Category: News

Otautahi – Former All Black Aaron Mauger wants to see the NPC rugby competition played alongside Super Rugby.

Non-selected super players each week play NPC rugby which would provide more opportunities for club players to connect NPC teams to people from their own region.

“How good would that be, with proper curtain-raisers of absolute quality. The main benefit would be for club rugby then to be played alongside the international windows at the back end of the year,” he says.

“This means any player not selected for the All Blacks can play club rugby. This will inject great energy and excitement back into the heart of the game in Aotearoa.

“It also gives an opportunity for club competitions toward the end of the year and club players are being rewarded at the end of the season to prepare for either super or NPC over the summer and into the new year.” 

Mauger says swapping the NPC season and the local club seasons will re-invigorate the passion for both formats. New Zealand needs club rugby and NPC rugby to be strong and inspire future generations.

“I’m not sure if we are achieving that at the moment especially now as other sports are gaining more traction and providing alternative and attractive options for our young budding Kiwi sports people. 

“I love NPC rugby. I always did as a young fan, a player, a coach and continued support of my home province Canterbury. I believe the NPC has an important role to play in out rugby and the development of our players, coaches and administrators.”

NPC Rugby has been a diminishing product for the last 15 years, the rugby is still strong enough to some degree but it has been weakened by many of New Zealand’s best players the level below Super Rugby moving off-shore to pursue other playing or lifestyle opportunities.

This in turn has had a huge impact on the interest in the NPC competition from the rugby community around the country which is reflected in the declining numbers seen at games. There has to be a paradigm shift to re-invent the competition before it dies a slow and painful death. 

Moving the NPC programme alongside Super Rugby will create a different buzz of excitement around both the NPC and Super Rugby competitions.

This structure would better accommodate the playing needs of the players who are not getting selected in their Super Rugby Squads each week as they would be able to transition back into their NPC squads later in the week to prepare and play at a higher level than local club rugby at this time.

Mauger says the new format would be welcomed by Super Rugby coaches and players who often decide that a controlled conditioning session would be of more benefit to a player than some club rugby games.

“The best 200 players in the country would be playing good quality rugby for the first five to six months of the season and that culminates in an exciting playoffs scenario for both competitions come June. 

“Club rugby would become stronger than has been in decades as the All Blacks, the All Blacks XV or Maori All Blacks would be the only men’s representative teams playing past July.

“This will result in more quality being re-injected back into the club teams around the country for the whole club season. High calibre players back to grass roots, passing on their knowledge, growing the game and connecting with the future of the game from their local clubs as that is the start of the All Blacks production line and has until recently been the best rugby.

“Academy club structures, such as my two junior clubs Lyttelton and Linwood, is where it all starts for future Canterbury and All Black players. But we are losing these kids from the game. The numbers are dropping because we are losing connection with them through the current climate and competing sports capturing their attention. 

“The end of the club season could finish with a national top 4 competition similar to the 1st XV Schools, imagine that: the Southern Magpies (Dunedin club champions this year) v Marist Albion (Christchurch Club champions) facing off in a South Island final to progress through to meet the top three North Island teams. That would be just magic for the game.

“At that stage of the year, both Super Rugby coaches and NPC coaches are getting ready to name their squads for the following season starting with pre-season schedules before competitions begin in unison the following February.” 

For further information contact Make Lemonade NZ editor-in-chief Kip Brook on 0275 030188

Ōtautahi – Over the past year, New Zealanders who switched power provider using Powerswitch collectively saved over $5 million.

“That’s $5 million that will stay in the pockets of people paying for power, rather than bolstering the profits of electricity retailers,” Powerswitch’s manager Paul Fuge says.

In the year ended June 2023, there were 662,742 Powerswitch users and 27,314 switch requests on the Powerswitch site.

The power plans available on the Powerswitch site make up almost 97 percent of the market.

Powerswitch is a free and independent comparison service run by Consumer NZ that helps people check they’re on the best plan to meet the needs of their household.

Powerswitch data shows people who switch providers can typically save $385 a year on their power bill, Fuge says.

“We want to see even more people using the Powerswitch service to check whether they could be getting a better deal.

“When more people switch, it generates competition in the market and forces retailers to sharpen their prices to hold on to their customers.

“There’s no such thing as premium electricity – so why pay more than you have to.

“In our latest energy survey, 62 percent of people said they were concerned about their electricity costs, and 19 percent of households reported they had experienced financial difficulty paying their monthly power bill in the last 12 months. 

“Despite the savings available, the number of people changing provider remains stubbornly low. The paradox is bamboozling.

“According to data from the Electricity Authority, only around 6 percent of households changed provider in the last year, excluding people moving house.

“For every one percent of households that switch electricity provider there would be collective savings of around 7 million dollars a year. That’s money that should be retained by hard-working New Zealanders instead of boosting power company coffers.”

Consumer NZ estimates over 40 percent of households have been with the same power provider for more than five years. The big four retailers and their subsidiaries provide power to more than eight in ten households across the country.

“Time and time again, our research shows that customers with the smaller power providers are more satisfied with the service they receive, including the price they pay for their power. But still, so many people stay with the big providers.

“It only takes a matter of minutes to check, switch and then save. It really could not be simpler.

“This winter we also have a dedicated Powerswitch call centre to help people who have limited online access or struggle to use the internet.

“We want as many people as possible to check to see if they could be saving. Together we can bring down the country’s power prices,” Fuge says.