Derek Browning of Whangārei will soon notch up his 100th game as the Taniwha mascot.
Photo / Michael Cunningham
Derek Browning of Whangārei will soon notch up his 100th game as the Taniwha mascot.
Photo / Michael Cunningham
Northland rugby rockstar Derek Browning will soon notch up a century of games for his beloved province — as the Taniwha mascot that is.
Like a string of players who have played at the highest level but haven't laid their hands on the William Webb Ellis Cup, holding aloft the Ranfurly Shield won by Northland is one of his dreams.
"I'd love to walk off the plane with the Shield," he said with a glint in his eyes.
He's been a part of Northland's two unsuccessful Log o' Wood challenges — against Waikato in Hamilton and Hawke's Bay in Napier.
Browning's 100th game as the Taniwha mascot is in Kaikohe where Northland will take on Manawatu in the last Bunnings Warehouse NPC match on October 2.
Arguably the only NPC team mascot that travels to all Northland matches throughout New Zealand, he first donned the distinctive garb in 2013 after returning from Australia where he lived for six years.
"I went to a lot of the league games there and all the league teams have got a mascot. I watched the mascots and thought 'that will be real cool to do'.
"So when I came back to Whangārei, I approached the Northland Rugby Union to volunteer my time on game days, or put up the pads, or just whatever was required, and a couple of days later they rung me up and said 'would you like to be the mascot? I said absolutely."
He then walked the streets in Whangārei and door knocked for sponsorship so he could fulfil the role the best he could. Sponsors cover all his costs.
A Ranfurly Shield win by Northland is a dream for Derek Browning, aka the Taniwha mascot.
Photo / Michael Cunningham
Browning loves to particularly entertain kids while Northland games are on but tries to keep an eye on the pitch if it's a tense match and has a "few words" to the assistant referee without any repercussion.
But he did miss two Taniwha games since 2013.
"The union down in Manawatū told us we couldn't go because one of our big supporters pissed off one of the officials at Manawatū so they banned us for a couple of seasons."
He flew to Nelson on Thursday morning for Northland's game against Tasman on Saturday returned to Whangārei on Sunday, will work on Monday then drive down to Tauranga for the Taniwha v Bay of Plenty match on Wednesday.
He usually goes to Northland's away game venues a day or two in advance to promote the upcoming match which usually involves visiting kids in hospital.
Browning will continue as the Taniwha mascot as long as the Northland Rugby Union allowed him to.
"I am pretty well known all over New Zealand. There's people always coming up to me and saying 'how you going Taniwha' and stuff.
"The legacy of the Taniwha mascot keeps me going, the mascot's been going since 1971 so we had 50-year anniversary last year and I am just out there promoting it so that in future years it's still part of Northland rugby.
"Being the mascot personnel I am trying to make it a position that other people want to have. You're like a rockstar...kids just come running for you and they want your signatures, they want your photos,they want to touch your hand, they want to touch the shield, they want to holds the shield and this is what it's all about too in future years.
"As a kid, I always remembered the Taniwha and now I am embedding this into these kids." Browning reckons this year's Northland team is the best in 10 years and is confident of its chances.
His favourite Taniwha players are Matt Moulds, Matt Matich and Ross Wright.
