Steve Corkill
Stephen Thomas Corkill, commonly known as Steve Corkill, is a New Zealand businessman and former paintball equipment retailer from Ōpunake, Taranaki. He was a co-founder and director of Paintball Direct NZ, a specialist supplier of recreational and competitive paintball equipment established in 2008.
Corkill and his family's contributions to New Zealand paintball have been recognised through the Corkill Cup, a tournament subsequently held at Arena Paintball in Feilding.
Involvement in paintball
[edit]Paintball Direct NZ
[edit]Corkill was a co-founder of Paintball Direct NZ, a New Zealand specialist paintball equipment retailer.
Paintball Direct NZ Limited was incorporated on 21 May 2008, with Corkill and Rosmarie Corkill as its founding directors and equal shareholders.
The company was registered under company number 2134260 and New Zealand Business Number 9429032732566. [1]
The business was originally based in Ōpunake, Taranaki, and operated both a physical equipment shop and an online retail store.
Its historical business listings described Paintball Direct as a specialist supplier serving New Zealand tournament paintball players. [2]
The retailer supplied equipment used in recreational and competitive paintball, including electronic markers, protective masks, loaders, compressed-air equipment, accessories and inflatable tournament bunkers.
Products advertised during the Corkill ownership period included equipment from manufacturers such as Planet Eclipse, DYE and Virtue.
Paintball Direct provided New Zealand players with access to specialist paintball equipment through its Taranaki shop and nationwide online retail operations.
Community involvement
[edit]Paintball Direct participated in community sponsorship activities during Corkill's ownership.
The Ōpunake & Coastal News of 22 March 2012 identified Paintball Direct NZ among the businesses contributing prizes to a fundraising raffle supporting an Ōpunake High School student's rugby tour to Samoa.
The business donated a T-shirt valued at NZ$50. [3]
The report provides contemporary evidence of Paintball Direct's activities in the Ōpunake community.
Change of ownership
[edit]Paintball Direct NZ Limited subsequently came under the ownership of David Hopkins, a New Zealand paintball organiser associated with the competitive team Expendables Feilding.
New Zealand company records identify Hopkins as becoming a director of Paintball Direct NZ Limited on 5 August 2021.
The company's later records identify Hopkins as its sole shareholder. [4]
The surviving company records establish the change from the original Corkill ownership to Hopkins but do not establish the precise date or terms of the business transfer.
Paintball Direct subsequently operated from Feilding, in the Manawatū region, with a retail showroom at Arena Paintball.
Corkill Cup
[edit]Background
[edit]The Corkill Cup is a New Zealand competitive paintball tournament named in recognition of Steve Corkill and his family's contributions to the sport.
The event is documented through historical announcements published by Arena Paintball.
The organisers described the tournament as continuing an existing tradition honouring Corkill and his sons for their involvement in paintball over many years. [5]
The precise year in which the Corkill Cup was originally established has not yet been independently confirmed.
The tournament's name recognises Corkill's involvement in the New Zealand paintball community, although the surviving published material does not provide a complete account of his personal tournament history.
Corkill Cup 2021
[edit]The Corkill Cup was held at Arena Paintball, located at 558 Kimbolton Road in Feilding, on 23 and 24 October 2021.
The tournament was advertised as an annual Paintball Direct NZ event.
Its published competition format included:
- Five-player Race competition
- NXL ramping at 10.5 balls per second
- Hopper plus two pods of paintballs
- Round-robin preliminary matches followed by finals
- A dedicated New Zealand refereeing team
- Onsite camping and player facilities
The tournament used field-supplied paintballs and was open to competing teams without a published team-number limit. [5]
The official event announcement stated that the competition was being continued as a tribute to Corkill and his sons.
The 2021 competition took place after David Hopkins became director of Paintball Direct NZ Limited.
The use of the Corkill name recognised the family's historical involvement in New Zealand paintball rather than indicating that the tournament was a posthumous memorial.
Other business activities
[edit]Outside paintball, Corkill has been involved in the electrical engineering and agricultural technology industries.
He has served as a director of Corkill Systems Limited, an Ōpunake-based company specialising in electrical engineering and agricultural equipment.
The company's history includes the development of equipment for the New Zealand dairy industry. [6]
In June 2018, the Ōpunake & Coastal News reported that Corkill had been exhibiting at the National Agricultural Fieldays at Mystery Creek for approximately 25 years. [7]
His involvement in Corkill Systems is separate from his historical ownership of Paintball Direct NZ.
Recognition
[edit]Corkill's contribution to New Zealand paintball is recognised through the Corkill Cup.
The tournament's organisers have explicitly acknowledged the contributions of Corkill and his family to the sport.
The continuation of the tournament under the Corkill name following the transfer of Paintball Direct NZ to new ownership provides a documented example of this recognition.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- New Zealand Business Directory. "Paintball Direct NZ Limited." Historical registration information identifying the company's incorporation on 21 May 2008 and original directors and shareholders, Stephen Thomas Corkill and Rosmarie Corkill.
- Yellow New Zealand. "Paintball Direct NZ." Historical business listing describing the Ōpunake equipment retailer and its specialist tournament paintball products.
- Ōpunake & Coastal News, 22 March 2012. Community fundraising report identifying Paintball Direct NZ as a prize donor.
- Company Hub. "Paintball Direct NZ Limited." Companies Office-derived record identifying David Hopkins as director from 5 August 2021 and later sole shareholder.
- Arena Paintball. "Corkill Cup." Official announcement for the tournament held on 23–24 October 2021, recognising Steve Corkill and his sons for their contributions to paintball.
- Corkill Systems Limited. "About Us." Company history and professional activities associated with Steve Corkill.
- Ōpunake & Coastal News. "Corkill Systems a regular at Mystery Creek." 7 June 2018. Business profile describing Corkill's longstanding involvement in the National Agricultural Fieldays.