Henry Manoy (24 November 1879 – 15 December 1954) was a New Zealand merchant and sports administrator. He served as president of the

New Zealand Rugby Football Union New Zealand Rugby (NZR) is the governing body of rugby union in New Zealand. It was founded in 1892 as the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU), 12 years after the first provincial unions in New Zealand. In 1949 it became an affiliate to t ...

from 1927 to 1928.

Early life and family

Manoy was born in Napier in 1879, the son of Jewish Russian storekeeper and merchant Abraham Manoy and Australian-born Maria Moss. They moved to

Motueka Motueka is a town in the South Island of New Zealand, close to the mouth of the Motueka River on the western shore of Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere. It is the second largest in the Tasman Region, with a population of as of The surrounding dis ...

in 1882, and Manoy was educated at

Nelson College Nelson College is the oldest state secondary school in New Zealand. It is an all-boys school in the City of Nelson that teaches from years 9 to 13. In addition, it runs a private preparatory school for year 7 and 8 boys. The school also has ...

from 1894 to 1896. After 10 years working in Wellington and South Africa, he returned to Motueka, where he joined his father to form A. Manoy and Sons, a general merchants company. His brother Lionel's second wife was the painter Mina Arndt.

Sports administration

Manoy was a strong advocate for the formation of the

Golden Bay-Motueka Rugby Union The Golden Bay-Motueka Rugby Union was the governing body for rugby union in the Motueka and Golden Bay area, in the northwest of the South Island of New Zealand, between 1920 and 1967. History The Golden Bay-Motueka Rugby Union was formed in 192 ...

, and went on to serve as that union's president. He was elected president of the New Zealand Rugby Football Union in 1927 for a one-year term, and was also active as a foundation member of the Motueka golf and bowling clubs, and as an official of the Motueka athletics club.

Death

Manoy died in Motueka in 1954. He had never married.

References

1879 births 1954 deaths Sportspeople from Napier, New Zealand New Zealand Jews New Zealand people of Russian-Jewish descent People educated at Nelson College New Zealand Rugby Football Union officials {{NewZealand-rugbyunion-bio-1870s-stub