Commonwealth Games
Events > Commonwealth Games > Countries > New Zealand
New Zealand
Trivia
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New Zealand is one of only six nations have attended every Commonwealth Games (The others are Australia, Canada, England, Scotland and Wales).
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New Zealand have also hosted the Commonwealth Games on three occasions; 1950, 1974 and 1990. The latter Games in Auckland produced 58 medals for the host nation, 17 of which were gold.
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New Zealand joined the Commonwealth in 1931. This South Pacific nation is made up of two large islands (North and South Islands), Stewart Island and a number of offshore islands too. See map of New Zealand.
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The Maori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa, 'Land of the Long White Cloud', and the residents are commonly known as Kiwis.
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The Kiwis made history in 1998 when they won the first ever Commonwealth Games Rugby 7's gold medal by defeating Fiji in the final. A feat they repeated in Manchester in 2002 with the Fijians once again securing the runners up spot.
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New Zealander Yvette Williams became a Games legend when she won gold in the discus, shot put and long jump at the 1954 Vancouver games.
