View source for New Zealand Rugby League

{{Short description|Sport governing body}}
{{Distinguish|New Zealand Rugby Union}}
{{Infobox rugby league
| leaguename  = New Zealand Rugby League
| nativename  = 
| logo       = 
| logosize = 130px
| founded     = {{start date and age|1910}}
| RLIF        = 1948
| region      = [[Asia-Pacific Rugby League|APRL]]
| regionyear  = 2010 (full; founder)
| players     = 24,000<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nrl.com/NewsViews/LatestNews/NewsArticle/tabid/10874/newsId/61058/Default.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110107111601/http://www.nrl.com/NewsViews/LatestNews/NewsArticle/tabid/10874/newsId/61058/Default.aspx |archive-date=2011-01-07 |title=NZ rugby league out of doldrums - NRL.com}}</ref>
| remit       = [[New Zealand]]
| headquarters=Rugby League House,  7 Beasley Avenue,  Penrose,  Auckland<ref name="NZRLcontacts">{{cite web|url=http://www.nzrl.co.nz/page/nzrl.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20041107060319/http://www.nzrl.co.nz/page/nzrl.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 November 2004|title=New Zealand Rugby League Contact Details|publisher=New Zealand Rugby League|access-date=8 December 2009}}</ref>
| chairperson = Justin Leydesdorff
| CEO         = Greg Peters
| CFO         = 
| menscoach   = [[Stacey Jones]]
| womenscoach = Ricky Henry 
| comps       = [[NZRL Men's National Competition|National Competition]]
| website     = [https://nzrl.co.nz/ nzrl.co.nz]
| countryflag = New Zealand
| updated     = 21 Jan 2021
}}

The '''New Zealand Rugby League''' (NZRL) is the governing body for the [[sport]] of [[rugby league|rugby league football]] in [[New Zealand]].<ref name="SPARC-2009-p13">[[#SPARC-2009|SPARC, 2009]]: 13</ref> The NZRL was founded on 25 April 1910 in preparation for a [[1910 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand|tour of Great Britain that same year]].<ref name=Coffey>Coffey and Wood ''The Kiwis: 100 Years of International Rugby League'' {{ISBN|1-86971-090-8}}</ref>

The NZRL administers the [[New Zealand national rugby league team|''New Zealand'' ''Kiwis'']] and the ''[[New Zealand women's national rugby league team|New Zealand Kiwi Ferns]].'' Currently they manage the NZRL National Secondary Schools Tournament, the NZRL National Youth Tournament, the NZRL National 9s, the NZRL National Women's Competition and the NZRL National Men's Competition. The premier competition is known as the National Premiership and the National Championship, which is a tier below. Previously, there was also a National 20's Competition launched in 2021 as a new pathway for developing elite talent. They are also responsible for elite pathway programmes including the NZ 16s and NZ 18s teams, the NZ Taurahere and the [[Junior Kiwis]].  They have previously managed the now defunct [[Lion Red Cup]] and [[Bartercard Cup]] competitions.

The NZRL is an [[incorporated society]] under the Incorporated Societies Act 1908.<ref name="SPARC-2009-p13"/> The current patron of the NZRL is [[Sir Anand Satyanand]], who replaced [[Peter Leitch (businessman)|Sir Peter Leitch]] in the role in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-08-16 |title=Rt Hon Sir Anand Satyanand GNZM QSO appointed as NZRL's new Patron |url=https://nzrl.co.nz/rt-hon-sir-anand-satyanand-gnzm-qso-appointed-as-nzrls-new-patron/ |access-date=2022-04-12 |website=New Zealand Rugby League |language=en-NZ}}</ref>

==History==

In April 1910, the New Zealand Rugby League was formed for the purpose of administering the new code in New Zealand<ref>{{cite book|last=John Coffey & Bernie Wood|title=100 Years: Maori Rugby League, 1908–2008|year=2008|publisher=Huia Publishers|location=New Zealand|isbn=978-1-86969-331-2|pages=61|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nklWo8vw-iIC}}</ref>  and "with the blessing of the [[Rugby Football League|Northern Rugby Football Union]], on the condition that the Auckland District would not have the management of the entire game in New Zealand".<ref name="SPARC-2009-p15">[[#SPARC-2009|SPARC, 2009]]: 15</ref>

==Staff==
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'''Board'''
* Tawera Nikau (President)
* Justin Lydesdorff (Chairman)
* [[Honey Hireme|Honey Hireme-Smiler]]
* Hugh Martyn
* John Devonshire
* Grant Stapleton
* Robyn Morete
* Ian Olán
* Nevak Rogers{{col-2}}

'''Staff'''
*CEO: Greg Peters
*President: [[Tawera Nikau]]

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== National Competition ==
{{Main|NZRL National Competition}}
The '''National Competition''' (previously called the '''National Zonal Competition''') is the top-level [[rugby league]] competition run by the New Zealand Rugby League. In 2010 the competition replaced the [[Bartercard Premiership]] following a [[Sport and Recreation New Zealand|Sparc]] funded review and restructure of the New Zealand Rugby League. Since 2019, the competition has consisted of a four-team national premiership and an eight-team national championship (split into North and South Island Conferences) with a promotion and relegation between the two divisions.

