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The Lochore Cup is a New Zealand rugby union trophy named after famed Wairarapa Bush and All Blacks player and coach Brian Lochore. It is contested during the Heartland Championship. It was first awarded in 2006, when the Heartland Championship format was introduced.
At present, all 12 teams play 8 games over 8 weeks before the finals. Once finished, the teams placed 5-8 advance to the Lochore Cup finals. The top 4 teams play for the Meads Cup. Previously, a pool system was used between 2006 and 2010 to determine who played for the Cups. In 2021, due to a delay in the start of the competition caused by COVID-19, the semifinal round for both Cups was scrapped, and the Lochore Cup was instead contested between the teams that finished third and fourth respectively in the regular season.
The Lochore Cup winner is determined in four-team single-elimination tournament. The semifinal matchups are seeded 1-4 and 2-3, with the higher seed receiving home field advantage. The highest remaining seed hosts the Lochore Cup final.
| Year | Lochore Cup Winner | Final score | Runner up |
| 2006 [1] |  Poverty Bay | 46-34 | King Country |
| 2007 [2] | Poverty Bay | 38-35 | South Canterbury |
| 2008 | Poverty Bay | 26-5 | Horowhenua-Kapiti |
| 2009 |  North Otago | 21-13 | West Coast |
| 2010 [3] |  Wairarapa Bush | 15-9 | Buller [4] |
| 2011 [5] | Poverty Bay | 49-22 | South Canterbury [6] |
| 2012 [7] |  Buller [8] [9] | 31-28 | South Canterbury |
| 2013 |  South Canterbury [10] | 17-10 | Buller |
| 2014 |  Wanganui [11] [12] | 14-12 | North Otago |
| 2015 [13] |  King Country | 47-34 | North Otago |
| 2016 [14] | North Otago [15] [16] | 44-22 | King Country |
| 2017 [17] |  Mid Canterbury [18] | 47-15 | West Coast [19] |
| 2018 [20] |  Horowhenua-Kapiti [21] | 26-23 | Wairarapa Bush [22] |
| 2019 [23] | South Canterbury [24] [25] | 23-19 | West Coast |
| 2020 | No competition held due to COVID-19 | ||
| 2021 [26] | Wanganui [27] | 22-16 | North Otago |
| 2022 [28] |  East Coast [29] [30] [31] | 25-20 | Mid Canterbury |
| 2023 [32] |  West Coast | 23-20 | Poverty Bay |
The North Otago Rugby Football Union (NORFU) is a New Zealand rugby union province based in Oamaru and compete in the Heartland Championship. They are one of the strongest teams in The Heartland Championship, winning the Meads Cup section of the competition in its second year, 2007 as well as 2010. Their home ground is Whitestone Contracting Stadium, formerly Centennial Park.
The National Provincial Championship, often simply called the NPC, was an annual promotion and relegation rugby union competition in men's domestic New Zealand rugby. First played during the 1976 season, it was the highest level of competition in New Zealand until Super Rugby launched in 1996. It was organised by New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and ceased following the 2005 season.
The Heartland Championship competition, known for sponsorship reasons as the Bunnings Warehouse Heartland Championship, is a domestic rugby union competition in New Zealand. It was founded in 2006 as one of two successor competitions to the country's former domestic competition, the National Provincial Championship (NPC). The country's 27 provincial teams were split into two separate competitions. Thirteen of the original teams, plus one merged side created from two other teams, entered the new top-level professional competition, the Air New Zealand Cup. The remaining 12 sides entered the new Heartland Championship, whose teams contest two distinct trophies, both named after famous New Zealand players:
The Hanan Shield is one of the most prestigious trophies in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First played for in 1946 after being presented by the Mayor of Timaru, A.E.S. Hanan. The Hanan Shield is based on a challenge system played between North Otago, South Canterbury and Mid Canterbury. The holding union must defend the shield in challenge matches, and if a challenger defeats them, they become the new holder of the shield. A rules change at the end of the 2011 season meant that the shield is up for challenge in any meeting between the holders and one of the other two teams.
The Wairarapa-Bush Rugby Football Union is the body that regulates rugby union in Masterton, New Zealand. It was formed in 1971 with the amalgamation of the Wairapapa and Bush Unions.
The Horowhenua-Kapiti Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in the Horowhenua and Kāpiti Coast districts in the Manawatū-Whanganui and Wellington regions. The union was established in 1893 as the Horowhenua Rugby Football Union and was changed to its current name of Horowhenua-Kapiti in 1997, in order to reflect the full extent of the union's districts.
The South Canterbury Rugby Football Union (SCRFU) is a rugby province based in the central South Island city of Timaru, New Zealand. The South Canterbury team play at Fraser Park located in Timaru.
