Some of the region’s stories are stepping out of storage and into the spotlight. The Guardian Motueka and Golden Bay is working with the Motueka District Museum to showcase items from its extensive collection of locally relevant material, highlighting objects that reflect everyday life across the district.
This historic banner, used from 1895 to 1914, served as the coveted prize for local cricket teams in the Motueka & District Cricket Association. Teams from around the district, including Woodstock, Upper Moutere, Lower Moutere, Motueka, Riwaka, Brooklyn and Neudorf competed for this coveted banner.
In 1914, the banner, now filled with the names of winning teams, was awarded to the Brooklyn club in recognition of their remarkable success winning the championship 10 times in 18 years, including nine consecutive victories. As smaller clubs disbanded, the competition was later amalgamated into the broader Nelson/Tasman competition during the 1960s and 1970s.
In 1922, the Newman Shield replaced the banner as the prize for matches between Nelson City, Waimea, Tapawera, Midlands (Murchison), Motueka, Takaka, and Marlborough.
The banner itself was forgotten until it was rediscovered in the late 1990s in a forlorn corner of the Motueka Cricket Club, along with a 1900 photograph of the Brookyln team proudly posing with it in the background. Recognizing its significance, the Motueka Cricket Club protected and framed the banner, which later came under the museum’s custodianship in 2024. The photograph is held by the Motueka Historical Association.
The banner represents more than just sporting success; it is a relic of a bygone era symbolizing competition, community, and local pride.
View the Motueka District Museum’s local treasures at 140 High Street. Opening hours are Tuesday to Friday 10am-3pm, and Sunday 10am-2pm.
