In Memory of Massey’s Iron Maidens

From national stars to no team at all, Massey University’s women’s rugby team walked out of a ‘boys club’ four years ago and hasn’t returned. Jessie Davidson investigates. 

What began as a deep dive into the history of Massey University’s women’s rugby team quickly became something else: an obituary. A team with a history of triumphant tackles and tries no longer exists. Why? The familiar story — a women’s team left to fend for itself in a club which they claim prioritised men.  

Women’s rugby at Massey began in 1991, more than 60 years after the university’s first men’s team. That year, the university affiliated with the Massey Women’s Rugby Group, and the Iron Maidens were born. 

Over the years, the team evolved — becoming the Vixens in the mid-2000s, and later the Cyclones in the 2010s. From the beginning, they showed promise. Between 1996 and 1998, they placed runner-up three years running at the Manawatū Easter Tournament. In 1999, they won nine games in the Manawatū competition, narrowly missing the top four playoffs.  

Fast forward to 2017, they finished third in the National Tertiary Women’s Sevens Championship, then won the title outright in 2019, beating University of Waikato 19-17 in a tense final.  

A standout top performer from this era was Kahurangi Sturmey. Playing for Massey from 2015 till the team retired after 2021, her memories with teammates are nothing but warm. Karaoke nights, quiz nights, and a welcoming environment. But the club itself was an issue.  

“The club wasn’t that supportive,” Sturmey says. “It was very much a boys boys club — which is why there’s no team anymore.” 

At the start of the 2022 season, Sturmey presented club leadership with a feedback document capturing concerns raised by players over several years. It praised the team’s friendly and supportive culture, but highlighted what was missing: visibility, updated gear, milestone recognition, access to clubrooms, and better inclusion at events. 

According to the document given to Massive, only 9.1% of the women’s team attended prizegiving. One respondent wrote, “Prizegiving was okay. Very centred on the boys though… but probably because they were the majority. It would be great to have more girls there representing our team.” 

Others in the document described after-match functions as equally sidelining, another playing writing, “I attended one of the after match functions last year and did not attend another because it was all about the boys game.”  

Players also highlighted practical inequities — like reusing old warm-up tees while the men’s team received new ones.  

Despite the clear feedback, Sturmey says the club told her they didn’t have the resources to support a women’s team. “The old fellas just hadn’t listened to me and the feedback that the girls had to give,” she says. 

With no support, most players — including Sturmey — moved to Old Boys Marist Rugby Club. For the first time in over 30 years, Massey didn’t field a women’s team. 

But persistent as she is, Sturmey tried again last year. She recruited around 15 new players through a rippa rugby halls event. But once again, Massey’s club declined, she claimed. “The girls messaged me saying, ‘They’ve decided not to do a team, do you know who else I can play for?’ So, I brought them over to Old Marist.” 

“It’s a huge loss. If the clubs decided to support us with off field uniforms, gears and such, then I would have been happy to stay and play”. 

Ngano Tavake, now with Hurricanes Poua, joined the Massey Cyclones at 16, playing from 2017 until the team folded after 2021. The players she met at Massey are still her favourite teammates — but the lack of club support was unmistakable.  

“I’ve never felt the support from the club towards us women’s team,” Tavake says. “We had players who played many games and have given up their time for the club but was never acknowledged.”

Tavake was gutted after the Massey team disbanded, but that she knew they deserved more. She never felt welcomed or received recognition, “We had no voice in that club.” 

Today, she plays with the same group of players for Old Boys Marist, where they’ve reached three finals and won two. 

She hopes Massey will one day bring the team back and do better.  

“The lady’s give just as much time and effort into rugby as the men’s, surely they can get the same recognition and support as well.” 

In a response to Massive, Massey’s rugby club president John Whitehead said the club has since explored re-establishing a women’s team, but hasn’t reached the required 25-player threshold. 

“The club is keen to expand player and team numbers in the future, and this certainly includes a women’s team if possible.” 

He says Massey’s club aims to treat all teams equally. However, he acknowledged some level of inequity: “The only situation where the women’s team has missed out is with regard to a blazer or similar recognition for playing a certain number of games.” 

Somewhat addressing complaints that women players weren’t being recognised like the men, in early 2022, the club consulted women players on a recognition item. In the feedback document obtained by Massive, it shows that half the team wanted a blazer to recognise their milestone, 30% voted on a taonga, and 10% said a medal.  

And the rest, they didn’t mind, anything would have been nice.  

However, the team disbanded before anything could be arranged. 

While the team culture evidently pushed female players away, lack of interest today is an issue for all teams. Stats provided by Whitehead say the Manawatū Rugby Union team numbers have declined from 109 in 1993, to just 33 this year. And while there were six women’s club teams playing in Manawatū in 1993, it’s down to four teams this year. 

And with a ‘boys club’ reputation haunting Massey rugby, these numbers won’t likely rise anytime soon.  

For now, the jerseys stay folded, the boots stay shelved, and Massey enters its fourth season without a women’s rugby team continuing its legacy.