Slash and churn: Water polo back up and running in Gisborne after 60 years

Water polo has made a return in Gisborne after a lengthy break. Members of the Tairāwhiti Slash squad are, back row (from left): Kellann Kemp, Macario Mangiacaballi, Zoli Boros and Andrew Ing. Middle row 1: Chris Lunny, Jose Castano and Crystal Barnard. Middle row 2: William Henstock, Roxy Adams and Daniel Grabenheinrich. Front: James Starnes and George Longhurst.

If Tairāwhiti Slash sounds like a play on words for a water polo team intent on water-borne mayhem, it probably is.

Gisborne had a water polo team “60-odd years ago”, but then the sport took a break in this district.

Now Gisborne has the Tairāwhiti Slash travelling to competitions, and they’re doing well.

They finished second of five teams at the New Zealand Open Masters Water Polo Championships held over two days in Hastings this month.

They beat Hawke’s Bay Scoundrels 13-12, Hawke’s Bay Rogues 15-11 and Hawke’s Bay Roguettes 12-6, but lost to Canterbury 13-9.

The tournament was held over a weekend at the Hawke’s Bay Regional Aquatic Centre.

The opening of Gisborne’s Kiwa Pools complex just over a year ago provided impetus for the revival of water polo in the city.

Tairāwhiti Water Polo chairman Matthew Pickering coached the team until the arrival of former Hungarian professional Zoli Boros six weeks ago.

Boros was born in Szolnok, Hungary – a town known for its thriving water polo scene. He started learning the game at the age of 12. His first coach was Istvan Hasznos, a member of the gold-medal-winning Hungarian side at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki.

Boros represented Hungary for the first time in 1994. He was a member of the Under-16 and U18 sides, making a total of 25 appearances.

He made his debut in the Hungarian elite division (OB1) at the age of 15 and was contracted as a professional player straight after graduating from high school.

He played for two teams – Szolnok and Szeged – in the elite Hungarian competition. In all, he played about 260 games in 10 seasons as a professional and averaged almost a goal a game.

During this time he appeared in numerous Hungarian Cup and European Cup polo fixtures, as well as tournaments around the world.

“I was lucky enough to play alongside Tamas Molnar, Tamas Varga, Gergely Kiss and Zoltan Szecsi, who are in possession of 11 Olympic gold medals,” Boros said.

In 2005, he decided to move to New Zealand.

He was selected for the New Zealand men’s team in 2006 and competed at the 2007 Fina World Championships in Melbourne.

Former Hungarian professional Zoli Boros at a water polo training session at the Kiwa Pools in Gisborne. Boros is playing a prominent role in the local revival of the sport, including the formation of the Tairawhiti Slash representative team.

Boros was captain of the New Zealand side when he retired from international water polo in 2007.

He represented Canterbury and the QEII Crushers in the New Zealand national league from 2006 to 2019, and has attended numerous national tournaments as a coach and referee.

He was head coach of St Margaret’s College water polo from 2006 to 2017, Canterbury Water Polo from 2014 to 2018, and Rangi Ruru Girls’ School from 2019 to 2023, during which time they won bronze at the national champs (2021). It was the first time a South Island school had won won a medal at the nationals since 1987.

In more recent years, Boros has been New Zealand Schoolboys head coach in 2019 and New Zealand senior men’s head coach in 2019 and 2020. He coached the national U18 women’s team to eighth place at the 2022 world championships and the U20 women’s team to eighth at the 2023 worlds.

In 2022 he received a New Zealand Water Polo Service Award and was made a life member of Canterbury Water Polo.

Outside the pool, he worked in recruitment for the Lyttelton Port Company.

Now 46, he has moved north with Gisborne-raised wife Alexandra (nee Sherriff). They are renovating a building they own in the central business district, and will live in it.

Boros is optimistic about the future of water polo in this district.

“It’s a small sport here at the moment but it’s the oldest team sport at the Olympics,” he said.

“Gisborne has so much talent and untapped potential. We’re trying to get a Year 5 and 6 competition off the ground and we’re looking to get a Gisborne Boys’ High School team off to the nationals next year.”

A water polo team has seven players in the water – one of them being a goalkeeper – and teams can have up to six substitutes. Swimming ability is a key requirement for participation, although Year 5 and 6 players compete in a pool where they can stand on the bottom.

“Water polo has an element of rugby, where you are wrestling with people; elements of handball, where you throw the ball; and it has the set-up aspect of basketball, where you have a central player and others on the perimeter.

“Everyone plays defence and offence, so the positions can vary.”

Where numbers are high, men and women have their own competitions, but mixed teams are also possible.

“The higher the level of competition, the more separation exists between men’s and women’s teams,” Boros said.

Water polo enthusiasts get together at Kiwa Pools on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6.15pm. Those interested can get more information on the Tairawhiti Water Polo Facebook page.