Rugby: BNZ steps up to sponsor Kiwi Super 14 teams

Both the Chiefs and the Hurricanes will be sponsored by BNZ. Photo / Jamie Troughton

In a sign the sports sponsorship recession could be over, the BNZ is set to be unveiled as the brand behind New Zealand's five Super 14 franchises.

The Australian-owned bank will be splashed across the jerseys of the Blues, Chiefs, Hurricanes, Crusaders and Highlanders, occupying the advertising space taken up by Ford since the inception of the Super 12 in 1996.

The sponsorship deal, which will be announced following the naming of the 2010 Super 14 squads tomorrow, is thought to be worth close to $1 million, although nobody from BNZ or the New Zealand Rugby Union would comment on the impending partnership, let alone the figures.

The Ford deal, which ended as the US motor giant's struggles escalated as a result of the recession, was thought to be a part-cash, part-cars deal. While they are still official car suppliers to the All Blacks, they have shifted their sponsorship focus to cricket.

The deal with New Zealand Cricket will see their marque emblazoned across the shirts of the six major association teams. Ford will also be the car supplier of the men's and women's national teams.

Martin Gilman, a media strategy planner, said the BNZ and Ford deals pointed to a softening of the sports sponsorship market.

"It says two things to me," Gilman said. "One, the recession has bottomed out and, two, there's a more realistic attitude on the part of the sporting bodies in terms of meeting the sponsors' needs."

Gilman said the Super 14 and Air New Zealand Cup had traditionally been "hard sells" because of the inflexibility of the NZRU when it came to dealing with sponsors.

Before BNZ stepped into the breach, the NZRU was close to signing a deal with Korean car manufacturer Hyundai but that deal fell through. The Crusaders and Blues have individual deals with Hyundai dealerships, an interesting situation given that Ford has now come back on board as the All Blacks car supplier.