Actions Paintball
Actions Paintball was a New Zealand paintball operator based in Auckland, with a history dating to the early 1990s. Also known as Actions Paintball Sports Arena, the business operated recreational paintball facilities in Swanson and Beachlands and was involved in the development of competitive paintball in New Zealand.
Actions Paintball was among the field operators participating in the original National Paintball League (NPL), established in 1997. The business was associated with paintball operator Kyn "Action" Jackson, who subsequently took responsibility for elements of the league's administration.[1]
In 2013, Actions transferred its west Auckland operations from Swanson to the existing World Challenge Tag facility in Riverhead Forest, while continuing to operate its Beachlands venue. In June 2018, Actions and World Challenge Tag consolidated their operations at Riverhead.[2][3]
History
Early years
Actions Paintball was established in Auckland during the early 1990s. In a company announcement published in June 2013, the business stated that it had been active in Auckland paintball for approximately 20 years.[2]
By the mid-1990s, Actions was operating as Actions Paintball Sports Arena and was involved in Auckland's recreational and competitive paintball communities.
The business was associated with Kyn "Action" Jackson, a paintball field operator and tournament organiser who participated in the administration of competitive paintball in New Zealand.[1]
National Paintball League
Actions Paintball Sports Arena was one of the founding field operators involved in the original New Zealand National Paintball League, which began competition in 1997.
The NPL was developed by Ian Southern and Dave Pellet to provide a structured competition system for New Zealand paintball teams.
The original participating operators were:
- Splatman, operating four Auckland fields
- Strategy Tag, operating a field in Whangārei
- Actions Paintball Sports Arena, operating an Auckland field
Under the league's original structure, participating fields hosted competitions on a rotating basis to distribute the costs of supporting tournament paintball.[1]
The NPL operated with two divisions.
First Division incorporated major tournaments already established on the New Zealand competition calendar, including the New Zealand Nationals, Queen's Birthday tournament and Northland Open.
Second Division provided regular competitions for developing teams, with matches hosted at participating commercial paintball fields.
The original league arrangement continued until 1999, when it lost the support of participating field operators.
According to a historical account preserved by Mercenaries Star, Kyn Jackson subsequently inherited responsibility for the remaining NPL structure and discontinued Second Division. The remaining First Division became an association of existing tournaments under a common banner.[1]
This early NPL was a separate organisation from the New Zealand Paintball Players League (NZPPL) that operated during the 2010s.
Company history
New Zealand company records identify Actions Paintball Limited as a company incorporated on 2 April 2004, with Kyn Allan Jackson as a director.
The company changed its registered name to Ace Paintball Limited on 22 March 2006.[4]
The corporate registration dates should be distinguished from the earlier history of the Actions Paintball trading name and field operations, which were already established during the 1990s.
Swanson venue
Actions Paintball operated a large outdoor playing facility at 19 O'Neills Road, Swanson, in west Auckland, near the corner of O'Neills and Pooks roads.
The Swanson venue operated for approximately 14 years before its closure in June 2013, placing its establishment around 1999.[2]
The facility contained a collection of outdoor paintball fields incorporating bush, open ground, trenches, barricades and purpose-built obstacles.
By 2013, Actions advertised 15 individual playing fields at Swanson.[5]
The venue was used for recreational paintball, private games, corporate activities, scenario events and games for players using their own equipment.
Swanson also hosted regular walk-on games and organised events for the wider paintball community.
Beachlands venue
Actions Paintball also operated a venue at 80 Karaka Road, Beachlands, in east Auckland.
The Beachlands facility provided outdoor recreational paintball and included an area advertised as a speedball field.[6]
The venue hosted private bookings, recreational games and organised walk-on events.
Beachlands continued operating after the closure of the Swanson facility in June 2013.[2]
The two venues allowed Actions Paintball to serve players in both western and eastern Auckland.
Swanson closure and relocation in 2013
On 27 June 2013, Actions Paintball announced that its Swanson venue would close because the land was being redeveloped.
