Formed in Wellington in 1906, the Kelburn Ladies' Bowling Club was the earliest women's outdoor bowling club in New Zealand. In general, the players did not have their own greens but were permitted to use the men's greens on weekday afternoons. Although women's bowling spread slowly in the South Island, it apparently made little progress in the North, for there was only one club formed before 1939. By 1930 there were sufficient clubs in the South Island to form the New Zealand Women's Bowling Association. This followed the pattern of the New Zealand Men's Bowling Association, and today the women's bowling clubs are grouped in 21 Centres. These, together with the N.Z. W.B.A., arrange championships and administer the game throughout the country. National championship tournaments were instituted after the Second World War, and these have since been held annually. In 1948, when the New Zealand Women's Bowling Umpires' Association was formed, there were about 500 players affiliated to the N.Z.W.B.A.; by 1964 there were over 20,000.