Joan honours Māori Olympian’s sporting legacy

When Joan Clark set out to learn more about her stepfather John Hoani MacDonald’s sporting career, she knew he had achieved a great deal. What she discovered was the story of one of New Zealand’s pioneering Māori sportsmen whose achievements stretched far beyond what the family had realised.

Born at Wairau in 1907, John was one of New Zealand’s early Māori Olympians, competing in the rowing eight at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games and carrying the New Zealand team flag. He also represented the Māori All Blacks, played professional rugby league in England and excelled at tennis, boxing, billiards and shooting.

Now his story has been captured in Joan’s book, John Hoani MacDonald – he will not fail to win your heart, launched at Ūkaipō at the Rangitāne Cultural Centre on 21 August.

More than 100 whānau, friends and supporters attended the launch to celebrate a man whose sporting success began in Marlborough.

“John was our step father and we knew he had done some amazing sporting feats, but it wasn’t until I really started researching that I realised how special he really was,” Joan says.

The idea for the book came from Joan’s son Jeremy, who was coaching rugby at Moutere when he came across articles about John, known as Jack.

Joan had previously written and illustrated a book about her father, Roger Carey, who built wooden fishing boats, so she felt confident taking on another project. However, getting John’s story into print proved more difficult.

Publishers she approached felt his sporting fame was too far in the past, leaving Joan questioning whether others saw the value in telling his story.

That support eventually came from the board at Rangitāne, which backed the project through its Whānau Initiative Scheme. The funding covered printing costs and provided Ūkaipō as the venue for the launch.

For Joan, that support helped bring an important piece of local history back into the spotlight.

Researching the book also gave her a new perspective on the man behind the sporting achievements.

John was pursuing his sporting passions at a time when life was challenging, yet still reached the highest levels of competition.

“He was a natural, talented, strong and handsome Māori boy from the Wairau Pa.”

Having been married to a top New Zealand sportsman herself, Joan says she understands the dedication required to succeed.

There was strong family involvement throughout the writing process, including some gentle criticism from Joan’s English-teacher sister Ailsa.

“She didn’t change my writing in any way but added thousands of commas. I must have missed the comma lessons, I was probably wagging and out riding my horse.”

The encouragement that came with those marked-up chapters helped keep Joan motivated.

The launch also saw some of John’s medals returned to the Marlborough sporting community. Joan’s mother’s trustees agreed to have them turned into trophies for the clubs where his sporting success began.

“Writing the book made me close to his greatness,” Joan says.

She hopes the trophies will help keep his sporting memory alive for years to come.

After putting John’s achievements on record, Joan says it has been a privilege to tell his story.

For Joan, however, the greatest reward has been the response from the whānau and friends who supported her throughout the project.

“I am very proud of the finished book but more so the support and love I have received from whānau and friends who believed in me. I know I am loved.”