The life of former Tasman Mako captain Shane Christie was celebrated yesterday after he died at home in Nelson last week, aged just 39.
Shane’s funeral was held at the Trafalgar Centre on Tuesday afternoon, where family, friends, and former teammates gathered to pay tribute.
Leading the service, close friend Paul Hampton described Shane as someone who left a lasting mark on those around him.
“Shane was such a great character and so special to so many people. What a special guy he was,” Paul said.
“It’s a privilege to be given the opportunity to be involved in his farewell. He achieved so many wonderful things and was so great to so many people. Condolences to his wonderful family and his friends.”
Raised in Canvastown, Shane began playing rugby at the age of six and went on to carve out an impressive professional career. A dynamic openside flanker, he captained the Mako with pride, leading them to their first trophy in 2013 when they won the ITM Championship.
His leadership qualities were quickly recognised at higher levels, where he co-captained the Highlanders to their maiden Super Rugby title in 2015 and also captained the Māori All Blacks.
But his career was cut short by repeated concussions, which forced him into retirement at just 32. The post-concussion symptoms never fully eased, and Shane became a strong advocate for greater awareness of the long-term dangers of head injuries in rugby.
Former teammate and current Mako Ethan Blackadder said Shane had been an inspiring figure when he first joined the Tasman squad.
“Shane was a player I looked up to when I came into the Tasman squad as a 20-year-old. He was a Mako man for life.”
On Saturday night, before the Mako played Otago, the Trafalgar Park crowd observed a minute’s silence to remember their former captain and the players wore black armbands in his memory.
Away from the game, Shane was known as loyal, humble, and fiercely proud of his roots.
His friend and lawyer Craig Morice also spoke at his funeral.
“I will miss our chats over a peppermint tea sitting outside Pomeroys in town with [Shane’s dog] Rajah lying on the ground inevitably blocking the entrance to the cafe. Shane loved rugby and never wanted to destroy it. He simply wanted to make it safer for all with his advocacy work on CTE in the game. Slowly but surely, I’m sure his work will make the game safer in New Zealand.”
