2025 Heartland Championship

The 2025 Heartland Championship, is the 19th edition of the Heartland Championship, a rugby union competition involving the twelve amateur provincial unions in New Zealand.

The tournament began with a round-robin stage in which the twelve teams played eight games each, from which the top four advance to the Meads Cup, while fifth to eighth best teams advance to the Lochore Cup. The four teams in each respective Cup play "knock out" semi-finals to determine the finalists. The top seeds in each (the first and fifth best teams in the regular season) play at home against the lowest seeds (fourth and eighth) while the second highest seeds (second and sixth best) play at home against the third highest seeds (third and seventh). The final of each cup features the higher seed playing at home against the lower seed.

Teams

The 2025 Heartland Championship comprises the following teams: Team Coach Home ground(s) Super Rugby partnerBullerCraig AdamsWestportCrusadersHorowhenua-KapitiAleni FeagaigaLevinHurricanesKing CountryAarin DunsterTaupō, Taumarunui, Te KūitiChiefsMid CanterburyMatt WinterAshburtonCrusadersNgati Porou East CoastKahu TamateaRuatoriaChiefsNorth OtagoLuke HerdenOamaruHighlandersPoverty BayPaoraian Manuel-HarmanGisborneHurricanesSouth CanterburyNigel WalshTimaruCrusadersThames ValleyDavid Harrison & Joe Murray Coromandel, Paeroa, Te Aroha, Thames, WaihiChiefsWairarapa BushJamie WilliamsMasterton HurricanesWest CoastJared MitchellGreymouth CrusadersWhanganuiJason HamlinWhanganuiHurricanes

Regular season

The following are the results from the regular season.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

In September West Coast were sanctioned with a financial penalty of $5,000 and 15 competition points for a breach of Heartland Championship player eligibility rules.

Regular season standings

In the 2025 season Mid Canterbury were clearly dominant going unbeaten through the regular season and gaining the maximum 40 points. On the field they scored 368 points versus 186 against. The 2025 Heartland regular season was a very even competition with five teams winning 5 of their 8 matches. Three teams won 4 of their 8 games but one of those teams, West Coast, was unable to make the semi-finals due to the loss of 15 competition points.

Last year's Meads Cup champion Thames Valley was third after the regular season, as they had been in 2024. The 2024 Lochore Cup winner did not make the semi-finals this season.

Team1Mid Canterbury 8 80 0 368186 +182 0 402South Canterbury 8 50 3 297 239 +58 4 293Thames Valley 85 0 3 335 172 +1634 294Wairarapa Bush 85 0 3 290 226+643 285Whanganui8 503 258 220 +38 1 266North Otago85 0 3 279290 −11 1 267Poverty Bay8 404 249 247 +2 5 258Horowhenua Kapiti8 404 242221 +21 1 219King Country82 0 6259 234 +25 5 1510West Coast 84 04 268 203 +65 3 (−15) 811Buller81 07 129 378 −249 2 712Ngati Porou East Coast80 0 8112 470 −358 1 1

Meads Cup qualification Lochore Cup qualification

Finals

In the Meads Cup the top placegetter plays at their home ground against the fourth team while the second placed team plays at home against the third. In the Lochore Cup the fifth placegetter plays at their home ground against the eighth team while the sixth placed team plays at home against the seventh. The winning semi-finalists then meet in the respective finals for each Cup, played at the home-ground of the team ranked highest in the regular season.

Meads Cup

In the Meads Cup the top team from the regular season, Mid Canterbury, played the 4th placed Wairarapa Bush in their semi-final at Ashburton. Mid Canterbury won a close match 21–19 to qualify for the final.

In the other semi-final South Canterbury played Thames Valley at Timaru. Thames Valley prevailed by 61–31 with their No 8 Aporosa Vuniyayawa scoring four tries.

In the Meads Cup final Mid Canterbury beat Thames Valley 21–18 at Ashburton.

Bracket

Semi-finals

Final

Lochore Cup

Whanganui finished the regular season 5th and therefore top qualifier for the Lochore Cup. In their semi-final they played at home against Horowhenua Kapiti. However, in a game that went to extra time, Horowhenua Kapiti upset them 40–18.

In the other semi-final North Otago played at Oamaru against Poverty Bay, winning a close match by 48–46.

In the Lochore Cup final North Otago beat Horowhenua Kapiti 64–47 in a high-scoring match at Oamaru.

Bill Osborne Taonga

Since 2022 Heartland teams have played for challenge trophy, named after 16-test All Black Bill Osborne and based on similar rules to the Ranfurly Shield played for by National Provincial Championship teams. King Country started the 2025 season as the holder of the Bill Osborne Taonga having secured it by beating Whanganui 34–17 in October 2024.

Challenges

23 August – King Country 47 Poverty Bay 26 6 September – King Country 36 Horowhenua Kapiti 46 13 September – Horowhenua Kapiti 27 West Coast 26 27 September – Horowhenua Kapiti 22 vs Wairarapa Bush 21

Ian Kirkpatrick Medal

At the end of each season (since 2022), a Heartland Championship Player of the Year will be chosen and they will be awarded this medal, named after former All Blacks captain Ian Kirkpatrick.

The 2025 Ian Kirkpatrick winner was Keanu Taumata the Poverty Bay flanker and co-captain.

The previous season's winner was Alekesio Vakarorogo (Whanganui).

2025 Heartland Championship

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