
The Wainuiomata Women’s team after a win on their Old Timers’ Day last season. Photo: T-Paul Gale.
When Wainuiomata Rugby Club originally built their bathroom facilities they weren’t really designed with females in mind.
There was a single bathroom at the back of the clubhouse that could only be accessed by passing a long male urinal. The shower was a shared square for men.
If the bar was bustling women were dispatched to the squash club several hundred metres away, often in the dark and rain, for simple relief.
There was an awareness and a desire to improve the situation, but until Wainuiomata won $30,000 in Season 2 of Bunnings Rugby Assist, upgrades to bathroom facilities would be tied up in red tape and fundraised for laboriously.
“Build it and they will come,” Wainuiomata club captain Moana Kuma said while laughing uproariously in her inimitable style.
“We wanted to create an environment that gave women greater privacy and comfort. With the help of the community, we have achieved that.
“We couldn’t do a whole reno. We only had a small space to work with, but Bunnings Petone and Andrew Harrison were unbelievable in using the resources we had to create something better, and something we are extremely proud of.
A new female and unisex toilet were built, and the urinal was upgraded and moved from the front of the changing room to the back.
“I can only encourage other clubs to apply for Bunnings Rugby Assist. There are a lot of facilities around the motu that could do with improvement and support from Bunnings Rugby Assist will go a long way towards helping that,” Kuma said.
Applications for Season 3 of Bunnings Rugby Assist opened on June 27 and will close on August 6 at 11.59 pm. So far, Bunnings has given $600,000 to 30 rugby clubs and this year $300,000 will be shared between 10 deserving clubs in Aotearoa.
Melissa Haines, Country Manager of Bunning New Zealand said:
“We understand the important role local rugby clubs play in bringing their communities together. Last year, we supported Wainuiomata Rugby Club with upgrades to their bathroom and changing room facilities for their women’s teams. Bunnings Petone thoroughly enjoyed working alongside the club to bring these upgrades to life.”
On March 16, Kuma got to hang out with former All Blacks lock Ian Jones and Black Ferns World Cup winner Ruby Tui when they visited Wainuiomata to officially open the new facilities.

“Man, I was star-struck. Ruby has such life about her and was so good with our young ones and really motivating. The Kamo Kid. I watched all his games for the All Blacks back in the day. What a legend and a nice man. That was a special day for the community having people with that mana sharing a little success,” Kuma said.
Wainuiomata started the premier women’s season with five players. After combining with Hutt Old Boys Marist, they finished the season with 38 registrations and managed to win the Division II Izzy Ford Cup.
The Premier men’s team watched the first half of the final in Trentham at 11:30 am before scrambling back over the hill in Wainuiomata in time to play their Swindale Shield fixture. When the men finished their game a guard of honour was formed, and a celebration had for the female champions.
We are incredibly proud of our female squad, and the club is committed to strengthening our women’s programme. To achieve this, we needed our clubrooms to be a welcoming space that caters to female players and all members of our community,” Moana said.
Apply for Bunnings Assist Season 3 Here: https://www.bunnings.co.nz/campaign/bunningsrugbyassist