King’s Birthday, Kiwi Style

Monday, 3 June, marks New Zealand's official celebration of the 'King's Birthday' holiday. This public holiday acknowledges King Charles III’s birthday, even though he was born on 14 November 1948.

Up until 1937, Commonwealth countries celebrated the monarch’s actual birthday. However, King George VI’s 14 December birthday posed a problem for Britain—too close to Christmas and too cold for festivities. To ensure a more enjoyable celebration, the holiday was moved to June. New Zealand adopted this change and legislated the holiday to fall on the first Monday of June, thanks to the Sovereign’s Birthday Observance Act 1937.

Whether you're a royalist or not, have a Kiwi Kingly Day!

Celebrating Samoan Language Week

Embracing 'Tautua i le Alofa' for a Bright Future!
Samoan Language Week is celebrated from 26 May to 1 June. This year’s theme, 'Tautua i le alofa, manuia le lumana’i – Serve in love for a blessed future', was chosen by the community to highlight the importance of maintaining gagana (language) through consistent tautua (service), guided by the values of alofa (love), fa’aaloalo (respect), and vā fealoa’i (respectful relationships).

Samoan is the second most spoken language in Auckland, often referred to as the largest Polynesian city in the world. In New Zealand or Niu Sila, it ranks as the third most spoken language, following te reo Māori and English.

Dive into Samoan Language Week and embrace the beautiful language and culture that enriches New Zealand's diverse community.

Give these phrases a go!

• Talofa lava (hello): “Tah-law-fah / larva”
• Malo (hello / well done): “Mah-law”
• Tōfā soifua (goodbye): “Tore-fah / soy-foo-ah”
• Niu Sila (New Zealand): “Knee-ew / See-lah”

First Aid Heroes!

Knowing first aid can save lives! Accidents are inevitable, and there is no guarantee that people are safe from physical injury, illness, or trauma. The best thing we can do in our bowls community is to prepare for any accidents, mishaps, and occurrences that could happen.

A first aid course empowers everyone to confidently step up in emergencies! Thirteen attendees, including club members, umpires, and the Bowls Auckland team, are doing exactly that—they are creating a community of First Aid heroes by attending a Bowls Auckland-initiated, Hato Hone (St John)-run First Aid Course.

Check out Thursday's course hosted at Balmoral Bowling Club.

Champ of Champs Fours review

The Champion of Champions series concluded in spectacular fashion over the weekend, 25 & 26 May at Royal Oak, showcasing several exhilarating matches during the series. Notably, the competition saw some lesser-known clubs rise to challenge against more celebrated teams, adding to the excitement of the events.

Among the standout performances in the Women's section, Mt Albert Bowling Club shone brightly, with all being 1-5s making it as Finalists in the Triples. This remarkable achievement highlighted the depth of talent among the 1-5s. Mt Albert wasn't alone in this regard; many 1-5 Year players across various teams made significant impacts, progressing to the knockout stages and earning well-deserved accolades. Well done, to all those players.

Check out these two clips - magic moments that inevitably changed the outcome of the Finals

Shanghai Singles Hits New Lynn

Exciting, fast-paced three-way Singles action with a prize pool to match!
Last Thursday, 23 May New Lynn Bowling Club hosted its inaugural Shanghai Singles event, inspired by the PBA Shanghai Singles. This event offers competitive, emerging, and social players an opportunity for Singles practice during the winter season.

The Shanghai format, borrowed from darts, has been adapted for bowls. Players compete in rinks of three, each using three bowls. Scoring is straightforward: the closest bowl earns three points, the second closest two points, and the third closest one point, totalling six points per end.

Big Day Out for the 1-5s!

The Auckland Bowling Club staged its second Year 1-5 Singles Champ of Champs event over the weekend just gone and was rewarded with considerable interest from players further afield than just Auckland.

The Champ of Champs Fours may have been the headline act over the weekend, but the newer players attracted their share of attention. Last year the tournament was restricted to players from Auckland centre but the decision was taken to open it to anyone in 2024, thinking that maybe a few players from North Harbour and Counties might play.

Greame Scott presenting to:
Top (L-R): Semi-finalists Bim Wilkinson from Russell, Angela Moon from One Tree Point,
Bottom (L-R): Runner up: Clinton Smith from Hobsonville, Winner: Matthew Wesche from Hunua

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