South Island Kea

[jim_57]

From what I gather, the NRL is leaning towards a Christchurch bid if NZ2 is picked because the Warriors don't want another team based in the North Island (which would rule out Wellington).

Not sure if the South Island brand & David Moffett's suggestion that the Kea play home games in other South island locations may be an olive branch to the Warriors that "Hey, we won't encroach on the North Island, we understand that'll be your turf".

If the Kea are accepted, and play some games elsewhere in the South Island, that may also spur the Warriors to do likewise with other cities in the North Island - and if they don't, I think some big cities in the North Island could certainly kick up a fuss to the Warriors (and indeed the NRL) about being ignored compared to the South Island!

Warriors did take games to Napier & Wellington last year, plus played as away team in Hamilton. This year it’s just Christchurch.

Whilst I’d like to see more games in Wellington and around the North Island I also wouldn’t like to see Warriors take too many games out of Auckland, especially since for whatever reason give up a home game for Magic each year.

South Island can say they won’t take any games to or show any interest in Wellington but once they get in there really isn’t much the Warriors could do to stop them unless the NRL blocks it. A “turf war” might be a good way to start a rivalry though.

 

[T-Boon]

There isn't really enough to this bid to form a solid opinion, but I can't see a fan or community owned model being viable, and hasn't David Moffett had some medical issues in the last decade?

I might be confusing him with somebody else, but I'm pretty sure that he's had some memory and cognitive decline issues.

In saying that, I wish the bid luck.

No you are thinking of gould

 

[T-Boon]

I think a South Island team is a great idea. Jersey mock up looks crap. Start with distinctive colours.
Also the emblem should be large and in the middle of the jersey where most teams plonk their sponsors massive advertisement.

 

[Wb1234]

One of the country's most experienced sports administrators says a South Island-based National Rugby League (NRL) club could be in action as early as 2026.

Talks are underway for the 'South Island Kea' to be included in an expanded premiership in the coming years.

The team would be based in Christchurch, with the forthcoming multi-use Te Kaha Stadium set to be completed by April 2026.

Former New Zealand Rugby and NRL boss David Moffett is helming the project and plans to meet with Australian rugby league executives over the next few weeks.

It also comes on the heels of a separate bid led by former Canterbury Rugby League administrator.

The rival ventures are now set to face off in a pursuit to bring a professional rugby league operation to the mainland.

There have been longtime advances for a second New Zealand-based club to join the premiership, alongside the New Zealand Warriors.

The Warriors are nearing 30 years of existence and have made two NRL grand finals - in 2002 and 2011 - but are yet to win a premiership.

The competition expanded to 17 teams only last year with the addition of the Dolphins, based out of Queensland's Redcliffe Peninsula.

Initial conceptions over the years proposed a Wellington-based club named the Orcas for inclusion, but this has yet come to pass.

A mockup of the potential jersey for the South Island Kea. Photo: South Island Kea / supplied
Moffett, who has also had stints in charge of Sport England and the Welsh Rugby Union, said his interest in a South Island-based NRL club dates back to 2012.

The game' administrators had previously expressed a reluctance around the idea of a South Island franchise. But now with the forthcoming Te Kaha Stadium in central Christchurch, Moffett believed this warranted a rethink.

"A great new stadium would be a huge asset for the NRL," he said.

"No other NRL team has a covered stadium. We would bring more matches there than the Crusaders would."

Venues Otautahi chief executive Caroline Harvie-Teare said it highlighted the "positive impact for the city".

Moffett said if the NRL chose to bring forward expansion plans, they would be ready to unleash a team in 2026.

Construction of the 25,000 Te Kaha arena is expected to be completed by April of that year. This also aligns with an additional bid for an NRL club out of Papua New Guinea during this window.

"If they were inclined to have two teams then, we will be ready," Moffett said.

He believed a second club on these shores would help with the retention of local-based talent, with about half of the Australian competition made up of Māori and Pasifika players.

"There's only one New Zealand team, so they take a lot of Kiwis over there to play in the competition. We think instead of going across that ditch, they should go across the shorter ditch, the Cook Strait, and come to Christchurch."

He said the Kea also remained an icon of the South Island and was regarded as "one of the smartest of all birds".

Although only at the start of the bid's flight path, Moffett said for every ticket sold the club would give a dollar to the Save the Kea Foundation.

A fan ownership structure was also being explored.

