Team Kiwi
Team Kiwi is a name used by several New Zealand tournament paintball teams assembled for international competition, particularly in Malaysia during the 2000s and early 2010s.
The name was used by different groups of players rather than a single continuously operating organisation. Documented or historically reported iterations include teams competing in Malaysia in 2004 and 2005, a later group led by Kyn Jackson, and another associated with Jason Newport and Peter Mumby.
History
Nation Cup 2004
The earliest identified Team Kiwi delegation competed at the Nation Cup 2004 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The tournament was organised by Xtion Paintball and brought together teams from New Zealand and other countries.
The reported Team Kiwi playing roster included:
The delegation also included Michael Earley, who assisted with its organisation and served as a tournament referee and commentator rather than a competing player.
According to a participant account published in January 2005, Team Kiwi finished fifth and was eliminated following a match against Mana Wave.[1]
Photographic documentation
Martin Dannefaerd, a member of the 2004 team, maintained a photographic archive of the tournament.
His Flickr album, titled Malaysia 2k4, contains 64 photographs documenting the Nation Cup in Kuala Lumpur during December 2004.[2]
The album identifies Xtion Paintball as the tournament host.
Individual photographs were uploaded on 5 January 2005 and carry dates from December 2004.
One photograph, titled DSC02369, shows an event banner at Kuala Lumpur airport and identifies Kyn Jackson and Michael Earley in its caption.[3]
The collection provides contemporary photographic evidence of the New Zealand delegation's presence at the tournament.
Asia Pacific Paintball Championship 2005
A separate Team Kiwi lineup competed at the Asia Pacific Paintball Championship in Malaysia in 2005.
The championship began on 30 September 2005 at Xtion Paintball Park in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.
The reported playing roster included:
Peter Mumby had also played in the 2004 delegation.
The team's final tournament placing has not yet been established from official results.
Team Kiwi under Kyn Jackson
Another Team Kiwi lineup competed in Malaysia from approximately 2008 under the leadership of Kyn Jackson.
Jackson had previously played for the 2004 Team Kiwi delegation.
Historical participant accounts identify Travis Cleaton and Jason Cleaton, brothers associated with the New Zealand team Raiders, among the players involved in the later lineup.
The team was also associated with players from Actions Paintball in Auckland.
This iteration reportedly competed at multiple Malaysian tournaments, although complete event-specific rosters and results have not yet been recovered.
Later Team Kiwi activity
During the early 2010s, another group reportedly used the Team Kiwi name.
The lineup was associated with Jason Newport and Peter Mumby, both members of the 2005 delegation.
Historical recollections place this activity around the period when the New Zealand Paintball Players League operated tournaments at Lock N Load Paintball in Auckland.
Possible Australian tournament participation has also been reported, but the relevant event records have not yet been established.
Team identity
The different Team Kiwi lineups shared a national identity and some returning personnel.
However, the available records do not establish that they operated as one continuous organisation.
| Period | Competition | Identified personnel |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Nation Cup 2004, Malaysia | Kyn Jackson, Brendon Charles, Peter Mumby, Martin Dannefaerd, Brian Thornley |
| 2005 | Asia Pacific Paintball Championship, Malaysia | Michael Earley, Peter Mumby, Gavin Mumby, Jason Newport |
| From approximately 2008 | Malaysian tournaments | Kyn Jackson, Travis Cleaton, Jason Cleaton |
| Early 2010s | Later reported Team Kiwi activity | Peter Mumby, Jason Newport |
The listed personnel should not be interpreted as complete event rosters.
Relationship to New Zealand national teams
Team Kiwi should be distinguished from officially selected national representative teams.
In 2015, a separate New Zealand squad competed at the Paintball World Cup Asia Nations Cup in Langkawi, Malaysia.
The team finished 14th among 20 national entries in the Open X-Ball division.[4]
Although the 2015 delegation continued New Zealand's participation in international paintball competition in Malaysia, it did not compete under the Team Kiwi name and was not an organisational continuation of the earlier teams.
Its history is covered separately under New Zealand national paintball team.
See also
- Nation Cup 2004
- Asia Pacific Paintball Championship
- Xtion Paintball Park
- Kyn Jackson
- Peter Mumby
- Martin Dannefaerd
- Jason Newport
- Paintball in New Zealand
- Paintball in Malaysia
References
- Michael Earley, "Team Kiwi Malaysia Tournament Report", January 2005. Historical participant account of Nation Cup 2004. Original publication URL requires recovery.
- Martin Dannefaerd, "Malaysia 2k4", Flickr. Collection of 64 photographs from Nation Cup 2004 in Kuala Lumpur, uploaded January 2005.
- Martin Dannefaerd, "DSC02369", Flickr. Photograph of the tournament banner at Kuala Lumpur airport, identifying Kyn Jackson and Michael Earley, uploaded 5 January 2005.
- PBLeagues, "2015 Season Rankings: Paintball Asia League Series". Official rankings recording New Zealand's 14th-place finish in the Nations Cup Open X-Ball division.