Early development

NZIB started in Auckland, New Zealand around 1908. Until 1925 however, there was a need for bowls that took a consistent green. The answer came when English bowl manufacturer Taylor Rolph began to produce four inch lignum vitae bowls in sets of 16 that were guaranteed to take a consistent green. These are believed to be the first indoor bowls made specifically for the New Zealand market.

Another problem faced by the pioneers of the sport was finding a suitable mat. After many others had tried to find a mat suitable for the game, W Miller, manager of the Onehunga woollen mills, was approached to design a special mat that played in a way that satisfied the needs of the game. The size eventually decided on was 22 ft long by 6 ft wide. These measurements are still in use today.

After these standardisations the game began to spread rapidly. By 1938 there were an estimated 10,000 bowlers in the Auckland area alone. By the mid-1940s NZIB was growing rapidly in most areas. As a result of this growth the New Zealand Indoor Bowling Federation (NZIBF) was formed on 18 September 1948.^[1]

Post NZIBF development

The NZIBF is managed by an executive committee made up of nine members, elected by vote. Canterbury, Hawkes Bay, Horowhenua, Hutt Valley, Palmerston North, Central Taranaki, South Taranaki, Wanganui and Wellington were the first member districts of the Federation. Waikato and Taranaki North joined in 1949 but it wasn't until 1954 that the large Auckland Association affiliated. Their entry brought the total affiliated membership of the time to 21,000.

Because the game has developed solely in New Zealand various rules have developed over time that make NZIB unique to New Zealand, Although major rule changes are rare, the NZIBF releases a NZIB law book every 5 years. One notable rule change was the completion of the harmonising of the game by introducing a 2" diameter jack, as up until 1950 an outdoor jack had been used.

It was around this time that Australian Bowl Manufacturer Hensilite first made its appearance in the NZIB market. Hensilite is now the sole brand of indoor bowl in use in New Zealand.^[1]

A bowl suitable for use in NZIB as defined by the '05 NZIB law book should have these characteristics:

• 1. A set of bowls should be in a set of 16, 8 of black and 8 of a contrasting colour
• 2. They shall have a draw of not less than 840 millimetres in a run of 5.50 metres on an approved testing table.
• 3. Their size and weight should be within the following limits: (i)94.5-100 millimetres (ii) 624-700 grams

Junior singles

Each year each district selects one under 18 bowler to compete in Wellington for the NZ Junior singles. To qualify for this event, one must be under 18 and be affiliated to a club/centre and to one of the junior singles district competitions. This event also leads into the NZ secondary schools pairs and singles.

Paterson Trophy

The Paterson Trophies were introduced in 1964 as a means of enabling more districts to participate in high level inter-centre competition. The holders of Paterson Trophies at the end of each season compete in a round robin play off for the Welch Trophy. This includes Singles, Pairs and Fours. Currently the Paterson Trophy is held over an area of six zones:

• Zone 1. Roskill & Districts, Northland, Auckland, North Harbour, Thames Valley, Counties
• Zone 2. Poverty Bay, Hawkes Bay, Waikato, Tauranga, Bay of Plenty
• Zone 3. Manawatu, King Country, Central King Country, Wanganui, Taranaki, North Taranaki
• Zone 4. Hutt Valley, Wairarapa, Upper Hutt Valley, Horowhenua, Bush Ruahine, North Wellington
• Zone 5. Buller, Marlborough, Canterbury, Ashburton, Nelson, Golden Bay-Motueka
• Zone 6. South Otago, South Canterbury, North Otago, Otago, Central Otago, Southland

For 1989 districts were divided into twelve zones. A round robin competition was staged within each zone. The winner of zones one and two, three and four, etc., played off for a Paterson Trophy. The six Paterson winners then met in the Welch Trophy.

From 1990 to 2004 the Paterson Trophies were run as follows: Zone 5 & 6 which had four districts meet in a round robin on the fourth weekend in June. Zone 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 competed on the third complete weekend in July. The winners of zone 5 & 6 met on the Sunday of that weekend and the winners of each competition won one of the six Paterson Trophies (Zoning from 1991 to 2004 shown below).

• Zone 1 - Northland, Counties, Roskill & Districts, Auckland, North Shore
• Zone 2 - Waikato, Tauranga, King Country, Central King Country, Taranaki, North Taranaki
• Zone 3 - Bay of Plenty, Poverty Bay, Hawkes Bay, Wanganui, Manawatu
• Zone 4 - Upper Hutt Valley, Wairarapa, Bush Ruahine, North Wellington, Hutt Valley, Horowhenua
• Zone 5 - Nelson, Golden Bay-Motueka, Buller, Marlborough
• Zone 6 - Hokitika, Canterbury, Greymouth, Ashburton
• Zone 7 - South Canterbury, North Otago, Otago, Central Otago, South Otago, Southland

Welch Trophy

The Welch Trophy was founded in 1951 and is considered NZIBF's premier inter-centre challenge, the title of which is hotly contested. Although the format has changed over the years, the Welch Trophy is currently played for in a national final between the six Paterson trophy holders for that season.

NZIB Nationals

The Nationals is the premier open tournament of the NZIB season. Almost every affiliated member aspires to winning a Nationals title. Currently they take 8 days of intensive play to complete.^{[citation needed]}

The titles contested for during this time are:

• Singles

• Pairs, won by Blair Spicer and Rob Osborne, Canterbury '09
• Triples (added in 1993), won by Fred Persico, Hayden Warnes and Chris Moffat, Nelson '09
• Fours, won by Joseph Zino, Richard Correy, Denise Clarkson and John Zino, Hutt Valley '09

Special trophies

• Patrons Cup, for the centre with the most game points gathered by its members during the course of play. Won by Canterbury '09.
• Truth Cup, for the woman going the farthest in the national singles. Won by Sue Burnand, Ashburton '09.
• Bob Malcolm Memorial Tray, for the married couple going the farthest in the national pairs. Won by Simon & Julie Thomas, Canterbury '09.
• Cliff Thompson Trophy, for the Junior (under 18 as of 1 March of the year of the championship) who goes the farthest in the Singles. Won by Teri Anderson, North Wellington '09.
• Kath & S.E.N. Smith Trophy, for the farthest senior (over 65 as at 1 June of the year the championships are played). Won by Audrey Martin, Canterbury '09.
• Robertson Trophy, Player of the Tournament. Won by Fred Persico, Nelson '09.