The Ngati Porou East Coast Rugby Football Union (NPEC) is a constituent union in the New Zealand Rugby Union. It is located on the East Coast of the North Island, based in Ruatoria. It is the smallest Union in New Zealand in the sense of player numbers and population base. Due to the high number of players from the Ngati Porou iwi, the team is often referred to as Ngati Porou East Coast.
The Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union within the Gisborne district, in the area surrounding Poverty Bay on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The men's representative team play from Rugby Park, Gisborne, and currently compete in the Heartland Championship.
The Heartland XV is one of several New Zealand representative rugby union teams, although it is at a lower level than the All Blacks and the Māori All Blacks. The side is drawn exclusively from players for provincial unions that compete in the Heartland Championship, a nominally amateur domestic competition below the fully professional Mitre 10 Cup.
The 2007 Heartland Championship was the primary provincial rugby union championship in New Zealand played between August 18 and October 18, 2007. As in the inaugural competition, the 2006 Heartland Championship, 12 teams were involved.
The Meads Cup is a rugby union trophy named after King Country and All Blacks player Colin Meads. It is contested during the Heartland Championship. It was first awarded in 2006, when the Heartland Championship format was introduced.
The 2009 Heartland Championship is the 4th provincial rugby union competition in New Zealand since the 2006 reconstruction, involving the 12 amateur rugby unions. The round-robin ran from 29 August to 17 October with 30 games in round one and 18 games in round two for a total of 48 games being played through the round-robin, after which the teams went into the playoffs. In the playoffs, the top four teams from each pool in round two went on to semifinals, and then a grand final for each pool was played on 31 October.
The 2010 Heartland Championship was the fifth edition of the New Zealand provincial rugby union competition, since the 2006 reconstruction. The teams represented the 12 amateur rugby unions.
The 2012 Heartland Championship is the 7th provincial rugby union competition, since the 2006 reconstruction, involving the 12 amateur rugby unions in New Zealand. The 2012 season will follow the style of 2011. The tournaments' round robin stage will see the 12 teams play 8 games. 1st to 4th on the ladder at the end of the 8 weeks will play off for the Meads Cup, while 5th to 8th will play off for the Lochore Cup.
The 2014 Heartland Championship was the ninth edition of the Heartland Championship, a rugby union competition involving the twelve amateur rugby unions in New Zealand. The tournament involved a round-robin stage in which the twelve teams played eight games each and then the top four advanced to the Meads Cup semifinals, while fifth to eighth advanced to the Lochore Cup semifinals. In both of these knockout stages the top seeds played at home against the lowest seeds, the second highest seeds played at home against the third highest seeds and the final had the higher seed play at home against the lower seed.
The 2013 Heartland Championship, the eighth edition of the Heartland Championship since the 2006 reconstruction, was a rugby union competition involving the twelve amateur rugby unions in New Zealand. The tournament involved a round-robin stage in which the twelve teams played eight games each and then the top four advanced to the Meads Cup semifinals, while fifth to eighth advanced to the Lochore Cup semifinals. In both of these knockout stages the top seeds played at home against the lowest seeds, the second highest seeds played at home against the third highest seeds and the final had the higher seed play at home against the lower seed.
The 2015 Heartland Championship, the tenth edition of the Heartland Championship since the 2006 reconstruction of the National Provincial Championship, was a rugby union competition involving the twelve semi-professional rugby unions in New Zealand. The tournament involved a round-robin stage in which the twelve teams played eight games each and then the top four advanced to the Meads Cup semifinals, while fifth to eighth advanced to the Lochore Cup semifinals. In both of these knockout stages the top seeds played at home against the lowest seeds, the second highest seeds played at home against the third highest seeds and the final had the higher seed playing at home against the lower seed.
The 2016 Heartland Championship, known as the 2016 Mitre 10 Heartland Championship for sponsorship reasons, was the eleventh edition of the Heartland Championship, a rugby union competition involving the twelve amateur rugby unions in New Zealand. The tournament included a round-robin stage in which the twelve teams played eight games each and then the top four advanced to the Meads Cup semifinals, while fifth to eighth advanced to the Lochore Cup semifinals. In both of these knockout stages the top seeds played at home against the lowest seeds, the second highest seeds played at home against the third highest seeds and the final had the higher seed play at home against the lower seed.
The 2019 Heartland Championship, known as the 2019 Mitre 10 Heartland Championship for sponsorship reasons, was the 14th edition of the Heartland Championship, a rugby union competition involving the twelve amateur rugby 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 advanced to the Meads Cup semifinals, while fifth to eighth advanced to the Lochore Cup semifinals. In both of these knockout stages the top seeds played at home against the lowest seeds, the second highest seeds played at home against the third highest seeds and the final featured the higher seed playing at home against the lower seed.