==Zones==

Throughout New Zealand, the sport is administered by seven zones and fifteen districts and has seven Affiliates.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.nzrl.co.nz/nzrl-zones.aspx |title=NZRL zones |publisher=New Zealand Rugby League |access-date=22 March 2015}}</ref>
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'''Zones'''
* Northland<br />([[Northland rugby league team|Northern Swords]])
* Akarana<br />([[Auckland rugby league team|Akarana Falcons]])
* Counties Manukau<br />([[Counties Manukau rugby league team|Counties Manukau Stingrays]])
* Upper Central<br />([[Wai-Coa-Bay Stallions]])
* Mid Central<br />([[Central Vipers]])
* Wellington<br />([[Wellington rugby league team|Wellington Orcas]])
* Southern<br />([[Canterbury rugby league team|Canterbury Bulls]])
{{col-3}}
'''Districts'''
* [[Auckland Rugby League]]
* Aoraki Rugby League
* [[Bay of Plenty Rugby League]]
* [[Canterbury Rugby League]]
* Coastline Rugby League
* Gisborne Tairawhiti Rugby League
* [[Manawatu Rugby League]]
* Otago Rugby League
* Southland Rugby League
* Rugby League Hawke's Bay
* [[Taranaki Rugby League]]
* Tasman Rugby League
* [[Waikato Rugby League]]
* [[Wellington Rugby League]]
* West Coast Rugby League
* Whangarei City & Districts
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'''Affiliates'''
* Kiwis Association
* Masters of Rugby League
* Defence Forces
* Māori Rugby League
* Universities and Tertiary Students
* Women's Rugby League
* Pacific Island Rugby League
{{col-end}}

==Legends of League==
47 players have been inducted since the Legends of League was introduced in 1995.<ref>{{cite web|last=nzrl.co.nz|title=Legends of League|url=http://www.nzrl.co.nz/legends-of-league.aspx|work=History|publisher=New Zealand Rugby League|access-date=24 August 2012|archive-date=11 September 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120911135536/http://www.nzrl.co.nz/legends-of-league.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> 
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'''1995 Inductees'''
*[[Ron Ackland]]
*[[Bert Avery]]
*[[Roger Bailey (rugby league)|Roger Bailey]]
*[[Tom Baxter (rugby league)|Tom Baxter]]
*[[Mel Cooke]]
*[[Cyril Eastlake]]
*[[Mark Graham (rugby league)|Mark Graham]]
*[[Cliff Johnson (rugby league)|Cliff Johnson]]
*[[Hugh McGahan]]
*[[George Menzies]]
*[[John Percival (rugby league)|John Percival]]
*[[Kevin Tamati]]
*[[Des White]]
*[[Dennis A. Williams|Dennis Williams]]
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'''2000 Inductees'''
*[[Dean Bell]]
*[[Lory Blanchard]]
*[[Travers Hardwick]]
*[[Karl Ifwersen]]
*[[Charlie McBride]]
*[[Bill McLennan (rugby league)|Bill McLennan]]
*[[Cecil Mountford]]
*[[Maurie Robertson]]
*[[Bill Sorensen]]
*[[Kurt Sorensen]]
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'''2001 Inductees'''
*[[Albert Baskerville]]
*[[Jock Butterfield]]
*[[Phillip Orchard]]
*[[Charlie Seeling]]
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'''2007 Inductees'''
*[[Roy Christian]]
*[[Tony Coll]]
*[[Olsen Filipaina]]
*[[Gary Freeman (rugby league)|Gary Freeman]]
*[[Scotty McClymont]]
*[[Ron McGregor]]
*[[Frank Mulcare]]
*[[Pat Smith (rugby league)|Pat Smith]]
*[[Ken Stirling]]
*[[Lance Todd]]
{{col-3}}
'''2008 Inductees'''
*[[Albert Asher]]
*[[Tawera Nikau]]
*[[Jim Rukutai]]
*[[Puti Tipene Watene|Puti Tipene (Steve) Watene]]
'''2010 Inductees'''
*[[Don Hammond (rugby league)|Don Hammond]]
*[[Tom Hadfield (rugby league)|Tom Hadfield]]
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'''2012 Inductees''' ([[Wellington Rugby League|Wellington]] centenary)
*[[Stephen Kearney]]
*[[Colin O'Neil]]
*[[John Whittaker (rugby league)|John Whittaker]]
'''2013 Inductees''' ([[Canterbury Rugby League|Canterbury]] centenary<ref>[http://www.nzrl.co.nz/news-archive/new-legends-inducted-as-part-of-100-year-celebrations.aspx New legends inducted as part of 100 year celebrations] ''nzrl.co.nz'', 4 June 2013</ref>)
*[[Jimmy Haig]]
*[[Alister Atkinson]]
*[[Mocky Brereton]]
*[[Mark Broadhurst (rugby league)|Mark Broadhurst]]
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==See also==
{{Portal|Sports}}

* [[Rugby League in New Zealand]]
* [[New Zealand national rugby league team]]
* [[Bartercard Cup]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://nzrl.co.nz/ Official site]
* {{cite web|url=http://www.sparc.org.nz/Documents/media%20releases/NZRL-Independent-Review.pdf |title=Rugby League – Contributing to New Zealand's Future |author=Independent Review Committee |location=New Zealand |publisher=[[Sport and Recreation New Zealand|SPARC]] |date=February 2009 |access-date=13 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100522180935/http://www.sparc.org.nz/Documents/media%20releases/NZRL-Independent-Review.pdf |archive-date=2010-05-22 |ref=SPARC-2009 |url-status=dead }}

{{Rugby League in New Zealand}}
{{Rugby League in Oceania}}
{{International Rugby League}}
{{NZ Sport}}

[[Category:Rugby league governing bodies in New Zealand| ]]
[[Category:Sports governing bodies in New Zealand|Rugby League]]
[[Category:Sports organizations established in 1910]]