The mullet may have gone mainstream in recent years, but Aotearoa’s athletes were true pioneers of this polarising hairstyle. Here are some of the greats.
Our brave nation is in the midst of a mullet surge. The once-divisive, rebellious haircut is now commonplace, with mullets cropping up in classrooms, supermarkets and even Aesop stores. We think it’s time to honour some pioneers of the style, which found its footing in New Zealand largely thanks to our sporting community.
That relationship is symbiotic. The dynamism of an athlete benefits the mullet, which looks powerful mid-flight. Athletes benefit by standing out (and looking skux) but the cut’s also practical, minimising any sweaty-hair-in-eyes distractions.
Sport mullets spread during the 1980s and 1990s among Kiwi athletes from all codes, and only grew from there. The Warriors went hard. The Black Caps did too. The great All Black mullet renaissance of 2018 is now a footnote in history; for some it was a fad (Brodie Retallick, Sam Cane) but for others it proved to be a lifestyle.
Whether one sport deserves more credit than another for its commitment to the mullet is worth a debate over a pint, but since this is a hall of fame, not a ranking, they’re all winners to us.
John Walker: 1985 mullet peak
The early 1980s was the dawn of the modern mullet. The world-record-breaking runner’s cut, which evolved from his 1970s shag and endured into 1990, is an example of subtlety and the art of feathering. (Photo: Getty Images)
Lynley Hannen: 1988 mullet peak
Bleach blonde and shaved at the sides, Hannen’s mullet was a master stroke and very 1988. That’s the year she and Nikki Payne won bronze in the women’s pair at the Seoul Olympics, making history with New Zealand’s first women’s rowing medals.
Zinzan Brooke: 1989 mullet peak
It was thick. It was perfectly balanced. It looked great soaking wet. Brooke’s mullet graced the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987, but it was 1989 when it reached its full glory – heights matched only by the All Black number eight’s mastery of drop goals.
Kelly Evernden: 1990-1993 mullet peak
Tennis pro Kelly Evernden was an early adopter; his mullet displayed the requisite length by the mid-1980s. As his career grew so did his hair. By the 1990s it was grand and it slammed, much like Evernden, who accessorised with a sweatband. This, as Andre Agassi knew too, accentuates the proportions of a good mullet.
Hitro Okesene: 1995 mullet peak… but also eternity?
Mention Hitro “Nitro” Okesene and you’ll elicit wistful memories of a simpler time. Records of his mullet are immortalised in trading cards and fan forums. An inaugural member of the Warriors, where he played for only three seasons, Okesene’s also an inaugural member of our mullet hall of fame. He remained committed to the cause. “The hair is still there,” he told The Post in 2024.
Tawera Nikau: 1998 mullet peak
Throughout his league career Nikau not only demonstrated staunch devotion to mulletary custom, he took the form and ran with it. Unlike other sports stars who flirted with the style (Dan Carter circa 2006), Nikau pushed the boundaries of mullet conventions throughout the 1990s. By 1997 it flowed past his shoulders and past any suggestion of ambiguity. Now, 30 years on, it’s still in play – albeit shorter and more silver. A truly great mullet.
Jack Goodhue: 2019-2020 mullet peak
Goodhue’s golden mullet could have walked straight out of a 1980s beer commercial or a Steriogram music video: the tufts, the height, the simplicity, the blondness. It helped make him famous and during the late 2010s he was staunchly committed to the way of the mullet, outlasting the other All Blacks who “betrayed” him. He even kept it for his wedding. He won the approval of the nation’s matriarchs; Jacinda Ardern described Goodhue’s performance as a win for “mullets everywhere” and Hilary Barry declared his haircut the “most magnificent mullet in New Zealand”. Since, however, it’s come and gone. Was he intimidated by his Castres Olympique team mate Tom Staniforth’s robust mullet? Does he feel like pure shit just want it back? The people want to know.
Colin de Grandhomme: 2021 mullet peak
Where did it all start for all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme? His hair was relatively short and tidy until 2012 when public flirtations with the mullet began. Liaisons with a moustache (2016) and beard (2019) distracted him but by 2021, after a period of injury, things were back on with the mullet. Making up for lost time, de Grandhomme went to great lengths (literally) to demonstrate his commitment. But there were changes to come. The Black Cap shaved his mullet off in September of 2021. He left his international cricket career 11 months later, consciously uncoupled from his contract with New Zealand Cricket after being drafted by the Adelaide Strikers. But was it really over with the mullet? Old habits die hard. On August 15 a video published by The Alternative Commentary Collective showed de Grandhomme and his mullet were back together.
Richie Mo’unga: 2021 mullet peak
One of the softer mullets in our hall of fame, the rugby player’s foray into the style was brief but memorable. It emerged around July 2021 but by 2022 it was gone. We mourn.
Gayle Broughton: 2025-2026 mullet peak
Broughton’s hair has shifted over the years, much like her career, which has seen the Hawera-born player pivot from rugby sevens to NRL. That chapter ushered in a new era for Broughton, who went from short-back-and-sides to a magnificent mullet. It’s thick, it’s wavy and it looks really, really good with a Warriors jersey.
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak: 2026 mullet peak
A mullet as sensational as this one deserves TLC. Possessing what looks to be a B3 curl pattern, Watene-Zelezniak appears to have a solid routine going, using product and setting his curls. Each year it gets longer and more luscious. Much like Samson in the Bible, his power increases in lockstep with his hair. The Warriors are having their best season yet, Watene-Zelezniak’s signed on for two more years, and last week he scored a balletic try against the Brisbane Broncos – his winning mullet flowing behind him.
Have we missed any? Tell us in the comments.