The company stated that Swanson had been operating for 14 years and confirmed that its final scheduled game would take place on Sunday, 30 June 2013.[2]
The final event was a Scenario Sunday walk-on game.
Rather than cease operating, Actions transferred its west Auckland activities to the existing World Challenge Tag paintball facility in Riverhead Forest.
The company announced that, from 1 July 2013, customers could book games at:
- World Challenge Tag, Riverhead Forest
- Actions Paintball, Beachlands
The Riverhead operation was an established paintball venue rather than a new field created by Actions.
World Challenge Tag traced its history to 1985, making it one of the longest-established paintball operations in New Zealand.[2]
The 2013 arrangement represented the relocation of Actions' west Auckland operations and cooperation with World Challenge Tag, rather than the complete consolidation of both businesses.
Riverhead Forest
World Challenge Tag operated in Riverhead Forest, north-west of Auckland, with access from Old North Road.
The venue provided extensive outdoor playing areas using natural forest terrain and constructed obstacles.
Following the relocation from Swanson, Actions continued its Scenario Sunday programme at Riverhead.
The first Riverhead Scenario Sunday under the new arrangement was held in July 2013.
In July 2014, Actions published an anniversary announcement marking one year since the relocation and the beginning of Scenario Sunday events at Riverhead.[7]
The anniversary game was scheduled for Sunday, 27 July 2014.
Consolidation with World Challenge Tag in 2018
In June 2018, Actions Paintball and World Challenge Tag consolidated their venues and operations.
An announcement on the Actions website stated that the two operations had joined forces and would operate exclusively from the existing World Challenge Tag facility in Riverhead Forest.[3]
The consolidated venue was promoted as having more than 20 playing fields within the forest.
The consolidation ended the earlier arrangement under which customers could book separately at Riverhead and Beachlands.
Actions continued to be represented through its website and its association with the Riverhead paintball operation.
Playing fields
Swanson
The Swanson venue contained approximately 15 outdoor playing fields by 2013.
Field names appearing on the company's historical website included:
- Grassy Knoll
- Badlands
- Bunker
- Kiwi Jungle
- Sniper Alley
- Battlebox
- Speedbump
- Supply Depot
- Trench
The playing fields incorporated different forms of terrain and obstacles, allowing games to be organised across individual arenas or combinations of fields.[5][6]
Grassy Knoll
Grassy Knoll was one of the named playing areas at Swanson and was included in the company's historical descriptions of its scenario fields.
Badlands
Badlands was an outdoor playing field documented in Actions Paintball's historical field gallery.
Battlebox
Battlebox was a purpose-built recreational paintball field at Swanson.
The company's archived photographic gallery included images of the field and its constructed obstacles.[6]
Trench
The Trench field was another Swanson playing area documented in the company's historical photographic gallery.
Its layout incorporated earthworks and cover associated with trench-style scenario play.
Beachlands
The Beachlands venue offered outdoor recreational paintball and a separate field identified by Actions as Beachlands Speedball.
The company's historical website included photographic galleries for both the general Beachlands fields and the speedball area.[6]
The existence of a designated speedball area reflects the venue's provision for competitive-style paintball alongside conventional recreational games.
Riverhead Forest
The Riverhead facility was operated by World Challenge Tag and became the location of Actions Paintball's west Auckland activities from July 2013.
The venue offered large outdoor playing areas within forest terrain.
Following the 2018 consolidation, Actions advertised the combined Riverhead operation as having more than 20 playing fields.[3]
Events and activities
Actions Paintball organised recreational games, scenario events, private competitions and organised walk-on sessions.
Its activities included social paintball, corporate team-building, school holiday programmes and games for experienced players bringing their own equipment.
Scenario Sunday
Scenario Sunday was a regular large-format recreational paintball event held at the Swanson venue on the last Sunday of each month.
Games were organised around scenarios involving opposing teams competing across multiple playing fields.
