Sport in New Zealand Sport in New Zealand Sport in New Zealand largely reflects its British colonial heritage, with some of the most popular sports being rugby union, rugby league, cricket, football (soccer), basketball and netball which are primarily played in Commonwealth countries. New Zealand is a small nation but has enjoyed success in many sports, notably rugby union (considered the national sport), rugby league, cricket (considered the national summer sport), America's Cup sailing, world championship and Olympics events and motorsport and softball. Other popular sports include squash, golf, hockey, tennis, cycling, rowing, and a variety of water sports, particularly sailing and surf sports.
Gaston de Saporta Gaston de Saporta Gaston de Saporta (28 July 1823 – 26 January 1895) was a French aristocrat, palaeobotanist and non-fiction writer. (Louis Charles Joseph) Gaston de Saporta born in the Château de Montvert in Saint-Zacharie, Var, on July 28, 1823. He was a member of the Provençal nobility. His father was Adolphe Charles François Anne de Saporta (1800-1879) and his mother, Irène Boyer de Fonscolombe de La Mole (1799-1879). He grew up in the Hôtel Boyer de Fonscolombe, a listed hôtel particulier at 21 Rue Gaston de Saporta in Aix-en-Provence, where he resided all his life. As a palaeobotanist, he