The first polo tournament in New Zealand was held at Auckland in 1890, only 19 years after the game had been introduced to England. Auckland played Christchurch; Christchurch won. At the same tournament Christchurch beat a visiting Royal Navy team, thereby winning a trophy presented by Captain Savile, who was Aide-de-camp to the Governor-General. The success of this tournament led the clubs to form a national organisation, the New Zealand Polo Association, which was set up in 1891 with six member clubs. Today the association comprises 15 clubs: Auckland, Cambridge, Christchurch, Feilding, Hawke's Bay, Kihikihi, Morrinsville, Poverty Bay, Rangitikei, Taupiri, Tukituki, Waimai, Wairarapa, Wanstead, and Whareama.
New Zealand's polo season lasts from December till the end of March. In the latter month the Savile Cup, Junior Cup, and Handicap Cup tournaments are held.
| Savile Cup Winners | |
| 1890 Christchurch | 1925 Christchurch |
| 1891 Christchurch | 1926 Hawke's Bay |
| 1892 Christchurch | 1927 Hawke's Bay |
| 1893 Christchurch | 1928 Christchurch |
| 1894 Rangitikei | 1929 Christchurch |
| 1895 Manawatu | 1930 Hawke's Bay |
| 1896 Manawatu | 1935 Matangi |
| 1897 Manawatu | 1936 Cambridge |
| 1898 Oroua | 1937 Cambridge |
| 1899 Oroua | 1938 Cambridge |
| 1900 Oroua | 1939 Hawke's Bay |
| 1901 Rangitikei | 1947 Morrinsville |
| 1902 Manawatu | 1948 not played |
| 1903 Manawatu | 1949 Morrinsville |
| 1904 Manawatu | 1950 Morrinsville |
| 1905 Manawatu | 1951 Morrinsville |
| 1906 Rangitikei | 1952 Kihikihi |
| 1907 Hawke's Bay | 1953 Morrinsville |
| 1908 Hawke's Bay | 1954 Kihikihi |
| 1909 Hawke's Bay | 1955 Taupiri |
| 1910 Hawke's Bay | 1956 Kihikihi |
| 1911 Hawke's Bay | 1957 Hawke's Bay |
| 1912 Hawke's Bay | 1958 Kihikihi |
| 1913 Mangaheia | 1959 Kihikihi |
| 1914 Poverty Bay | 1960 Morrinsville |
| 1920 Hawke's Bay | 1961 Kihikihi |
| 1921 Hawke's Bay | 1962 Kihikihi |
| 1922 not played | 1963 Taupiri |
| 1923 Hawke's Bay | 1964 Hawke's Bay |
| 1924 Hawke's Bay | 1965 Cambridge |
Competition between New Zealand and other countries has been restricted by the difficulty and expense of transporting ponies. Only three teams (bringing their own ponies) have ever come to New Zealand. In 1894, officers from HMS Curacoa visited Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. A team from Victoria played nine matches here in 1901; and in 1958 a New South Wales team played seven matches. Two teams, one from Queensland and one from California, toured New Zealand in 1960 and played on local ponies. In 1925 the Australasian Gold Cup was inaugurated in Sydney for competition between Australian States, New Zealand being classed as a State. New Zealand teams have competed seven times and have won five times. Representative teams have also travelled to Mexico and England.