Actions described the event as suitable for individual players, groups and regular participants without requiring advance team registration.[5]
The Swanson venue's 15 fields allowed games to move between different terrain and playing environments.
The final Scenario Sunday at Swanson took place on 30 June 2013.
The programme subsequently continued at World Challenge Tag in Riverhead Forest, beginning in July 2013.[2][7]
Recon Patrol
Recon Patrol was a walk-on game programme operated at Actions Paintball's Beachlands venue.
Historical event schedules placed Recon Patrol on the first Sunday of each month.
The games provided opportunities for individual players and smaller groups to participate without arranging a private booking.[8]
Terminator Day
Terminator Day was a school-holiday walk-on programme held at Swanson.
The programme was aimed at students and other recreational players, with games conducted across the venue's outdoor fields.
Historical event information advertised Terminator Days during school holidays in 2013, with games held on Thursdays.[9]
The programme permitted players to bring their own markers, although electronic or advanced trigger systems were restricted for these events.
The restriction was intended to maintain similar playing conditions for recreational participants using rental equipment.
Private events and social tournaments
Actions Paintball also organised private paintball games and social tournaments for groups.
These included corporate team-building activities, sports teams, trade competitions, birthdays and other private bookings.
Historical event descriptions promoted five-player and ten-player competitions between companies and social groups.
At Swanson, the company advertised sufficient rental equipment and space for events involving up to 250 players. Its Beachlands facility was advertised as accommodating groups of more than 80 players.[8]
These figures were operator-advertised capacities rather than independently audited limits.
Equipment
Actions Paintball supplied rental paintball equipment for recreational games.
A 2013 Terminator Day advertisement identified the standard rental marker as the Tippmann Model 98 semi-automatic paintball marker.
The listed protective equipment included V-Force goggles, gloves and optional protective clothing.[9]
The company also supported players bringing their own equipment to designated games and scenario events.
Role in New Zealand paintball
Actions Paintball was involved in both recreational paintball and organised competitive play during the 1990s and 2000s.
Its participation in the original National Paintball League connected the business to early efforts to establish a structured national tournament programme.
Kyn Jackson's subsequent involvement in administering the remaining NPL structure placed Actions among the commercial operators involved in New Zealand tournament organisation during the late 1990s.[1]
The Swanson venue's regular walk-on and scenario events also provided a meeting point for recreational players and experienced participants.
Following the 2013 relocation, the company's activities became increasingly associated with World Challenge Tag in Riverhead Forest.
The eventual consolidation of the two operations in 2018 brought together the Actions customer base, equipment and recreational programmes with an established paintball venue whose history extended back to 1985.
See also
- History of paintball in New Zealand
- Paintball in New Zealand
- World Challenge Tag
- National Paintball League (New Zealand)
- Mercenaries Star
References
- The Rise and Fall of the New Zealand National Paintball League. Mercenaries Star. Historical account of the NPL and Kyn Jackson's involvement.
- Swanson Re-Location: Now Moved Up to Riverhead Forest. Actions Paintball, 27 June 2013.
- Our Fields. Actions Paintball. Announcement of the June 2018 consolidation with World Challenge Tag.
- ACE PAINTBALL LIMITED. New Zealand Business Directory. Company incorporation, former name and director information.
- Scenario Sunday Walk-on Game. Actions Paintball. Historical Swanson event description and field names.
- Our Fields – Swanson and Beachlands. Actions Paintball. Historical field photographs and addresses.
- WCT Scenario Sunday Anniversary – Riverhead Forest. Actions Paintball, July 2014.
- Events Calendar. Actions Paintball. Historical 2013 event schedule and group capacities.
- Terminator Day. Actions Paintball. Historical school holiday programme and rental equipment.
- Beachlands Field Location. Actions Paintball. Historical Beachlands venue address.
- World Challenge Tag Riverhead Map. Actions Paintball. Riverhead site location.