Editing Wellington Vendetta (New Zealand Paintball Team)

'''Wellington Vendetta''' was a competitive [[paintball]] team based in Wellington, New Zealand. The team emerged after [[Wellington Hybrid]] ceased competing and included several former Hybrid members. It is therefore regarded as a successor squad, although no evidence has been recovered showing that Hybrid formally changed its name or transferred its organisation to Vendetta.[1][2]

Vendetta later competed in the [[New Zealand Paintball Players League]] (NZPPL), finishing second at the 2013 series final.[3]

== History ==

=== Formation ===

Wellington Vendetta's precise founding date has not been established. Its official Flickr account was created in August 2006 and identified the account holder as a Wellington-based paintball team. It listed the team's website as `www.vendetta.net.nz`.[1]

The account contains photographs from both the earlier Wellington Hybrid period and subsequent Vendetta activity. The presence of an older photograph or album in the account does not establish that the event was contested under the Vendetta name.

=== Relationship with Wellington Hybrid ===

Vendetta developed after Wellington Hybrid ceased competing. Its early personnel included former Hybrid members such as [[Martin Dannefaerd]] and [[Matt Wong]], known as '''Stick'''. The squad also used equipment and playing clothing associated with Hybrid.[2]

Vendetta can consequently be described as a successor team based around former Hybrid players. However, it should not be treated as a direct continuation or formal renaming of Hybrid without organisational records confirming that relationship.

The `BBT 2006` album preserved in the Vendetta Flickr account dates from the Wellington Hybrid period.[4] The same event is documented in Wellington Hybrid's own archive, where Hybrid's third-place finish is recorded.[5] It is therefore excluded from Vendetta's competition record.

=== Training and Easter preparation ===

The first surviving Flickr album attributable to Vendetta itself is titled `Training 070324`. Its description identifies the activity as a team skirmish training session in preparation for an Easter tournament and directs viewers to `www.vendetta.net.nz`.[2]

The photographs were uploaded in April 2007. Their captions identify Martin, Stick, Darren, Rosie and Jim or Jimbo. One photograph shows Stick acting as a referee during part of the session.[2][6]

The album demonstrates that Vendetta was operating under its own identity by 2007. Its description does not provide the name or result of the intended Easter tournament.

=== New Zealand Paintball Players League ===

Wellington Vendetta later competed in the [[New Zealand Paintball Players League]]. At the 2013 NZPPL series final at [[Asylum Paintball]] in Auckland, Vendetta finished second behind [[KC Damage]]. [[X-Fighter$ Fracture]] finished third.[3]

The result was reported in March 2014 when Blacksheep Media released video coverage of the final. X-Fighter$ won the overall 2013 season.[3]

The surviving sources do not provide a continuous record of Vendetta's activities between the 2007 training album and its documented 2013 NZPPL appearance.

{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Competition
! Location
! Result
|-
| 2013
| [[New Zealand Paintball Players League]] series final
| [[Asylum Paintball]], Auckland
| 2nd[3]
|}

== Players and personnel ==

The following people are identified in Vendetta's photographic record:

* [[Martin Dannefaerd]] – former [[Wellington Hybrid]] captain and manager.
* [[Matt Wong]] ('''Stick''') – former Wellington Hybrid player.
* '''Darren''' – photographed at Vendetta training; full identity unconfirmed.
* '''Rosie''' – photographed at Vendetta training; full identity unconfirmed.
* '''Jim''' or '''Jimbo''' – photographed at Vendetta training; full identity unconfirmed.

Photographs from the earlier Wellington Hybrid period also identify players including Lachlan, but those appearances are not evidence of membership in Vendetta. A complete Vendetta tournament roster has not been recovered.

== Historical record ==

Vendetta's Flickr account contains 31 photographs and two albums.[1] One album preserves material from Wellington Hybrid's appearance at Big Boys Toys 2006, while the other documents Vendetta training under its own name.[2][4]

This mixture of historical material reflects the close personnel relationship between the teams but should not be used to combine their competition records. Results achieved during the Hybrid period belong in the [[Wellington Hybrid]] article.

The date on which Wellington Hybrid ceased competing and the date on which Vendetta was formally organised have not been established. Likewise, no evidence has been recovered confirming whether Vendetta remained continuously active between 2007 and 2013.

== See also ==

* [[Wellington Hybrid]]
* [[Martin Dannefaerd]]
* [[Matt Wong]]
* [[New Zealand Paintball Players League]]
* [[Paintball in New Zealand]]
* [[Paintball teams in New Zealand]]

== References ==

# [https://www.flickr.com/people/wellington_vendetta/ Wellington Vendetta profile, Flickr]. Account created in August 2006; identifies its subject as a Wellington paintball team and lists vendetta.net.nz.
# [https://www.flickr.com/photos/wellington_vendetta/albums/72157600042061722 Training 070324, Wellington Vendetta Flickr archive]. Vendetta team training and Easter preparation photographs.
# [https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1403/S00280/blacksheep-media-release-2013-nzppl-video.htm Blacksheep Media Release: 2013 NZPPL Video, Scoop Independent News], 16 March 2014. Records KC Damage first, Wellington Vendetta second and X-Fighter$ Fracture third at the 2013 series final.
# [https://www.flickr.com/photos/wellington_vendetta/albums/72157594379412348 BBT 2006, Wellington Vendetta Flickr archive]. Historical album containing photographs from the earlier Wellington Hybrid period.
# [https://www.flickr.com/photos/wellingtonhybrid/albums/72157600353650110 Big Boys Toys 2006, Wellington Hybrid Flickr archive]. Contemporary Hybrid record of the event and third-place finish.
# [https://www.flickr.com/photos/wellington_vendetta/443337198/ Stick and Martin, Wellington Vendetta, Flickr]. Training photograph identifying Matt Wong and Martin Dannefaerd.

== External links ==

* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/wellington_vendetta/albums/ Wellington Vendetta historical Flickr albums]
* [https://www.flickr.com/people/wellington_vendetta/ Wellington Vendetta Flickr profile]

[[Category:New Zealand paintball teams]]
[[Category:Paintball teams established in the 2000s]]
[[Category:Paintball in Wellington]]
[[Category:Historical paintball teams]]