NZ Rugby says it will not scale back overseas travel for its national teams despite rising global travel costs.
It reported a net loss of NZ$7.5-million (R73-million) for 2025, although it still generated record revenue of NZ$304-million (R2.9-billion).
New chief executive Steve Lancaster admitted the organisation is “feeling that pain” as travel costs continue to surge.
“Costs of travel are going up drastically and one of the responsibilities of our business is that we put large groups of people on aeroplanes and send them around the world,” Lancaster said. “We’re certainly feeling that pain at the moment.”
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The escalating costs are largely linked to the ongoing Middle East conflict and rising jet fuel prices, with business-class flights reportedly increasing sharply over the past year.
Despite the financial pressure, Lancaster insisted NZ Rugby would not make knee-jerk decisions around travel arrangements for teams including the All Blacks, Black Ferns and the national sevens sides.
“It does cost a lot of money, but it’s also a really important part of New Zealand rugby turning up on the world stage,” he said.
“We don’t want to make any knee-jerk reactions because we’ve got commitments to the game, commitments to our stakeholders.
“For now, we’re focused on acting prudently, but not knee-capping ourselves.”
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Photo: Fiona Goodall/Getty Images
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