hamilton

Events In History

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Regional rugby

  • Regional rugby

    The passion and parochialism of provincial rugby helped give the game a special place in New Zealand’s social and sporting history. Read brief histories, highlights and quirky facts about each of New Zealand's 26 regional rugby teams.

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  • Page 8 - Waikato rugbyHistory and highlights of rugby in the Waikato

Hamilton was established in 1864 by the 4th Waikato militia as an administrative and commercial centre, and a refuge for outlying settlers in case of renewed war against nearby Kingitanga forces. Hamilton remained a small provincial centre until the draining of the surrounding Waikato swamps, after which point it grew as a service centre for the region’s developing dairy farms.

Meaning of place name
Named by Colonel William Moule in 1864, after Captain John Fane Hamilton, commander of HMS Esk, one of the naval squadron in New Zealand during the conflict in the Waikato. Captain Hamilton was killed at Gate Pa in the same year.