Admin: Document Tactics Paintball’s Bethells Beach location, ownership by Dave Pellet, bush and village fields, recreational scenario series and historical PSI equipment photographs. Use archived profiles and field records without treating Pellet’s 1985 introduction to paintball as the field’s founding date.

2026-10-24T12:38:55Z

Document Tactics Paintball’s Bethells Beach location, ownership by Dave Pellet, bush and village fields, recreational scenario series and historical PSI equipment photographs. Use archived profiles and field records without treating Pellet’s 1985 introduction to paintball as the field’s founding date.

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'''Tactics Paintball''' was a commercial paintball field at Bethells Beach in west Auckland, New Zealand, owned and operated by [[Dave Pellet]]. It provided recreational paintball and hosted the continuing scenario series ''Revolution in Bethels Republic''.[1][2][3]

== History ==

Pellet’s profile preserved in February 1998 identified him as Tactics’ owner and operator. He stated that his involvement in paintball began in 1985 through contact with [[Steve Constable]]; this date refers to Pellet’s involvement rather than a documented opening date for the field.[1]

[[Ian Southern]], later the inaugural director of the [[National Paintball League (New Zealand)|New Zealand National Paintball League]], stated that he discovered paintball at Pellet’s Tactics field.[4]

A historical account published by [[Mercenaries Star]] subsequently described the Tactics site as having been subdivided.[3]

== Playing fields ==

The contemporary New Zealand field directory described Tactics as having several steep, densely wooded playing fields and a village scenario. It also reported that the rental equipment was maintained and reliable.[2]

The Mercenaries Star account described a large area of native scrub on either side of a ridge, with staging and safe areas on the higher ground.[3]

== Scenario paintball ==

Tactics hosted ''Revolution in Bethels Republic'', a recreational series intended to introduce newer participants to regular players and offer tactical variety beyond conventional capture-the-flag games.[3]

The playing area was divided into five fictional provinces contested by opposing factions. Results influenced the direction of subsequent games, creating a continuing campaign involving established teams and individual players.[3]

== Equipment history ==

[[Grant Fraser]], a former Tactics employee, preserved photographs of early paintball equipment associated with the field. A photograph reproduced by Daniel Bacci in 2015, tentatively dated to approximately 1987–1988, shows several markers associated with [[Pursuit Supplies International]], including a PSI M16, a bulk-air-converted K1, a PSI 1200/Hornet and a Commando/M-16 Stinger.[5]

Bacci also reproduced a photograph from the December 1990 issue of ''Paintball Sports Magazine'' showing Pellet working on a PSI 1200/Yellow Jacket marker.[5]

== See also ==

* [[Dave Pellet]]
* [[Ian Southern]]
* [[Grant Fraser]]
* [[Pursuit Supplies International]]

== References ==

# [https://web.archive.org/web/19980204164230/http://www.webel.co.nz/whpellet.htm Dave Pellet — Who’s Who profile]. ''New Zealand Paintball'', archived 4 February 1998.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/19980204164036/http://www.webel.co.nz/fields.htm Fields, Clubs and Stores]. ''New Zealand Paintball'', archived 4 February 1998.
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Rules/Scenarios/BRev.htm Revolution in Bethels Republic: Guidelines for a Recball Series]. ''Mercenaries Star''.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/19980204164230/http://www.webel.co.nz/whsouth.htm Ian Southern — Who’s Who profile]. ''New Zealand Paintball'', archived 4 February 1998.
# [https://paintballhistory.com/steve-constable-and-early-new-zealand-paintball-history/ Steve Constable and Pursuit Supplies International c.1985–1988]. Daniel Bacci, ''Paintball History'', 9 January 2015.

== External links ==

* [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Rules/Scenarios/BRev.htm Historical Revolution in Bethels Republic scenario guidelines]

[[Category:Paintball fields in New Zealand]]
[[Category:New Zealand paintball history]]
[[Category:Paintball in Auckland]]

Tactics Paintball - Revision history