Stonewall, the classic Kiwi boardgame that has been “amazing New Zealand since 1996” was dreamed up by Mark McGregor and brothers Roger and Grant Bullot at a time when the country’s gaming landscape looked very different.

“Back in the dim dark days of the last millennium – the fabled 1990s – New Zealand’s gaming scene was largely barren,” Grant Bullot said.

Somewhere in the Whakamārama hinterlands, probably over a few beers, the trio developed an idea for what would become a distinctive combination maze-race game, born firmly in what they fondly call “the backblocks of the Bay of Plenty”.

“It just grew and grew,” Grant said. “Over the next 15 years, some tens of thousands of games were manufactured out in Mark’s cottage workshop.”

Alongside the popular Travellers Edition, the creators produced about 370 Collector’s Edition hardboard games. For these, Roger Bullot painstakingly crafted Mazier miniatures – three modelled in the inventors’ likeness.

Timing 

Stonewall was rated Highly Recommended by Consumer magazine after independent testing by BoardGameGeek, and went on to be sold in Germany, England, Australia and game stores across New Zealand.

“But timing is everything,” Grant said. “Just as Stonewall players can get ‘stomped’ by rivals, Stonewall itself was derailed by the rise of PC gaming, then game consoles.

“For more than a decade, no games company wanted to touch a straight-ahead, old-school boardgame.”

Stonewall is a classic NZ boardgame created in the 1990s by Mark McGregor and brothers Roger and Grant Bullot. Photo / Jo Jones

By about 2010, the trio reluctantly called it quits. Then something unexpected happened.

“A decade rolled on and people were still talking about it,” Grant said. “About how they played it in the Auckland University common room, or how their parents took it to the beach on holiday.”

With nostalgia building – and a new generation rediscovering analogue games – Grant, who is also an artist, musician and former beekeeper, decided to revive Stonewall. The game is now produced in short-run batches of 25 sets at a time.

New generation

“There’s interest from fans all over the world,” he said. “A whole new generation is discovering this Kiwi classic.”

Its handcrafted roots remain central. Cotton duck bags and boards are screen-printed by Dallas McKinley at PBP Screen Printing, while timber for the playing pieces comes from Tauriko mill.

“They’re pushed through ye olde WallCrusher, cut into wall pieces, tumble-sanded and stained,” Grant said. “The Maziers are cubed, branded and sanded, and then stained or painted.”

The Stonewall World Champs 2026 will be held from 2pm to 5.30pm on Sunday, February 1, at the Jam Factory in Tauranga Historic Village. Photo / Supplied

Stonewall’s cult status is perhaps best seen in its annual tournament scene, with regular competitions in Tauranga including the Stonewall World Championship.

World Champs

This year’s Stonewall World Champs 2026 will be held 2pm-5.30pm this Sunday, February 1, at the Jam Factory in Tauranga Historic Village.

Sixteen players will battle through two rounds to determine the champion.

“The winner gets a 3D-printed Stonewall cup, a one-off champ tee-shirt and a lifetime of bragging rights,” Grant said. “There are also World Champ party tees and knitted emotional-support chicken prizes.”

The public are invited along to witness the spectacle, try out Stonewall games and enjoy live music by Derek Jacombs, Nigel Masters and Santiago Rebagliati. Grant will also perform.

“The idea is to make a bit of a party of it,” he said.

Entry is free, though attendees can buy a numbered commemorative badge to go into a prize draw.

The “World Champs” title came about almost by accident.

“When I floated the idea online, Phillip Muir messaged to remind me he’d won the last tournament we held 22 years ago – at Roma I think – and had called himself the Stonewall World Champion ever since,” Grant said.

He said Phillip later had 3D trophies made using stone artwork from the original game bags.

“So, with tongue firmly in cheek, it became the World Champs,” Grant said.

Stonewall is a classic NZ boardgame created in the 1990s by Mark McGregor and brothers Roger and Grant Bullot. Photo / Jo Jones

He said last year’s winner was a newcomer – “a shy young player named Arlo” – who will return this year to defend his title.

Stonewall’s revival has also taken it back onto the national stage, with appearances at Auckland Armageddon and the Wellycon Boardgame Convention.

“I was amazed how many people shared fond memories of the game,” Grant said. “Wellycon staff even hinted they see Stonewall as part of New Zealand’s boardgame history, which was pretty special.”

Bringing people together

There’s also a rumour attendees may get a sneak preview of an online version of Stonewall, scheduled for release later this year.

Commemorative badges at the event also put buyers in the draw to win “a bunch of groovy prizes”, including a hand-detailed Stonewall tournament board, original acrylic artwork by Grant, World Champs T-shirts and CDs from local musicians including Tracey and Brian De Jong, and Kokomo.

Nearly three decades on, Stonewall is still doing what it does best – bringing people together, one carefully crafted wall at a time.