League: Anzac test will return to New Zealand

New Zealand will host the Anzac test for just the second time on May 6 next year - in Christchurch.

AAMI Stadium will host the match for the first time since North Harbour Stadium in 1998. That remains the only time the Kiwis have won the traditional encounter since its introduction in 1997.

The downside of hosting the test in New Zealand is that it will not make as much money for the respective transtasman governing bodies as an Australian venue like Sydney or Brisbane.

"While it is valuable for us commercially to play in Australia, we were always keen to bring it here again," said New Zealand Rugby League chief executive Jim Doyle.

Christchurch last staged a test during the 2006 Tri Nations when New Zealand played Great Britain.

The Kiwis will now play five tests at home in less than seven months. The run starts with the Samoan test in Auckland on October 16 followed by three matches in the Four Nations.

They include the Kiwis' encounter with Australia which will be the feature event when Eden Park stages a double-header on November 6.

It will be the first time the two sides have met in New Zealand in three years. England and Papua New Guinea play the curtain-raiser.