Kia Toa RFC is a constituent club in the Manawatu

Manawatu Rugby Union

Manawatu Rugby Union is the governing body of the sport of Rugby union in the Manawatu rugby province. The Union is based in the city of Palmerston North but has a catchment area from nearby towns in the province, including Feilding, Rongotea, Linton, Bulls, Pahiatua, Dannevirke and...

 province for rugby in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. It is based in the suburb of Awapuni, Palmerston North

Palmerston North

Palmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of and is the country's seventh largest city and eighth largest urban area. Palmerston North is located in the eastern Manawatu Plains near the north bank...

, and is one of the oldest clubs in Manawatu.

Kia Toa is a Māori

Maori language

Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...

 term, which can be translated as "Be Brave".

Due to the colours of the jersey, a dark blue and light blue combination, Kia Toa are known sometimes as "The Double Blues."

Facilities

Apart from rugby, Kia Toa, or colloquially known as KT offers:

• Netball
• Golden Oldies Rugby
• Golden Oldies Netball

History

The club was founded in 1902. In 2001, it was decided that the old clubrooms in Cuba Street, Palmerston North, were becoming too inadequate for the "changing social and economic demands" and the clubrooms were moved to the present site, adjacent to the Awapuni Hotel.
http://www.kiatoarfc.co.nz/history.php

Famous people from Kia Toa

• Christian Cullen
  Christian Cullen
  Christian Mathias Cullen is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer. He played most of his rugby at fullback for New Zealand , for the Hurricanes in the Super 12, and for Manawatu, Wellington and later Munster at first-class level. He was nicknamed the Paekakariki Express...
  
  , former All Black, now playing for Munster
  Munster
  Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...
  
   Ireland
• Farah Palmer
  Farah Palmer
  Farah Rangikoepa Palmer, ONZM is a lecturer in the Department of Management at Massey University and a former captain of New Zealand's women's national rugby union team, the Black Ferns.-Career:...
  
  , former Black Ferns captain
• Lifeimi Mafi
  Lifeimi Mafi
  Lifeimi Mafi is a Tongan rugby union player, who currently plays for the Irish side Munster in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.-Career in New Zealand:...
  
  , now playing for Munster
• Siaosi Anamani, current Manawatu Turbo
• Daniel Alofa, current Manawatu Turbo, current Manawatu Turbo
• Joggie Viljeon, former Springbok, current Manawatu Turbo
• Stuart Ross
  Stuart Ross
  Stuart Ross is a Canadian fiction writer, poet, editor, and creative-writing instructor.Ross was born in Toronto's north end in 1959 and grew up in the Borough of North York. He began writing at a very young age and was first published at age 16 by Books by Kids . This book, The Thing in Exile,...
  
  , Manawatu Rugby Legend
• Tony Mafi, Manawatu Rugby Legend
• Dan Ward-Smith
  Dan Ward-Smith
  Dan Ward-Smith was a professional rugby union player who plays at Number Eight for London Wasps. He can also cover Flanker and Second Row, making him a useful forward to have in the Wasps squad.-Career:...
  
  , England Rugby Union Player