Mama Tangi and Papa Tariu came that we really developed exchanges with our Cook Island people in Auckland. Mama Tangi became our President.
I remember that at the beginning of every season, all the teams would assemble in front of the old pavilion. It seemed to me that Wellington netball, especially the umpires were dominated by just a few papa'a families.

What are some of the highlights for you?
Anyone who wanted to play for PIC and loved netball, would come and play. It's not quite the same today, it's very hard to get into a team, so many girls want to play for us and the competition is tough.
The name of PIC is very popular, we are the only island team to get to the top and we are only a Church team. When Fanaura came to Wellington she really knew how to coach our girls. Although we had won grades before, it was Fanaura who took us to e top. The player that really stood out and is still the best was Margharet Kamana. Her style, her skills and her smile helped make us popular, no one could come close to Marghie.
Each time PIC won a grade this was a wonderful feeling for our club because we always remember where we started from all the hard work and fund-raising we used to do. Today, PIC is like a business, players come and everything has to be done for them. There is a different spirit maybe because netball itself is very different. Players and coaches never used to get paid. Today we see netball has become a professional sport.

What Is your vision for PIC?
When my three daughters left college they all came to PIC because this is our club. They played from Premier 1 to the senior grades and they have also played representative level as well as for our Cook Islands competitions. Today all three of my daughters are coaches, Martha is also the Club Treasurer and Arasena is Stores Officer, Ariki has played for PIC before going to college and Moera still plays in the schoolgirl team. I would be so happy if my youngest grand-daughter Casey continues our family tradition and in her time plays for PIC.
I want PIC to keep our special name and to always remember that all things have a beginning and from this firm foundation we will continue to grow in stature. PIC must welcome women who choose our club as a place for them to share their talents and their families. My best wishes to the family of PIC and may God's blessings be with all us. Kia orana kia manuia uatu.

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