Auckland’s Eden Park to host State of Origin match in 2027

Watch above: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown and Tourism Minister Louise Upston announce the deal.

A State of Origin match will be played in Eden Park in Auckland in 2027 following three years of high-level talks with the NRL and the Australian Rugby League Commission.

It is expected that 50,000 fans will pack the stadium for the Queensland versus New South Wales match.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown confirmed the details of the State of Origin match at a media conference on Monday morning.

Luxon said it was a very significant moment for rugby league in New Zealand, and would inspire the country’s young players and help to grow the game nationally.

“We are super excited to be hosting State of Origin here in New Zealand.”

It was also a win for the local economy and would help put New Zealand on the map as a world class destination for major events, he said.

“Major events like this bring huge benefits to our cities supporting local businesses, creating jobs and of course strengthening our economy.”

A number of factors paved the way for the announcement, including the Major Events Fund, which stumped up $2.5 million and Auckland Council releasing the restrictions on Eden Park, allowing night time sports to be permitted there on any day with existing caps on the number of night games removed, he said.

“New Zealand, as you know, has a very large and growing rugby league community and I know there’s going to be a lot of very very excited Kiwis today.”

Luxon told Morning Report that as a country New Zealand needed to become more competitive in attracting major events and the government had been working to do that.

“For every dollar we spend we get about $3.20 back.”

Asked why Luxon would not let Auckland Council implement a bed tax on hotel rooms which could be used to fund events like this, he said the government had always said it would not consider it this term but National was open to looking at the idea if they were re-elected.

Brown said securing State of Origin reflected the city’s strength as a major sporting centre. Auckland was the home to rugby league because of the Warriors, Brown said.

It had taken a long time to make this a reality, but a lot of hard work had been done to make it happen, he said.

“Major events like this build confidence in our city and create momentum which attracts more investment, more visitors and more opportunities.

“This match will mean full hotels, busy restaurants and bars… thousands of visitors will experience everything our region has to offer and the city will turn up, we always do.”

Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow of the Maroons celebrates after scoring a try during the State of Origin game two match between the Queensland Maroons and the NSW Blues.
Photo: AAP / Photosport

Hosting State of Origin is expected to attract more than 10,000 international visitors from Australia, generate more than 50,000 international visitor nights, and inject an estimated $17.4 million into the Auckland economy.

Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys AM said the historic clash would give New Zealanders the opportunity to experience the intensity of the game’s greatest rivalry.

“Rugby league is the number one sport in Australia and the Pacific, and the growth we have seen in New Zealand over recent years has been nothing short of extraordinary,” V’landys said.

Sir Graham Lowe, the only New Zealander to coach a State of Origin team as a former Queensland coach, said the occasion would be one to remember.

“Kiwis are excited about State of Origin, but there are only a few of them that have had the opportunity to actually watch it live. This will be a fantastic occasion for Auckland,” he said in a statement.

Lowe told Morning Report that this could lead to others things and may give New Zealand the chance to develop its own Origin-type concept.

He said he thought the Australian players would embrace the idea of playing in New Zealand.

“I think a lot of that is to do with the Warriors, I mean the Warriors have shown a fan base that rivals anything in Australia and the Aussies have plenty of respect for that.”

The 2027 fixture was being co-funded in partnership by Auckland Council Events and the New Zealand government via the Major Events Fund.

Speaking separately in Auckland, Labour leader Chris Hipkins offered his support for the easing of restrictions on events that could take place at Eden Park.

“I don’t think that what the government have decided here is unreasonable,” he said. “Major stadia around the world are often in residential zones. And one of the things about living in those residential zones is you do have to be willing to put up with a little more disruption.”

Hipkins said more major events would be good for Auckland and the wider country.

“Events like the America’s Cup, for example, brought a lot to Auckland. They brought a lot of investment in Auckland, and that was a really, really positive thing,” Hipkins said, calling them “important for the tourism and hospitality sector, it’s important for the Auckland economy”.

“Do we want to see more of that? Yes, we do. How do we fund that in the longer term? I think we do need to have a good conversation between central and local government about how we fund that on an ongoing basis. And we should leave the options on the table.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.