Waka Joseph Nathan

Waka Nathan was born in Auckland in 1940 and attended Mangere Central Primary School before Otahuhu College.  He showed promise as a rugby player when he was still at primary school and was chosen for the Auckland East Roller Mills team.

At Otahuhu College Waka was a student in the General Course and a member of Seddon House.  In 1956-57 he was in the College 1st XV.

After leaving school Waka worked for a time in the meat industry and then in the hospitality business.  For 25 years until 1981 he was the Promotions Officer at Lion Breweries, then owning the Manukau Tavern opposite the Onehunga wharf.  He then joined the meat industry again with his pork bone shop in Mangere Bridge for some years.

He played for his local club of Otahuhu before his provincial debut for Auckland when only 19 years old.  In that year he toured the Pacific with the New Zealand Maoris.  He was selected to represent New Zealand in the All Black tour of Australia in May, 1962, his first game being against Central-Western Districts at Bathurst, when he was still 21 years of age.  On that tour he played in both tests and later in the season when the Wallabies returned the visit to New Zealand, he played in all three tests. 

When England toured in May and June in 1963, Waka played in the tests at Auckland and Christchurch – both games being won by the All Blacks.  After appearances against Ireland and Wales during the 1963-64 British tour, he broke his jaw in the Llanelli game and was restricted to 15 matches.  Despite this injury he scored 11 tries – the third highest total on the tour.

A leg injury prevented him from playing in the 1964 season and this injury continued to plague him the following year.  He was forced to withdraw from the team which was selected to play the first test against the Springboks.  However, the next year when he had regained full fitness, he appeared in the complete series against the 1966 Lions tour of New Zealand, scoring two tries in the third test.

After the 1967 jubilee test versus Australia, he toured Britain again.  He was unfortunate enough to suffer another broken jaw and played only six times.  After two more seasons of club rugby, Waka retired from active playing.

In his 14 internationals for the All Blacks, Waka never played in a losing side.  Colin Meads described him as, “That most virile runner with the ball in hand, great at exerting pressure close to the forwards.”

After his own playing career ended, Waka was a selector for the New Zealand Maoris from 1971 -77.  On their tour of Wales in 1982, he was the Manager of the Maori team.