OUR STORY
EST. 1965
Back in 1965 one of the local pony club teams was picked to go to Christchurch representing Northland. Not many people had had their own horse transport at the time so Cliff McIntosh and Edgar Cliff put their heads together and came up with the idea of running a rodeo to raise money for the trip.
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Originally based in Kamo, the rodeo was an absolute success! Following this, the Mid Northern Rodeo Assn was born, with the first official rodeo as a club the following year.
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Now based in Maungatapere, the club has a successful line of bucking horses and has seen plenty of determined cowboys and cowgirls get involved.
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THE BRONCS
Back in 1965 horse transport was few and far between and for the first Mid Northern Rodeo, horses had to be borrowed from the Kaitaia Rodeo Club.
This meant that over the course of a few weeks a team of helpers drove the horses from Kaitaia to Kamo. Stopping in at farms every couple of days for a break; the trip was a long one. They would cover 6km a day with plenty of breaks to ensure the horses were in good condition for the rodeo ahead! The trip home was even longer with horses staying at farms for 2-3 weeks at time.
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The following year the rodeo sought out the horses that had taken a liking to bucking - show jumpers, hunters, stock horses – any one would do, as long as they loved to buck! Mid Northern has continued the tradition of intercepting horses destined for the dog tucker truck by giving them a new purpose in life to this day.
THE PEOPLE
Mid Northern Rodeo Club is lucky enough to have a large variety of people. Young or old, rider or not, Mid Northern has a place for you.
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We have members who have been around from the start, like our Patron, past president of 31 years, and long standing life member - Gramps
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To new and up and coming riders, learning the ropes (excuse the pun) of rodeo.
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What we all have in common is our love of rodeo and sharing that passion with the community and each other.
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32 Kokopu Block Rd
The year was 1976 and the original rodeo block was up for sale. Mid Northern Rodeo club had grown and enthusiasm was at an all time high. The club had raised money and sold debentures until they had the funds to buy a block of their own.
Some dedicated cowboys had been searching all around the area for an ideal space at an ideal price when Paddy Malone came into the picture. A section of his farm that would suit the rodeo was cut off and saved for the club until he was ready to let it go (at a very reasonable price).
And then the work began!