2025 Nationals, Hawkes Bay/Poverty Bay, Hawkes Bay Golf Club

2025 hosted by Hawkes Bay/Poverty Bay Association, at the Hawkes Bay Golf Club
The course is located south of Napier, a short 20-minute drive from our accommodation at the Blue Water Hotel.
Situated in the heart of the renowned Gimblett Gravels wine region, the club offers a picturesque setting with wide, tree-lined fairways and generally large greens.
Originally known as Flaxmere Golf Club, it is the youngest of the four major courses in the region and was designed by Commander John Harris on 142 acres of pumice land.
With a generous practice area, there would be no excuses for bad golf this week, apart from the possibility of some generous socialising!!

Saturday saw all the teams travelling early to Napier, Auckland had arranged to play Cape Kidnappers in the afternoon, but all would not pan out for the unfortunate members of the team travelling from Auckland, with a major fog delay descending upon the airport.
Travel plan rearrangements meant they did not arrive in Napier until 6:30 pm With no floodlighting at the Cape, they headed off to the local bar instead.
Aucklanders Jamie Dempster, who had driven to Napier and Michael Leggoe, who was able to get on an alternate flight, and the Canterbury boys did get to play, on what was a perfect day weather-wise.
The scores were a little mixed, as it is a pretty good test of golf.

Bryce and the Tasman/Marlborough/West Coast team checked out the Hastings Golf Club "Bridge Pa", one of the top courses in the region, if not New Zealand.
Matt Pickering and his merry band of men from Middle Districts visited the Abbey Road winery on the way up from Palmy, with great music and an abundance of quality wines to taste, their weekend of preparation would be well underway 🙂
Wellington also travelled up on Saturday, stopping at Dannevirke for a game. By all accounts, a great little course.
The weekend started like it ended for Wellington, pretty much. Harriet cleaned up for Stablefords as she did the rest of the weekend and took the boys' money.
A few of the players set their first goal that night: to stay up for the sunrise. Mission achieved with a 5:30 am bedtime. Golf suffered from there on in.
A fairly non-eventful arrival for the Southland team, leaving Invercargill at 10:30 am via CHCH & landing in Napier at 3:30 pm. Chris picked them up from the airport, booked them into the Hotel, all got changed & went directly to the Water Bar, followed by more bars further down the street.
The WBOP team, after driving from Tauranga and Hamilton, didn’t arrive until mid-afternoon, which had included a rendezvous in Taupo for lunch.
A quick check in, then the rest of the day was spent in the Thirsty Whale.
Not a heck of a lot else to report from the WBOP boys apart from a few on Sunday morning, suffering from a rather big Saturday night.
Otago arrived in Napier around midday Saturday after leaving Dunedin at 6:30 am, checked into the Hotel and then went to the Hastings Golf Club to have a chip and putt plus a couple of beers.
Afterwards, back to the Hotel and off to the Thirsty Whale to join the Middle Districts crew, dinner, and a catch-up with the other teams.
"Seems like a common theme happening here"!!
Aarangi flew in via Ch-Ch to Wellington, then to Napier and collected their van from the Hawkes Bay Team.
Checked into the Hotel, then went to the Maraenui Golf Course for a round. Even though the booking was mistakenly written down for the following Saturday,!!! they still accommodated the guys.
They all loved the course and had a combined Stableford match 4 on 4, results yet to be provided 🙂
The writer is not sure if they ended up at the Thirsty Whale, but pretty good odds that might have been the case!!
And so Day One came to a close at whatever hour seemed appropriate 🙂

Practice Day

Sunday practice rounds kicked off around 11 a.m. with Hawkes Bay/Poverty Bay leading the way, not sure why they need a practice round, with it being local knowledge for most of them 🙂
Others definitely benefited from knowing what conditions lay ahead for the event proper.
We were all well and truly introduced to weather hotter than an "Indian vindaloo", sunblock, hydration and hiding from the sun high on the to-do list.
Our hosts provided a light meal at the clubhouse afterwards, many thanks to Carl and Jaco on the BBQ, and the HBPB team toiling away in the kitchen.
The bar was also getting a good workout, although some not so much after pushing the boat out a little too far on Saturday night.
Many thanks to Rangi & Pat in the Bar, "was it just me or was one barperson in particular more enthusiastic than the other 🙂 :)"
By the end of the day, most had surveyed the go-to and where not to go to shots, the greens proving a little tricky for most, however, as they say, "it's the same for everyone" except for those jammy putters like Pradeep Kumar, who I heard, only has to get the ball rolling to make them.
The course was presented in pretty good condition by the greenskeeper, given the humid weather the region had been experiencing, making it tough to keep weeds and the greens drying out at bay.
Thank you to Craig and the greens staff for the hard work preparing the course.

Yes indeed, give way or duck!!!

Above, "pitmaster extraordinaire" Kerry Ross from NHP provided an ongoing feast over the two days of competition; many thanks to Kerry and NHP for his kind services.

