THE TPSFC
The Club we know today grew from humble beginnings, starting in the 1970’s when we were just a weigh station for the Mercury Bay Game Fishing Club. One of our Tairua locals, Viv McNabb was a committee member of the MBGFC and would travel up to Whitianga once a month to attend the meetings.
By 1979, Viv felt that a lot of the notable fish were being caught in Tairua, but Whitianga was getting all the glory, so put forward the proposal to start Tairua’s own club.
In 1980, a steering committee was established with Viv at the helm and the Tairua Pauanui Deep Sea Club was born. A year later the Club became the 13th fully affiliated member club within the New Zealand Sports Fishing Council.
For 10 years the Club operated out of various locations around Tairua, including the local hall, fire brigade, the hotel and countless members houses.
In 1990 the Club purchased a piece of land at 11 Tui Terrace and began the dream to build their very own clubrooms which were finally completed in 1996. Shortly before completion in 1995, the Club changed its name to the Tairua Pauanui Sports Fishing Club. The TPSFC now had a place to call home - their own clubrooms overlooking the Tairua harbour.
Over the next ten years, the Club flourished and its popularity grew.
In 2016, the Club was starting to outgrow the Tui Terrace clubrooms, so the Committee began the process of investigating extensions to the current building to accommodate the growing membership. After years of back and forth it became apparent that this wasn’t going to be a financially feasible option.
In 2019, the Club was offered the opportunity to purchase a half share of the Tairua Marina building and use the modern upstairs space as its new clubrooms. After a majority vote from members, the decision was made to proceed with the purchase and sell the existing clubrooms at Tui Terrace. In December 2019, the Club moved into the new clubrooms at the Tairua Marina.
When the Club first formed in 1980, there were 115 members who competed for ten annual trophies. In 2024, the Club now has over 1,800 members who compete for 46 different annual trophies.
The Club now enjoys expansive views over the Tairua Harbour and marina, with visitor facilities for members wishing to visit by boat.
Tairua Pauanui Sports Fishing Club won the coveted NZ Sports Fishing Council “Club of the Year” award back to back in 2020 and 2021.