In a quiet Napier street in September 1920 four friends met to talk about their dream of starting a Football Club. Pros and cons were debated and late into the evening a plan was formed that would see the birth of what is now Hawke's Bays oldest Rugby Club.

Originally based in Napiers Technical College, the club was forced to relocate after the College was destroyed in the devastating 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake. As a mark of respect to those who lost their lives in the rubble, the club retained the name though the Technical College was never rebuilt.
 
In 1957 all Tech organisations joined forces in a massive fundraising effort to build a new gymnasium at Whitmore Park in Napier. Over the years, as the size and reputation of the club grew, extensions were added and the club rooms now boast a pool room, bar facilities and rugby museum.

The clubs symbol, the phoenix rising from the ashes, has come to represent adversity faced with determination and strength drawn from those that have gone before. It is a symbol that champions a fighting spirit of a club steeped in history and about to make more.

The phoenix is back.