Day One
Monday morning roll call is set for 11:00 am to get all the photos taken care of.
Many thanks to photographer Leigh Bedford for her attention to detail and for managing to control the teams
into some semblance of order.
NOTE: If you want copies of any of the photos on this website, please contact us at: admin@nzelectricalgolf.co.nz.

Tasman

Waikato

Southland

Otago - Front row: Ben Gunn, Trevor King, Allan Brocklebank, Jack Kennedy: Back row: Richard Knight, Lachlan Coutts, Tom Burns, Jayden Smith

Middle Districts

Hawkes Bay

Canterbury

Auckland Left to Right: James McKim, Jamie Dempster, Brian Cronin, Toby Snape, Jeremy Williams, Brian Hemingway, Mike Leggoe, Tiger

Aorangi

Wellington

The Executive Committee are the gentlemen who provide their time willingly to bring us the success that our NZ Electrical Trades Golf Association continues to be.
Gavin, Brian, Chris, James, Jamie, Bryce, Roy, Ben and Scott, many thanks from all of the attendees at this year's National tournament, and from those who enjoy the success of our Regional events.
Along with the generosity of our sponsors, the tournament continues to thrive as a go-to event for golfers in the electrical industry.

A collection of the sponsors who attended this year's tournament. Paul Doolan (National Sales Manager, Zumbotel Lighting), Blake Luff (Business Development Manager) F&P Haier) Regan Cameron (J.A. Russell Ltd) Greg Johnson (Country Manager, Clevertronics), James Teague (National Sales Manager, First Flex Cables)

With photos and pre-round briefing taken care of, it was off to our allocated holes for a 12:00 pm Shotgun start.
Some had further to walk than others, "for some reason", the Waikato Boys seem to get a lucky break on starting tee's, last year and again this year, !!"there has to be an investigation"!!

Many thanks to the Hawkes Bay/Poverty Bay team and Golf Staff for providing another quality meal for the team post golf.
The Pro-Shop provided a daily 2's competition. A big vote of thanks to Tania and Darryn in the Pro-Shop.
Tania in particular went the distance with the results, a minor spanner was provided by someone who shall remain anonymous, until he does it again, then I am sure the Tasman/Marlborough/West Coast boys will happily give him up.!!
Nearest Pin prizes were provided by Hawkes Bay/Poverty Bay and Richard Knight; the RWK Holesaws N/P were highly sought after.
Longest Drive on the 10th Hole was provided by Greg Johnson from Clevertronics, taken out by Aorangi's Chris Diederiks with a very impressive 316 metres.
Unlike many of the fine athletic specimens in attendance this weekend, Chris looks like he may pay more attention to his physical preparation 🙂

Day One Winners

Craig Burnett (Aorangi) Best Par, presented by James Teague, National Sales Manager for First Flex Cables.

Josh Evemy (WBOP) Best Stableford, presented by James Teague.

Brett McDougall Best Nett, presented by Richard Gray, J.A. Russell Lt Napier.

Stuart Amos (Canterbury) Best Gross, presented by Richard Gray.

Nearest Pin winner Day One (left), Stu Wiles, presented by RWK Holesaws DIrector, Richard Knight

Nearest Pin winner Day Two, Lachlan Coutts, presented by Richard Knight.

Sponsors, Greg Johnson, James Teague and Paul Doolan.

The presentation of raffle prize winners "below" is definitely a South Island benefit day!!!

Chris Martin presents Grant Thomson, from Canterbury, the First Flex Chilli Bin and other goodies.

Chris congratulates Nige Starkie, Canterbury, on winning the $200.00 money raffle.

The "luckiest guy of the weekend" Ben Gunn, who also won a bit of cash in the trotting cup sweepstake!!

A couple of fitting tributes to two of our recently departed national team members.

Nige Starkie spoke about Matt Evers-Charmichael above, a celebrated member of the Canterbury Team over several years, who cannot forget Matt's unfortunate exodus from the Methven Tournament after falling into the creek outside the Blue Pub at some ungodly hour 🙂

Scott Applegate spoke about Ray (Horse) Horsefield above, a long-time member of the Hawkes Bay Golf Club and member of the Hawkes Bay/Poverty Bay Team.

Day Two Results
Day Two followed along in a similar vein as on Day One, with some performances improving but most declining.
I cannot imagine why, perhaps the continuation of excess socialising, after all, isn't it the original intention of this weekend, to gather together to renew past friendships and encourage fellowship within the industry?
On a real kiwi bloke level, this and over-indulging seem to go hand in hand 🙂
The weather again was perfect, the course exactly where we left it the day before, with all its challenges still there to please some and disappoint others.
For those who think it may have been a little too tricky, consider our two-round Gross winners' scores, "It can be done" 🙂

Steve Price(MD) Best Par presented by Richard Gray

Matt Pickering(MD) Best Stableford, presented by Richard Gray

Marty Forsman(WBOP) Best Nett, presented by Gavin Clarke

Lachlan Coutts(Otago) Best Gross, presented by Gavin

Words of appreciation for a stalwart of the Hawke's Bay/Poverty Bay Association,
and the National Committee

