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Despite attracting its biggest television audience in years, the ANZ Premiership is set to record a significant loss of around $3.7 million in 2026, casting further doubt over the future of New Zealand’s domestic netball competition.
Netball New Zealand board chair Alastair Carruthers said the shortfall would be covered by the organisation’s cash reserves, but warned that approach could not continue.
Speaking on Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking Breakfast, Carruthers admitted the loss would be hard to cover, adding that the overall deficit for Netball New Zealand would be far greater.
“It’s going to be hard to cover,” Carruthers said. “We do have reserves sufficient to deal with it this year.
“The board last year, when committing to the third year of this this premiership, knew that it had reserves that that would cover the loss, but [the loss] is bigger than we expected.
“I think it’s important to note that also this year Netball New Zealand in total is likely to run up a loss greater than $3.7m. It’s going to be close to $6m. Reserves will cover this year.
“I don’t think next year is going to be easy to cover at that level from our reserves position, so we need to start redesigning our business and redesigning the way that this competition is played.”
The loss is part of the fallout after it was revealed Netball New Zealand emailed coaches and staff at the Northern Stars, Mainland Tactix and Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic telling them their contracts cannot be extended at this stage.
The three franchises are all run by Netball New Zealand, while the Northern Mystics, Central Pulse and Southern Steel are run by their respective netball zones.
Carruthers is adamant the governing body remained committed to maintaining a strong domestic competition while ensuring the long-term health of the sport.
With that in mind, Netball New Zealand has agreed to change the eligibility requirements for Silver Ferns selection, following discussions with the Players Association with an eye on the 2027 Netball World Cup.
Players who choose to sign with overseas clubs will now remain eligible for Silver Ferns selection. The change takes effect immediately for the current selection cycle and will continue for the duration of any multi-year overseas contract.
Netball NZ Board Chair Alastair Carruthers. Photo / Photosport
“Any player is welcome to play anywhere in the world if they wish to and will still be eligible for selection for the for the Silver Ferns,” Carruthers said.
“We did that because while there is uncertainty about what form of domestic competition we can offer at home, people need freedom of choice and the opportunity to keep working and the opportunity to keep playing at an elite level.”
He said any future model would continue to prioritise a high-quality domestic competition, alongside supporting community netball.
The big financial loss comes despite the ANZ Premiership attracting 1.05 million unique television viewers on TVNZ this season, excluding audiences who watched live or on demand via TVNZ.
Figures obtained by the Herald show that represents a 16% increase on 2025 and a 64% increase since 2024.
The average live television audience for an ANZ Premiership fixture was 51,800, a 32% increase on 2025 for the average number of people watching a game live on TV2.
The grand final between the Northern Mystics and Southern Steel saw a 60% increase in viewership, with more than 120,000 New Zealanders watching live – the most ever. Before that, 82,159 viewers had tuned in for the elimination final, 25,742 more than last year.
The overall average attendance for the ANZ Premiership is up 3.2%, following a 15% jump in 2024. In total, 70,236 fans attended games, including the finals.
Social media presence has also increased with the official ANZ Premiership pages (not including teams) having seen a 33% increase in followers, totalling 166,500.
Carruthers expects discussions to continue with broadcasters for at least a few more months.
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.
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One of England's biggest football clubs is set to create one of New Zealand's biggest football spectacles.
More than 40 thousand tickets have been sold to Sunday's exhibition match between Tottenham Hotspur and Auckland FC at Eden Park.
International stars like James Maddison, Richarlison, and Andy Robertson are all set to take the field.
Auckland FC CEO Nick Becker told Mike Hosking they expect the Spurs will come in hot off the pre-season they've already had.
He says it's a strong squad, and their players will want to impress the new coach.
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It's thought that new entrant cars are putting pressure on incumbent vehicles already on the market.
Italian car manufacture Fiat has pulled its electric stock out of the New Zealand and Australian market.
It's not restocking the fully electric 500e and Abarth 500e while it evaluates future product opportunities.
Motor Trade Association CEO Lee Marshall told Mike Hosking effort and energy may be put into brands with a more promising future.
He says the market is changing – it's amazing how many vehicles have now sold thousands this year, that weren't on the market last year.
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There’s a view the Trans-Tasman aviation market won't be completely shaken up by the new Western Sydney Airport.
It opens on October 25th, and Air New Zealand is one of the airlines that’ll be using it – flying three times a week out of Auckland.
Forsyth Barr Head of Research, Andy Bowley told Mike Hosking it will attract some operators, but thinks the majority will still go through the main Sydney Airport.
He says if you think about the capacity Air New Zealand, only around 2% of it will go into Western Sydney.
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