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Coast hockey legend Merv Huxford QSM has been made a Life Member of Hockey New Zealand, in recognition of more than 70 years given to the game.
Huxford says he took up hockey at the age of six, after a throat injury playing rugby, and went on to represent Wellington, Manawatu and North Harbour men’s teams across a playing career spanning 71 years. But it is the breadth of his service, rather than any single feat, that set him apart.
He has coached continuously for 57 years at school, club and regional level, and gave 48 years of administrative support to North Harbour Hockey and the Harbour Hockey Charitable Trust. For 20 years he played for the New Zealand Masters, becoming, with Alan Isaac of Hamilton, one of the first two players to reach 100 internationals for the side.
On the Hibiscus Coast, Huxford founded the Hibiscus Hockey Club and drove the $3.2 million funding and construction of the centre at Millwater that now carries his name. Since the Merv Huxford Hockey and Sports Centre opened in 2019, local Primary School teams have grown from three to 52. The first funds came from his solo sponsored bike ride, from Opunake to East Cape, which raised $100,310.
His service has also been marked with life memberships of Hibiscus Dairy Flat Hockey Club and North Harbour Hockey Assn, Hockey New Zealand’s Gold Service Award and Pakistan Trophy, as well as the Queen’s Service Medal for services to hockey and the community via Rotary related projects
Huxford is quick to share the credit, paying tribute to his partner of 30 years, Bronwyn Ellison, and Cathy McConnell, the mother of his five children.
