District councillor John Vujcich said the cost to the council would be a maximum of $59,568 only if everything possible went wrong, which was unlikely.
A report by council staff had estimated the game would make a small profit. Even if it made a loss there would be no extra cost to ratepayers because the money would come out of an existing events budget, he said.
The NRU initially approached the Far North District Council (FNDC) with a proposal to hold the event at Kerikeri Domain, the location of a pre-season match in 2011.
However, the Kaikohe Rugby Football and Sports Club put up a strong case to have the game at Lindvart Park instead.
The club argued Kaikohe already had a fenced-off ground, changing facilities and ample space for spectators, meaning big savings for the NRU and FNDC.
Kerikeri, on the other hand, would need temporary fencing and grandstands, and parking was in short supply. It would also have to bring in portable showers or bus players from the sports complex on the Heritage Bypass.
Due to tight timeframes the proposal couldn't be considered by the full council but went to last week's Audit, Risk and Finance Committee meeting instead.
Committee members voted to allow FNDC chief executive Shaun Clarke to enter into an agreement with the NRU to underwrite 80 per cent of the potential loss, to a maximum of $59,568. They also resolved to source services from Kaikohe and Hokianga as much as possible.
Vujcich said Kaikohe was chosen over Kerikeri because it stacked up better financially, even allowing for lower crowd numbers.
Hosting the game in Kaikohe would also bring significant social benefits, including showing young people what could be achieved by ordinary Northlanders like themselves who had worked hard to hone their sporting skills.
The net cost to the FNDC of hosting the 2011 Blues v Hurricanes pre-season match in Kerikeri was $41,879 including staff time. The game, which was won 33-22 by the Blues, drew a crowd of about 4000 and takings of $104,392. An Air NZ Cup Northland v Auckland pre-season clash at Kerikeri Domain in 2009 drew about 7000 spectators.