Get your skates on!
A DigitalNZ Story by squiggle_top
A selection of roller skating pictures and stories from across New Zealand.
roller skates, skating, speed skating, roller skating, roller hockey, skating championships, roller derby
Roller skating in New Zealand
Skating rinks were built from mid-1860s, all across the country. While roller skating began as a form of recreation, different sports and competitions soon developed.
ca. 1980s
Pair of red/blue recreational boot roller skates.
Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira
Roller skating championships and speed racing
1958
Road championships at Petone.
Alexander Turnbull Library
1959
2-mile men's speed final.
V.C. Browne & Son
1961
Pacific International roller skating championship at Canterbury Court.
Christchurch City Libraries
1961
10-mile roller road skating road race.
Palmerston North City Library
1962
Two mile speed championship, held in Palmerston North.
Palmerston North City Library
1966
Intermediate competitors in the South Island Amateur Roller Skating Championships at the Rollerdrome.
Christchurch City Libraries
1969
Competitors get under way in a roller skating event at a speed carnival held Levels Raceway, Timaru.
Christchurch City Libraries
1970
500 metre road race, Napier.
Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga
1971
South Island Roller Skating Championships in Sockburn.
Christchurch City Libraries
1973
New Zealand roller skating championships in Ruapuna.
Christchurch City Libraries
1976
Men's 5000m road race during the national roller skating championships.
Christchurch City Libraries
Early skates - 1900s to 1960s
Early skates typically featured three or four off-set wheels, sometimes with an attached boot. Then there was a shift to inline skates, with wheels lined up (similar to ice skates).
ca. 1940s
A pair of all metal roller skates with roller bearing wheels and leather straps fitted with buckles.
Puke Ariki
Early examples of multi-use roller skating venues
These early roller skating rinks featured a diverse line-up of events, featuring social roller skating, skate racing, skate-hockey, football on skates, bands, hurdle-jumping, figure skating and much more!
1887
Ticket for Columbia Roller Skating Rink shows a group of children skating at the indoor rink on roller skates.
Alexander Turnbull Library
1887
Reverse of Ticket for Columbia Roller Skating Rink, Ingestre Street, Wellington.
Alexander Turnbull Library
1888
3-mile race; scientific, fancy, figure and trick skating; hurdle jumping, and a football match on rollers!
National Library of New Zealand
1896
First ladies' race of the season.
National Library of New Zealand
1910
Public challenge to defend the alleged title of One-Mile Roller-Skating Champion of New Zealand.
National Library of New Zealand
1910
World record breaking endurance skating session at the Olympia Rink, Vivian Street, Wellington.
Alexander Turnbull Library
1933
Details of recent hockey-on-skates championship matches.
National Library of New Zealand
1934
A flourishing skate-hockey competition, with 12 team entries.
National Library of New Zealand
1934
Event includes Royal Skating Band performance, hockey-on-skates match, novelty skating and schools' sessions.
National Library of New Zealand
Venues - indoor and outdoor roller skating
Across the country, there have continued to be a wide range of venues, used for social skating, clubs and sport skating (e.g. speed skating, roller hockey).
Petone (Lower Hutt)
Alexander Turnbull Library
Masterton - history, venues, champions.
Radio New Zealand
Marching teams ... on roller skates!
An extra element of difficulty, performing on skates.
Roller hockey
1952
World Congress Championships Roller Skating hockey team.
V.C. Browne & Son
1955
Roller hockey, Lower Hutt
Alexander Turnbull Library
1956
Central Districts amateur roller hockey tournament, Palmerston North
Palmerston North City Library
Roller derby
Roller skates used as a novelty extra in portraits and advertising
Atmore
Nelson Provincial Museum
Campbell, Miss
Nelson Provincial Museum
Constable, Miss Mil
Nelson Provincial Museum
Baigent, Miss
Nelson Provincial Museum
Hounsell, Mr
Nelson Provincial Museum
Woman advertising Wanganui's Tesla photography studio
Alexander Turnbull Library
Woman advertising Osram light bulbs
Alexander Turnbull Library
Additional resources
All sites accessed 07 December 2023
- Roller skating and skateboarding - Roller skating. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Story written by Kerryn Pollock, 2013.
- Skate NZ: New Zealand Federation of Roller Sports, Inc. includes Artistic, Speed, Scootering, Skateboarding, Rink Hockey, Inline Hockey.
- Selected Registered NZ Roller Skating Clubs:
- Ōtautahi Rollers
- Skate Nelson
- Tauranga Roller Skating Club
- Find other regional clubs online