Kerikeri Rugby Club

Club History

The Kerikeri Rugby Club (KRFC) is a thriving sporting institution located in the heart of the beautiful Bay of Islands region. Competing under the banner of the Northland Rugby Union, the club serves as a vital community hub for the Far North.

Here is the story behind the club’s history, evolution, and modern resurgence:

Foundation & The Early Years (1929)

The club was officially formed in 1929.

• The Town & The Club: At the time of its founding, Kerikeri was a small, developing settlement heavily focused on citrus orchards and farming. The rugby club quickly became the social anchor for the local working men.

• Early Ground: For decades, the spiritual home of Kerikeri rugby was the Kerikeri Domain, centrally located right in the middle of the township. It was here that generations of local players cut their teeth on the field, heavily supported by local families.

• The 40th Anniversary (1969): The club’s history was celebrated broadly in 1969, a year that coincided with the 150th anniversary of the Kerikeri township itself. To mark the club’s 40th jubilee, the Northland Rugby Union dedicated its weekly Rugbyite match programme to the club’s history, staging a major celebratory match between Whangārei and a “Rest of North Auckland XV” right on the Kerikeri Domain.

The Move to the Kerikeri Sports Complex

By the early 2000s, the rapid growth of the Kerikeri township and the expanding player numbers meant the historic Domain was no longer large enough to sustain the club’s needs, while the town required greater public access to the central land.

• The Relocation: Around 2009–2010, the Kerikeri Rugby Club officially moved out of the central town domain to a massive, newly developed multi-sport facility: the Kerikeri Sports Complex (located just north of the township near Waipapa, adjacent to the Rainbow Falls Scenic Reserve).

• A New Hub: This move elevated the club significantly, giving them access to pristine sand-slitted playing fields, modern changing facilities, and a collaborative community clubrooms shared with netball, touch, and cricket.

Modern Era: Senior Men and Women’s Resurgence

Kerikeri is a highly competitive force in the Bay of Islands sub-union and wider Northland premier rugby competitions. They share fierce, long-standing local rivalries with neighboring Northland powerhouse clubs like Kaikohe, Moerewa, and Ohaeawai.

• Junior Powerhouse: The club boasts an exceptionally strong Junior Management Board (JMB) structure, frequently running a dominant junior academy system that feeds the local Kerikeri High School teams and fills the complex fields with hundreds of young players every winter Saturday morning.

• The Women’s Team Milestone: A major piece of modern history was written ahead of the 2025 season, when Kerikeri officially introduced a Senior Women’s Premier team back into the Northland landscape. It marked the first time the club had field a premier women’s side in 25 years, representing a massive step forward in providing pathways for the area’s junior girls.

Today, pulling on their iconic club jerseys, the Kerikeri Rugby Football Club remains one of the largest and most family-inclusive grassroots sporting clubs in the Far North.

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Kerikeri Rugby Club 1929 – 1969

Club:

Year published:

Author:

Page count:

Notes:

Kerikeri Rugby Club

1969

Rugbyite

20 pages

The Northland Rugby Union celebrated the 150th year of the Kerikeri township, which was also the 40th anniversary of the Kerikeri Rugby Club with the weekly Rugbyite match programme dedicated to the celebrations. The 20-page programme includes a brief history of the club and a match between Whangarei and a Rest of North Auckland XV played at the Kerikeri Domain. Special thanks to Murray Dunn who kindly gifted the programme to enable its inclusion on the site.

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Kerikeri Rugby Club 1929 – 1969

Club:

Kerikeri Rugby Club

Year:

1969

Author:

Rugbyite

Pages:

20 pages

Notes:

The Northland Rugby Union celebrated the 150th year of the Kerikeri township, which was also the 40th anniversary of the Kerikeri Rugby Club with the weekly Rugbyite match programme dedicated to the celebrations. The 20-page programme includes a brief history of the club and a match between Whangarei and a Rest of North Auckland XV played at the Kerikeri Domain. Special thanks to Murray Dunn who kindly gifted the programme to enable its inclusion on the site.

Club History