New Zealand Warriors

Real club history, premierships, Grand Final appearances, and ladder finishes, aggregated from our sourced rugby league archive.

Data last verified: 11 August 2026.

Rugby League: Teams ▾

New Zealand Warriors — 0 premierships on record.

Club Background

Founded in 1995 as the Auckland Warriors, the club became the first based outside Australia admitted to the top-flight competition, playing its home games at Mount Smart Stadium (now Go Media Stadium) in Penrose, Auckland. It was renamed the New Zealand Warriors in 2001 to reflect a national identity, spent 2000-2022 known commercially as the Vodafone Warriors under a long-running sponsorship, and has traded as the One New Zealand Warriors since November 2022 after its sponsor rebranded; fans know the club simply as "the Wahs." It remains, on record, the only New Zealand-based club ever to play in the sport's Australian top flight.

Honours

Premiership
Runners-up (2)2002, 2011
Minor Premiership
Winners (1)2002

League history

1st 15th 1995: 10 of 201996: 11 of 201997 Super League: 7 of 101998: 15 of 201999: 11 of 172000: 13 of 142001: 8 of 142002: 1 of 152003: 6 of 152004: 14 of 152005: 11 of 152006: 10 of 152007: 4 of 162008: 8 of 162009: 14 of 162010: 5 of 162011: 6 of 162012: 14 of 162013: 11 of 162014: 9 of 162015: 13 of 162016: 10 of 162017: 13 of 162018: 8 of 162019: 13 of 162020: 10 of 162021: 12 of 162022: 15 of 162023: 4 of 172024: 13 of 172025: 6 of 17 19951997 Super League19992001200320052007200920112013201520172019202120232025

Final ladder position each season on record (1995–2025) — 1st at the top. Hover a point for the exact position and field size that season.

Full table
SeasonFinal position
20256 of 17
202413 of 17
20234 of 17
202215 of 16
202112 of 16
202010 of 16
201913 of 16
20188 of 16
201713 of 16
201610 of 16
201513 of 16
20149 of 16
201311 of 16
201214 of 16
20116 of 16
20105 of 16
200914 of 16
20088 of 16
20074 of 16
200610 of 15
200511 of 15
200414 of 15
20036 of 15
20021 of 15
20018 of 14
200013 of 14
199911 of 17
199815 of 20
1997 Super League7 of 10
199611 of 20
199510 of 20

Club history

The club was founded in 1995 as the Auckland Warriors, becoming the first club based outside Australia admitted to the top-flight competition after years of lobbying by New Zealand rugby league officials. It played at Mount Smart Stadium in Penrose, Auckland, which remains its principal home under the venue's current name, Go Media Stadium. In 2001 the club rebranded as the New Zealand Warriors to reflect a national rather than purely Auckland identity, and is affectionately known to fans as "the Wahs." Commercially the club traded as the Vodafone Warriors for over two decades, before Vodafone New Zealand's own rebrand to One NZ saw the club become the One New Zealand Warriors from November 2022 — its current public-facing name, even though "New Zealand Warriors" remains the underlying club identity. Colours have shifted over time: the original 1995 kit mixed blue, red, green and white, the 2001 rebrand introduced black and grey, and the club reverted toward its original palette for its 25th-anniversary season in 2019.

The Warriors' early years were marked by financial instability, culminating in a 2000 crisis in which the original ownership group collapsed under debt; businessman Eric Watson purchased the club's assets, leaving many players temporarily unpaid. Despite this turmoil, the rebuilt side made a surprise finals charge in 2001 and claimed its only minor premiership in 2002, reaching its maiden grand final that year but losing 30-8 to the Sydney Roosters. A second grand final appearance came in 2011, ending in a 24-10 loss to Manly. The club's history has been defined as much by its role as a symbol of New Zealand rugby league identity as by on-field results, which have long trailed its passionate supporter base.

Despite the code's deep popularity in New Zealand, no second New Zealand-based club has ever played in the Australian top flight, in either the unified competition or the rival ARL/Super League competitions during the 1997 Super League War. A serious 2021 bid for a second team, backed by around NZ$30 million and fronted by former NZRL chairman Andrew Chalmers under the name "Southern Orcas" (proposed for Wellington, with games also in Christchurch), was not approved, and a separate Christchurch/South Island bid remained only in exploratory talks with the NRL and Christchurch City Council as of 2026.

Grand Final appearances (2002-2011)

YearResultOpponentScore
2011LostManly-Warringah10-24
2002LostSydney Roosters8-30

Sources

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