But he admitted competition would be fierce, with other ventures across the Tasman -including a second Brisbane club, a Cairns-based Pasifika franchise, and the Firehawks, the latter a reincarnation of the Easts League Club.

This was on top of a separate operation, branded South Island NRL Bid Limited, led by former Canterbury Rugby League chairperson Tony Kidd.

It is understood Moffett previously approached Kidd to chair the operation, which was "respectfully declined".

Kidd said he proposed an alternative role to further develop a co-op proposal with South Island NRL Bid Limited.

"David indicated a preference for a comprehensive engagement or none, leading us to wish him all the best," he said. "Concurrently, we acknowledge the launch of the 'Co-Op Kea' concept, positively viewing the emergence of competition."

Moffett said he would meet with Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'landys and NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo across the Tasman in the next fortnight.

Meanwhile, South Island NRL Bid Limited said it met with the NRL's senior leadership during the opening round in Las Vegas.

"We received encouraging support and a clear timeline regarding expansion plans."

New Christchurch stadium a chance to add another New Zealand NRL side

Talks are underway for the 'South Island Kea' to be included in an expanded NRL competition in the coming years.

www.rnz.co.nz

Do

Warriors did take games to Napier & Wellington last year, plus played as away team in Hamilton. This year it’s just Christchurch.

Whilst I’d like to see more games in Wellington and around the North Island I also wouldn’t like to see Warriors take too many games out of Auckland, especially since for whatever reason give up a home game for Magic each year.

South Island can say they won’t take any games to or show any interest in Wellington but once they get in there really isn’t much the Warriors could do to stop them unless the NRL blocks it. A “turf war” might be a good way to start a rivalry though.

More Sydney clubs should take their home games to those regional places in nz

even with nz 2 a lot of places won’t get games

 

[T-Boon]

Is it Kea or Keas?
Isn’t it a parrot? It would be like the Sout Island Parrot rather than South Island Parrots.

 

[The Great Dane]

It’s a bit sad that an AI jersey is better than half the real ones.

I think brown is an assumption based on the actual birds colour.

I like the jersey idea they’ve presented though it’ll likely need to be paired with white shorts for visibility.

It's a solid first concept, but IDK about it being better than half the real ones.

It'd be impossible to integrate sponsors into that design without completely destroying it, so the design would need to be toned down a lot for sake of practicality. I reckon a more subtle design would suit the colour scheme though.

I like the orange ochre and khaki green colour scheme a lot. It's different, good different. I'd be tempted to chuck black in there as well to allow for a bit more flexibility, but it doesn't need it if you know what I mean.

 

[flippikat]

Warriors did take games to Napier & Wellington last year, plus played as away team in Hamilton. This year it’s just Christchurch.

Whilst I’d like to see more games in Wellington and around the North Island I also wouldn’t like to see Warriors take too many games out of Auckland, especially since for whatever reason give up a home game for Magic each year.

South Island can say they won’t take any games to or show any interest in Wellington but once they get in there really isn’t much the Warriors could do to stop them unless the NRL blocks it. A “turf war” might be a good way to start a rivalry though.

Interesting that the Warriors have pivoted so quickly to take their "home away from home" games to Christchurch, and stopped going to other North Island cities (a 3 year deal for 2 Christchurch games per year?!? Whoa..)

Sure the new covered stadium is a tempting proposition, but got to think that with all the talk of a Christchurch based bid having a chance, got to think this is a pre-emptive play against any Christchurch bid.

 

[flippikat]

It's a solid first concept, but IDK about it being better than half the real ones.

It'd be impossible to integrate sponsors into that design without completely destroying it, so the design would need to be toned down a lot for sake of practicality. I reckon a more subtle design would suit the colour scheme though.

I like the orange ochre and khaki green colour scheme a lot. It's different, good different. I'd be tempted to chuck black in there as well to allow for a bit more flexibility, but it doesn't need it if you know what I mean.

Orange, green & brown are the bird's colours.. and I think if brown is used sparingly on the home but as a main colour on an away/alternate, that could work.

I agree on the design - the main home and away should be straightforward - especially as their initial jersey, as the initial jersey set should be something that defines a club's classic look, and have scope for variations over the years.

A complex design doesn't allow that scope - and actually paints the club's identity into a corner.

A design like that mock-up only makes sense as an Indigenous or special jersey.

