The National Provincial Championship, often simply called the NPC, is an annual round-robin rugby union competition in men's domestic New Zealand rugby. First played during the 2006 season, it is the second highest level of competition in New Zealand alongside the Ranfurly Shield. It is organised by New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and since 2021, it has been known as the Bunnings NPC after its headline sponsor. A concurrent women's tournament is also held, the Farah Palmer Cup.
Mount Maunganui is a major residential, commercial and industrial suburb of Tauranga located on a peninsula to the north-east of Tauranga's city centre. It was an independent town from Tauranga until the completion of the Tauranga Harbour Bridge in 1988, which connects Mount Maunganui to Tauranga's central business district.
Rotorua International Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located on Devon Street West in the Westbrook suburb of Rotorua, New Zealand. It is currently used mostly for rugby union and rugby league matches, being one of three home stadiums for the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union.
Tauranga Boys' College is a state secondary school for boys, located on the edge of the downtown area of Tauranga, New Zealand. The school was founded in 1946 as Tauranga College, before overcrowding saw the school become single-sex in 1958. The school has a roll of 1,764 students from years 9 to 13 as of February 2024. In 2019 Tauranga Boys' gained the most scholarships in the Bay of Plenty region with 31 scholarships and 6 outstanding scholarships.
The Bay of Plenty Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in a portion of the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand. Its colours are dark blue and yellow in a hooped design. The BOPRU govern the running of the Bay of Plenty representative team which have won New Zealand's first-tier domestic competition National Provincial Championship once. Their most recent victory was the 1976 competition, they were the first side to win the competition. Bay of Plenty also acts as a primary feeder to the Chiefs, who play in the Super Rugby competition.
The Waikato Rugby Union (WRU) is the official governing body of rugby union in the Waikato area in the North Island of New Zealand. Headquartered in Hamilton, WRU was founded in 1921.
The Bay of Plenty rugby league team are a New Zealand rugby league team who represents the Bay of Plenty Rugby League in New Zealand Rugby League competitions. Between 1994 and 1996 they competed in the Lion Red Cup competition, while in 2008 and 2009 they competed in the Bartercard Premiership.
Ngāti Pūkenga is a Māori iwi centred in Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. Its rohe extends to Mayor Island / Tuhua and Waihi in the north, to the Kaimai Range in the west, south of Te Puke and to Maketu in the east, and it has tribal holdings in Whangārei, Hauraki and Maketu.
Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology is a New Zealand tertiary education institute with campuses in Rotorua, Tauranga, and other towns in the Bay of Plenty and South Waikato regions. It was formed in May 2016 after the amalgamation of Bay of Plenty Polytechnic and Waiariki Institute of Technology. Toi Ohomai is the third largest of the 16 ITPs in New Zealand.
Bay of Plenty Rugby League is the local sporting body responsible for the administration of Rugby league in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. Following the restructuring of the New Zealand Rugby League they are part of the Upper Central Zone along with Waikato Rugby League, Coastline Rugby League and Gisborne Tairawhiti Rugby League.
Bay of Plenty are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. The union was originally established in 1911, with the National Provincial Championship established in 1976. They now play in the reformed National Provincial Championship competition. They play their home games at Rotorua International Stadium in Rotorua or Tauranga Domain, Tauranga, both in the Bay of Plenty Region. The team is affiliated with the Chiefs Super Rugby franchise. Their home playing colours are blue and yellow.
Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre (QEYC) is a multi-purpose indoor sporting events and entertainment centre in Tauranga, New Zealand. The centre has a maximum capacity of 2,580, having completed renovations in 2006. It hosts basketball and volleyball events regularly, and can also accommodate badminton and netball events.
The Classic Flyers Museum is an aviation museum located at the Tauranga Airport, Mount Maunganui, New Zealand, owned by a registered New Zealand charitable trust, the Bay of Plenty Classic Aircraft Trust.
Tauranga is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty Region and the fifth-most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of 161,800, or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by Europeans in the early 19th century, and was constituted as a city in 1963.
Arapeta Paurini Wharepapa, or Albert Asher as he was more commonly known, was a New Zealand dual-code international rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1890s, 1900s, 1910s and 1920s. At representative level Asher played rugby union for New Zealand, North Island and Auckland playing on the Wing and played rugby league at representative level for Australasia, New Zealand, Auckland and the New Zealand Māori rugby league team. One of his brothers, Ernie, was also a rugby league international while another, John, became a Ngati Pukenga and Ngati Pikiao leader, and another brother, Thomas also played representative rugby for Tauranga. Katherine Te Rongokahira Parata was a sister.
Farndon Park, also known as Farndon Park Domain, is a public park in Clive, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. It hosts many sporting events, including swimming, tennis, rugby union, and rowing on the adjacent Clive River. It was formerly also a cricket ground.
Tauranga Central is a suburb and the central business district of Tauranga, in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island.
George Iles was a winger and centre who played for the New Zealand rugby league team. He debuted for them in 1919 and became Kiwi number 125. He played his club rugby league for the Grafton Athletic and Newton Rangers teams in the Auckland Rugby League competition. He later moved to Tauranga and played for Tauranga and Bay of Plenty at rugby union including against the touring Springbok team in 1921. In 1922 he made an effort to establish Rugby League in the Tauranga area which failed however he did play matches for Tauranga and a Bay of Plenty league team who played against Auckland and the touring New South Wales team.
The Bay of Plenty District Health Board was a district health board with the focus on providing healthcare to the Bay of Plenty area of New Zealand. In 2022, the Bay of Plenty DHB was dissolved as part of a national overhaul of the district health board system. Its former functions and responsibilities were assumed by Te Whatu Ora.
George Gardiner was a New Zealand rugby league representative player. He played for New Zealand in 1926 becoming the 185th New Zealand representative. He was also a Bay of Plenty rugby representative as well as playing for the first ever Bay of Plenty rugby league team. After he finished his rugby league career he became a professional wrestler fighting mainly in Australia. He fought in World War 1 for New Zealand and fought and died serving in the Australian forces in World War 2.
