William George Kini (9 July 1937 – 30 August 2012) was a New Zealand heavyweight boxer and

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

prop A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

. He won a gold medal for boxing at the

1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Kingston, Jamaica, from 4 to 13 August 1966. This was the first time that the Games had been held outside the so-called White Dominions. They were followed by the 1966 Commonwealth P ...

and placed second in the

1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Perth, Australia, from 22 November to 1 December 1962. Athletic events were held at Perry Lakes Stadium in the suburb of Floreat and swimming events at Beatty Park in North Perth. The ...

Biography

Kini was born in Winton in 1937. Of Ngāi Tahu descent, he was educated at Southland Technical College in

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

. He won the first of his seven New Zealand heavyweight boxing titles in 1959. At the

he won the silver medal in the 81–91 kg (heavyweight) division.Profile at the New Zealand Olympic Committee website
Retrieved 17 May 2013. Four years later, he won gold in the same division at the Kingston Commonwealth Games. In the early 1960s, Kini played prop for the Otahuhu rugby team in the Auckland club competition, winning the

Gallaher Shield The Gallaher Shield is awarded to the winner of the Auckland Rugby Football Union senior premier competition, and was first awarded in 1922. The shield is named in honour of Dave Gallaher, an early stalwart of Ponsonby, Auckland and New Zealand ...

four times. He also captained the Auckland Māori rugby team. Kini and his family moved to Whangārei in 1980. He was the strapper and masseur for the Northland rugby team for 11 years until 2003. He was inducted into the New Zealand Māori Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. Kini died in Whangārei in 2012, as a result of complications from a cancerous tumour on his spine.

References

1937 births 2012 deaths People from Winton, New Zealand Ngāi Tahu people Heavyweight boxers Boxers at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Boxers at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games gold medallists for New Zealand Commonwealth Games silver medallists for New Zealand New Zealand male boxers People educated at Aurora College (Invercargill) New Zealand Māori sportspeople Commonwealth Games medallists in boxing Medallists at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games {{NewZealand-boxing-bio-stub