Sports History NZ

Mark Graham is widely regarded as the best rugby league player to ever come out of New Zealand, and that's not just us saying it, in 2007 he was named the New Zealand player of the century and was the first Kiwi inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame.

Gilbert Enoka knows about mental toughness. The coach and author is best known for his time with the All Blacks - he worked with them for 23 years. Now other international teams are calling on his insight on finding the winning edge.

In 2001, Sheila was the first female trainer to win the Melbourne Cup, with a horse named Ethereal. In 2024 she became the first woman to win it twice when Knight's Choice crossed the line first. The success doesn't stop there, in 2025 she was honored at the NZ Thoroughbred Racing Awards.

Very few people make it to five Olympic games. Even fewer make it to six. But that's a feat that para-alpine skier Adam Hall is set to achieve in 2026, when he competes at the 2026 Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter games.

Marathon runner Lorraine Moller took part in the first ever Women's Olympic Marathon at the 1984 LA Olympics, coming fifth. Over her 20-year career she ended up running marathons in four Olympics, winning bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

In 1988 Angela Walker became just the second New Zealander to compete in Rhythmic Gymnastics at the Olympics. Despite that being 37 years ago, no one else has repeated that feat since. Angela joins Jesse to discuss the highs, lows, pirouettes, and leaps of her sporting career.

The All Blacks versus Springboks is a rivalry almost as old as the game itself. We look back on some of the great All Blacks vs Springboks moments. Veteran sports journalist and broadcaster Phil Gifford chats to Emile.

Emma Gilmour is a trailblazer in motor-racing. She became the first woman to win a round of the New Zealand Rally Championship when she claimed victory in the 2016 Rally of Canterbury. She then went on to become the first ever woman driver for McLaren Racing in 2022.

Nicknamed the Hairy Javelin, Grant Elliot began his cricketing career in his native South Africa. But a move to New Zealand would set up him up for an international career that saw him compete in all formats of the game. He looks back on the big moments.

Amelia Kerr plays cricket for Wellington, and internationally for New Zealand. She is the youngest person to score a double century in a One Day International. She was named player of the tournament at the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup after helping New Zealand win the trophy for the first time.

When it comes to sport and to broadcasting, there isn't much Ric Salizzo hasn't done. He got his start as a sports journalist before joining the All Blacks as the teams' first media manager. Ric is behind SportsCafe, which is now a podcast Sportscafe-ish and The Crowd Goes Wild.

New Zealand rugby lost another great with Stu Wilson dying at the age of 70. For most of his career, Stu served as a winger, playing 85 games for the All Blacks and almost 200 for Wellington. Sports journalist and broadcaster Phil Gifford joins Jesse to look back at Stu Wilson's career.