 

[jim_57]

Do

More Sydney clubs should take their home games to those regional places in nz

even with nz 2 a lot of places won’t get games

I guess it’s one of those things, outside of Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington & maybe Hamilton we’re talking towns similar sizes to regional QLD & NSW towns that don’t get regular NRL games.

Growing up in such a town I know from experience you know and get used to the fact you’ll have to travel to see top grade sport, outside of the odd trial or one off game of course.

 

[Wb1234]

I guess it’s one of those things, outside of Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington & maybe Hamilton we’re talking towns similar sizes to regional QLD & NSW towns that don’t get regular NRL games.

Growing up in such a town I know from experience you know and get used to the fact you’ll have to travel to see top grade sport, outside of the odd trial or one off game of course.

They have good grounds though

 

[jim_57]

They have good grounds though

Yeh it’s pretty impressive how “not shit” the stadiums are in those towns compared to Australian places like Cairns, Toowoomba, Wagga etc. Not exactly great stadiums but they all seem to have some decent grandstands instead of just mostly hills.

 

[Wb1234]

Yeh it’s pretty impressive how “not shit” the stadiums are in those towns compared to Australian places like Cairns, Toowoomba, Wagga etc. Not exactly great stadiums but they all seem to have some decent grandstands instead of just mostly hills.

Yeh exactly

 

[The Mad Hatter]

 

[jim_57]

Orange, green & brown are the bird's colours.. and I think if brown is used sparingly on the home but as a main colour on an away/alternate, that could work.

I agree on the design - the main home and away should be straightforward - especially as their initial jersey, as the initial jersey set should be something that defines a club's classic look, and have scope for variations over the years.

A complex design doesn't allow that scope - and actually paints the club's identity into a corner.

A design like that mock-up only makes sense as an Indigenous or special jersey.

Light blue as well in that photo posted earlier plus the jersey posted by the bid. Green, Orange, Light Blue & Brown if done right could be a great unique colour scheme.

 

[The Great Dane]

Orange, green & brown are the bird's colours.. and I think if brown is used sparingly on the home but as a main colour on an away/alternate, that could work.

I agree on the design - the main home and away should be straightforward - especially as their initial jersey, as the initial jersey set should be something that defines a club's classic look, and have scope for variations over the years.

A complex design doesn't allow that scope - and actually paints the club's identity into a corner.

A design like that mock-up only makes sense as an Indigenous or special jersey.

I don't really agree with any of that.

Done right complex designs can be great and allow plenty of scope, and plenty of 'straightforward' designs have been ugly and limiting. It's all in the execution. Take Roma's away kit as a single example-

That's a relatively complex design, but it's done tastefully and in a manner that allows growth and room for experimentation of the theme.

There's no reason why the Kea couldn't include all the design elements they have into a jersey in a similarly tasteful manner, they just need to work on it.

Concepts like clubs needing a "definitive" or "iconic" look is just nonsense made up by people who want to stifle creativity and experimentation, and it's totally unrealistic to expect most clubs to create that "definitive", or most popular, look on their first attempt.

Hell, most of the the "iconic" NRL jerseys are only iconic because they've never genuinely attempted to improve on them. It's a self fulfilling prophecy; you don't try to improve something if you've convinced yourself that it's already prefect...

 

[Foreign Legion]

I like the kea logo but the bird looks like he's rolling his eyes. Lol

 

[Get Rid of The Donkeys]

Why do so many people on here worship foreign sporting leagues?

This is Australia.

 

[Mother Nature's Son]

Is it Kea or Keas?
Isn’t it a parrot? It would be like the Sout Island Parrot rather than South Island Parrots.

Kea, and apparently they`ve got a ute.

 

[Canard]

Why do so many people on here worship foreign sporting leagues?

This is Australia.

What time does the National Front meeting in your area start?

 

[flippikat]

Yeh it’s pretty impressive how “not shit” the stadiums are in those towns compared to Australian places like Cairns, Toowoomba, Wagga etc. Not exactly great stadiums but they all seem to have some decent grandstands instead of just mostly hills.

That's the heritage from provincial rugby union - we've got a lot of reasonable 15k-20k capacity provincial stadiums., because the provincial championship needed them.

Maybe not 100% modern but good enough for the odd game, and many have had lighting installed for night games.

That gives plenty of scope for games out in decent NZ population centres, should the NRL want to really take it to rugby union in one of it's strongholds.