This year, Scott Applegate has chosen to end all his roles within the Hawke's Bay/Poverty Bay Association and the National body.
Chris Martin spoke about Scott's history within Hawkes Bay/Poverty Bay, offering Scott a glowing vote of thanks for his efforts over the many years of working with the association, as well as his tireless work within the National Body.
Scott is stepping back from these roles to focus on enjoying golf. We will hopefully not have seen the last of Scott, as he will continue to work at making the Hawke's Bay Team.
A vote of thanks from the National Committee, Scott, you have been an immeasurable contributor to Sponsor relations, and your knowledge of the tournament requirements over the years was invaluable.
Pictured below right,

Hi jinks between two great mates, Chris Martin taking the opportunity to roast Scott 🙂

Scott and his wife Kate, "Who, truth be known, was probably the real organiser of all things noteworthy lol"

A grand feast was provided by once again the Hawkes Bay/Poverty Bay team many thanks to Scott, Chris and the team of Russell, Carl, Tom, Fred, Jaco and Dean, the golf club staff, Tania, Darren, Don, Max and particular thanks to Natalie, Rangi and Pat.

Prize-giving was attended by some of our event sponsors who provided their services in the presentation of the trophies.
Greg Johnson (Country Manager, Clevertronics), James Teague (National Sales Manager, First Flex Cables) and Paul Doolan (National Sales Manager, Zumbotel Lighting), and Kerry Ross (Business Development Manager, NHP Tauranga.
Apologies were received from those who were looking forward to attending; however, due to work commitments were unable to Chris Brown(F&P Haier), Brent Fearon(Signify), and Leigh Blade(ABB).
As per tradition, all the newbies were asked to stand and be congratulated on their attendance. On a quick count, it looked to be around fifteen to twenty, many of whom represented the younger sector of our industry, which reflects both a youthful keenness to take part in the event and a good indication of the future of our industry.,
Trophies were awarded to the worthy winners, with special mention to our newbie Dean Gray, who is our new Trade Champion.
Dean is also representing Hawkes Bay in the 2025 Men's Interprovincial that will be held at Manawatu Golf Club from December 2-6, 2025. Keep an eye out for Dean's achievements in the future!
Brian Cronin was introduced as our new Life Member in recognition of his commitment and services to our association.
The main prize giving was followed by the Inter-Provincial bragging rights trophy presentation, "some believe these are the real reason for attending the tournament :)"
Jamie closed the evening with a mention that next year's National Tournament will be held in the Canterbury region, venue yet to be confirmed.
Thank you to all our attendees and our National Sponsors for making 2025 another memorable year of the celebration of this great tournament.

Overall Singles Winners

Carl Cotter from Hawkes Bay/Poverty Bay, "left" wins the ETCO Cup for Par 36 Hole winner, presented by Kerry Ross (Business Development Manager NHP)

Brad Eyre from the Middle Districts, "left", wins the ECANZ Trophy for Stableford 36 Hole winner, presented by Scott Applegate.

Many thanks to Kerry and NHP for providing the halfway house BBQ over the weekend.

Jackson Archillies "left" from WBOP wins the BJC/Schneider Electric Cup for Nett 36 Hole Winner presented by Matt Pickering ( National Sales Manager for Schneider Electric Automation)

Dean Gray "left" from Hawkes Bay wins the GTS Cup and sponsors Silver Salver for Gross 36 Hole Winner presented by Bryce Currie (Business Development Manager Radcliffe Electrical Ltd)

Singles Trophy Winners Scoring

Team Winners

Auckland, Clipsal Cup, Gross Champions, presented by Matt Pickering from Schneider Electric New Zealand, "hiding in the photo to appear as part of the team" 🙂

Waikato/Bay of Plenty, PDL/Schneider Cup, Nett Champions, presented by "a little more obvious" Matt Pickering.

Middle Districts, General Cables Cup, Stableford Champions, presented by Scott Applegate.

Aorangi, Corys Cup, Par Champions presented by Chris Martin.

Gross runners-up, Canterbury, presented by Paul Doolan

Nett runners-up, Southland, presented by Paul Doolan

Stableford runners-up, Hawkes Bay, presented by Paul Doolan.

Par runners-up, Wellington, presented by Paul Doolan.

Team Winners Results

Inter-Island Contest

Philips Cup
The Philips Cup inaugural event was held at the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Tournament 2014 at the Omanu Golf Club. Won by the team of Allan Fayen, Jamie Dempster and Brian Ralph from Wellington.
This year, the trophy was hotly contested, with Canterbury getting out to an early advantage after Day One.
The eventual winner!!......well, on the night, due to a small calculation glitch, the trophy was awarded to Canterbury; however, after further calculations, and final results were added, it appears a tie was found between Canterbury and Waikato/Bay of Plenty.
Countbacks abound....Judge for yourselves, the results program finds in favour of Canterbury on a countback!!
The author believes a tie would be a fair result, "officially agreed by executive order" 🙂

Philips Cup