Bowlers Update
28 August 2024
Club History – About Naenae Bowling Club
Welcome to Naenae Bowling Club.
The community club at the heart of the community.
Naenae Bowls is a professionally managed, innovative and progressive organisation with a diverse range of members and visitors.
As a bowling club, we can host up to 264 players, plus many more supporters, across 3 outdoor natural greens and our world-class indoor arena. Naenae Bowls hosts several Bowls Wellington and Bowls New Zealand events each year including the Ryman Healthcare Bowls Wellington Finals Weekend which attracts up to 300 spectators and the Bowls NZ Bowls3Five National Interclub Finals. Both events are live-streamed. The club is hosting the World Bowls Champion of Champions Singles event in November 2022 and again in 2023.
The Naenae Bowling Club was established in 1945 after the founding committee met with the Lower Hutt City Council to negotiate a lease on what was then the Naenae Reserve in Witako Street. From its inception the NBC has set a very high standard both on and off the green. The Naenae Bowling Club officials have been of a high calibre and have made sound decisions that have placed the Club in the sound financial position it is in today.
A major contributor to the successful administration of the club in the early years was the continuity of members of the executive committee. M. J. Hoult was secretary for 36 years and W.D. Clout and W.D. Flynn served as Club treasurer for 12 and 16 years respectively. The Club was also extremely fortunate to have Harry Price serve on the committee in the 1990’s. At that time Harry was CEO of the Westpac Trust Bank and played a major role in the Club purchasing the house in front of the Club, a prudent investment at the time.
While the Club has had many members who have unselfishly given their time serving in different roles, Charlie Duncan, Arie Molenaar, Eric Wells and Paul Western deserve special mention. These four gentlemen gave significant amounts of their personal time keeping the clubrooms clean and operating the bar.
Up until 2008 the Club was made up of male playing members only. This changed during the 2008 – 09 season when women became full playing members of the Club.
In 2012 the Hutt City Council presented the Club with a proposal to build a new bowling facility on Mildenhall Park which would incorporate the 2 existing greens used by the Park Avenue Bowling Club and the construction of a new outdoor green, plus an indoor stadium and new clubrooms. It would also involve the merging of the Naenae and Park Avenue Bowling Clubs.
In May 2013 a special general meeting was held to consider the HCC proposal. While initially there was a great degree of reluctance and sadness from the NBC’s point of view at the thought of moving from a site that had been our home for 68 years, the club unselfishly voted for the future and endorsed the Council’s proposal. The $6.25m world class facility, which incorporates an indoor stadium, was opened on 1st September 2017 and has already hosted regional, national and international bowling events.
The perfect venue for your event
We are happy to show you around the club and provide a tailored quote based on your requirements and availability. We look forward to hosting you and your guests soon.
