Martin Dannefaerd

Martin Dannefaerd is a New Zealand paintball player, organiser and former commercial paintball operator. He was a founder and president of the New Zealand Paintball Players Association (NZPPA), represented New Zealand at the 2004 Nation Cup in Malaysia, and helped organise international tournament participation for New Zealand teams.

Dannefaerd was also responsible for the NZP8NT website and discussion forums, which provided an online community for New Zealand paintball players. In 2008, he acquired the former Tag War Games paintball business in Wellington, subsequently operating through P8NT Limited.

Playing career

Wellington teams

Dannefaerd was active in competitive paintball in the Wellington region during the 2000s.

His team affiliations included Team Spirit and Wellington Hybrid, as well as other Wellington-based tournament teams.

He participated in New Zealand's developing competitive paintball scene during a period when teams increasingly travelled between regions and entered overseas tournaments.

A March 2008 issue of the American paintball magazine Action Pursuit Games included a feature titled Champion & Ambassador: Martin Dannefaerd. [1]

The original article has not yet been recovered, and its account of his competitive achievements remains unavailable.

Team Kiwi and the 2004 Nation Cup

Dannefaerd was a member of Team Kiwi, the New Zealand squad that competed at the inaugural Nation Cup in Malaysia in December 2004.

His participation is confirmed by fellow Team Kiwi player Michael Earley, who competed alongside him.

The Nation Cup was organised by Xtion Paintball and Galactec and formed an early part of the development of international tournament paintball in Malaysia. [2]

The tournament preceded the Asia Pacific Paintball Championship and the subsequent development of the Paintball Asia League Series (PALS).

The complete 2004 Team Kiwi roster and its final tournament placing have not yet been recovered from contemporary records.

Australian Xball League

Dannefaerd also organised the first New Zealand team to compete in the Australian Xball League (AXL).

The AXL was an Australian national tournament circuit using X-Ball competition formats.

Dannefaerd's role in assembling the initial New Zealand entry is documented through the recollections of New Zealand players involved in the period.

The exact year, team name, roster and tournament results have not yet been independently established.

New Zealand Paintball Players Association

Dannefaerd was among the founders of the New Zealand Paintball Players Association established in August 2001.

According to his published professional history, the organisation was formed by paintball players and industry representatives to promote grassroots participation and provide a channel of communication between the sport and government agencies. [3]

Dannefaerd served as NZPPA president during the early 2000s and was interviewed in that capacity by New Zealand Paintball Online in 2003. [4]

The association's work included discussions with New Zealand Police and Customs concerning paintball equipment, importation requirements and the regulation of the sport.

In an April 2014 article on compressed-air equipment, Asylum Paintball credited Dannefaerd, fellow administrator Grant McNeil and the former NZPPA for their work around 2003 and 2004 on regulatory issues affecting paintball air cylinders. [5]

Dannefaerd's professional profile lists his involvement with the NZPPA from August 2001 until October 2010.

An earlier incorporated society bearing the same association name existed between 1992 and 2000. Its legal relationship with the organisation established in 2001 has not been confirmed.

NZP8NT forums

Dannefaerd operated NZP8NT, a New Zealand paintball website and online discussion forum hosted at nzp8nt.com.

The forums succeeded an earlier online community operated by Rob Maddox, following the closure of Maddox's forums.

NZP8NT provided a place for players to discuss tournament events, paintball equipment, teams and developments in the New Zealand paintball community.

The website used vBulletin forum software during part of its history.

In approximately early 2014, Dannefaerd posted on the official bbPress support forum describing his efforts to migrate NZP8NT's old vBulletin discussions into a WordPress-based installation using bbPress and BuddyPress. [6]

He identified nzp8nt.com as his website and stated that the older forums had been inactive for approximately 18 months.

The post provides direct evidence of his administration of NZP8NT and an attempt to preserve or migrate its historical forum content.

It does not establish whether the proposed replacement forum was subsequently launched.

Commercial paintball operations

Acquisition of Tag War Games

In 2008, Dannefaerd acquired the Wellington paintball business previously operated as Tag War Games.

A Wellington City Council report dated 13 May 2009 confirmed the acquisition and identified P8NT Limited as the new operating company. [7]

The acquisition involved an existing commercial paintball operation using council-owned land in the Wellington region.

P8NT Limited

P8NT Limited operated a paintball facility at Caribbean Drive Reserve in Grenada North, Wellington.

The site had previously been occupied by Tag Wargames Limited.

A Wellington City Council report published in September 2015 stated that P8NT had occupied the site since 2009. [8]

The previous ground lease expired in June 2012, after which P8NT continued occupying the land under a month-to-month arrangement.

In 2015, the council considered granting the company a further three-year lease.

The available public records do not establish when Dannefaerd ceased his involvement with P8NT Limited or when the facility ultimately closed.

Contribution to New Zealand paintball

Dannefaerd's involvement in New Zealand paintball extended across playing, tournament organisation, industry representation and commercial field operations.

His competitive career included domestic Wellington teams and international participation with Team Kiwi at the 2004 Nation Cup.

Through the NZPPA, he worked on issues affecting the regulation and development of the sport, while NZP8NT provided an online platform for the New Zealand paintball community.

His involvement in organising New Zealand participation in the Australian Xball League also contributed to the expansion of overseas tournament opportunities for local players.

References

"Master Bibliography." Lists "Champion & Ambassador: Martin Dannefaerd", Action Pursuit Games, March 2008, p. 88.
Phang, Allan. "The Birth of PALS and Paintball World Cup Asia: Historical Origins." Historical account identifying the December 2004 Nation Cup in Malaysia and its connection to later Asian tournament competitions.
Dannefaerd, Martin. Professional profile. Identifies his founding involvement with the New Zealand Paintball Players Association from August 2001 to October 2010.
New Zealand Paintball Online. Historical articles archive. Includes a 2003 interview with NZPPA president Martin Dannefaerd.
Asylum Paintball. "The Asylum Guide to NZ Legal Paintball Cylinders & Tanks." 28 April 2014. Credits Dannefaerd, Grant McNeil and the NZPPA for earlier work on compressed-air regulations.
Dannefaerd, Martin. "Email notifications on old forum." bbPress Support Forums, approximately 2014. Firsthand account identifying NZP8NT as his website and describing migration of historical vBulletin forum content to bbPress.
Wellington City Council. "Granting of a New Ground Lease to P8NT Limited." 13 May 2009. Records Dannefaerd's 2008 acquisition of the former Tag War Games business.
Wellington City Council. "Community, Sport and Recreation Committee Agenda." 16 September 2015. Documents P8NT Limited's occupation of Caribbean Drive Reserve from 2009.
Latrobe City Council. Ordinary Council Meeting Minutes, 4 October 2010. Identifies the Australian X-Ball League as an established national Australian tournament circuit attracting international teams.

External links