William George Kini (9 July 1937 – 30 August 2012) was a New Zealand heavyweight boxer and

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

prop A prop, formally known as a (theatrical) property, is an object actors use on stage or screen during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

. He won a gold medal for boxing at the

1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Kingston, Jamaica, from 4 to 13 August 1966. This was the first time that the Games had been held outside the so-called White Dominions. The event was followed by the 1966 Commonweal ...

and placed second in the

1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Perth, Western Australia, from 22 November to 1 December 1962. Athletic events were held at Perry Lakes Stadium in the suburb of Floreat and swimming events at Beatty Park in North ...

Biography

Kini was born in Winton in 1937. Of

Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori people, Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim, New Zealand, Blenhe ...

descent, he was educated at

Southland Technical College Southland may refer to: Places Canada * Dunbar–Southlands, Vancouver, British Columbia New Zealand * Southland Region, one of New Zealand's sixteen regions, the primary tier of local government * Southland District, part of the wider Southland ...

Invercargill Invercargill ( , ) is the southernmost and westernmost list of cities in New Zealand, city in New Zealand, and one of the Southernmost settlements, southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland Region, Southlan ...

. Kini won the first of his eigh
New Zealand heavyweight boxing titles
ref name="Boxing New Zealand"> in 1959 representing Southland. He then went on to win a further 7 National Heavyweight titles from 1961 through to his last in 1967. Still a standing record for the Heavyweight division. Kini was selected for the

where he won the silver medal in the 81–91 kg (heavyweight) division, losing on points to Ugandan

George Oywello George Oywello (17 January 1939 - 1965) was a Ugandan boxer. Born in Gulu, Uganda, Oywello competed for Uganda in both the 1960 Olympics in Rome and the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. In 1964 boxing in the heavyweight competition he was beaten by even ...

. Four years later, Kini fought Ghanaian boxer Adonis Ray in the Heavyweight final to win gold at the 1966 Kingston Commonwealth Games. Bill Kini Kingston Commonwealth Games Gold 1966

Bill Kini Kingston Commonwealth Games Gold 1966

In the early 1960s, Kini was a member of the successful

Ōtāhuhu Ōtāhuhu is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand – to the southeast of the CBD, on a narrow isthmus between an arm of the Manukau Harbour to the west and the Tāmaki River estuary to the east. The Auckland isthmus is the narrowest connect ...

rugby team in the Auckland club competition, winning the

Gallaher Shield The Gallaher Shield is awarded to the winner of the Auckland Rugby Union senior premier competition, and was first awarded in 1922. The shield is named in honour of Dave Gallaher, an early stalwart of Ponsonby, Auckland and New Zealand ...

four times. He played in the prop position. During this period he also captained the Auckland Māori rugby team. Kini and his family moved to

Whangārei Whangārei () is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the largest settlement of the Northland Region. It is part of the Whangarei District, created in 1989 from the former Whangarei City, Whangarei County and Hikurangi Town councils to admi ...

in 1980. He was the strapper and masseur for the Northland rugby team for 11 years until 2003. 2004 saw him become one of the inaugural inductees into th
New Zealand Māori Sports Hall of Fame
He was awarded this legendary status alongside fellow Northlander

Sid Going Sidney Milton Going (19 August 1943 – 17 May 2024) was a New Zealand rugby union footballer. Dubbed Super Sid by his fans, he played 86 matches, including 29 tests, for the All Blacks between 1967 and 1977. He represented North Auckland dom ...

, and other Māori legends Pat Walsh, Mack Herewini,

Waka Nathan Waka Joseph Nathan (8 July 1940 – 24 September 2021) was a New Zealand rugby union player who played rugby union for the New Zealand national team (the "All Blacks") as a flanker. His feats on the field gained him the nickname "The Black Pant ...

, Manga Emery and the late George Nepia. Kini died in Whangārei in 2012, as a result of complications from a cancerous tumour on his spine. He is survived by his wife Janice, children Brad, Jason, Ferne and André, his children-in-law and seven grandchildren.

References