Clevedon: The Heart of New Zealand Polo
In Clevedon, the elite sport of polo is given a friendly Kiwi twist. Here, nestled in the expanding rural community, everyone’s welcome to rub shoulders with the rich, famous and sometimes even the royal.
The village is renowned as “Auckland’s back yard”. That makes its polo grounds the expansive lawns, complete with enticing tables laden with ice-cold bubbly. Bring the kids, bring a picnic. Dress up to the nines or rock up in your cargo shorts and jandals. It’s all part of a vibrant summer scene that’s played out here since 1888, and across the world since about 300 BC.
A Global Sport with a Home in Clevedon
still stirs passions. Today, it inspires a deeply committed and tight-knit global community. The sport becomes a travelling extravaganza, which circles the globe each year. It stops in some of the most salubrious parts of the US, UK, Argentina, Spain, France, Switzerland, Dubai, Thailand and Australia. And on that list sits little old Clevedon, with a red circle round it.
Lucy Ainsley is Executive Director of The Milford NZ Polo Open, the headline event in the New Zealand polo calendar. She explains: “We call Clevedon ‘the heart of New Zealand polo’. There are more polo fields here than there are anywhere else in the country. Within a 10km radius, there are something like 10 polo fields, which is not normal. And the New Zealand thoroughbred is world renowned as being a great polo pony.”
A small, lucrative industry has built up around this.
“A lot of it is family,” says Lucy. “But in the last 5-10 years there’s been a big push to grow the sport. Women’s polo has really taken off, it’s currently the fastest growing sport in the world.”
Growing the Next Generation of Polo Players
Indi Bennettob – winner of the 2025 Polo Open – worked her way up from grooming to become one of the new generation of female polo professionals.
As well as competing at the highest level, she now runs the Auckland Polo Academy and Polo School in Clevedon. This caters for everyone, from beginners having a go to advanced players honing their skills. They can even lease horses to cut down on some of the investment required to play regularly.
Polo’s Impact on the Clevedon Economy
Although the core of the polo set remains a somewhat elite group, the economic benefits spread much more widely.
Lucy explains: “Through the polo season there’s this injection of overseas visitors. It’s a huge boost to the local economy in terms of accommodation, dining, food and beverage and more. These people are super-passionate. They come once and they’re hooked.”
This kudos is being harnessed by new developments in the village. One of a host of housing projects around the settlement is Conmara Estate. This year the Estate is backing the polo and even fielding its own team.
Big name businesses from further afield are also keen to see their names above the green. It’s a powerful way to access high net worth customers, while supporting the local area. Akin to other sports like golf, polo is an arena where deals get done and lifelong business ties are formed. Even if you never swing your leg over a horse, you can be a social member and make those all-important connections.
It’s part of what gives Clevedon the unmistakable rural boutique vibe that adds value to so many local businesses, and the lifestyle here.
