NZ Rugby takes Chiefs name fight to High Court
NEWS: New Zealand Rugby is taking its fight to the High Court to protect the Chiefs name after 30 years of the Super Rugby club competing under the identity.
NZR has filed proceedings against the Australian Rugby League Commission’s decision to launch a new NRL expansion team using “Chiefs” in its name, seeking interim and final injunctions preventing the use of “PNG Chiefs”, “Chiefs” or similar names in New Zealand.
The Chiefs have competed as a professional rugby team in Super Rugby since 1996, building a strong identity and fanbase across New Zealand, Australia and internationally.
NZR owns the trademark rights to the word Chiefs and the Chiefs logo in New Zealand, while it has also held trademark protection for the Chiefs logo in Australia since 1998.
*Continues below…
#TeamAnnouncement: All Blacks reveal playmakers for Wallabies clash after injury woes 👇#BledisloeCup #Australia #Wallabies #NewZealand #AllBlacks #AUSvNZL https://t.co/YoMCY1awBO
— Rugby365 (@rugby365com) October 8, 2026
NZR argues that the NRL side’s use of the name could create significant confusion and damage, particularly as the new team has increasingly been promoted and referred to simply as the “Chiefs” during 2026.
The move comes after almost a year of attempts to resolve the dispute.
Since the NRL expansion side was confirmed as the “PNG Chiefs” in October 2025, NZR says it has repeatedly raised its concerns with the ARLC and sought a solution. With the team’s official launch scheduled for 21 October, NZR has now turned to the High Court.
The New Zealand organisation also points to IP Australia’s warning of a “real and tangible danger of confusion” when the ARLC applied for trademark protection for “PNG Chiefs”.
NZR CEO Steve Lancaster said the organisation had a responsibility to protect an identity that had been built over three decades.
“For 30 years the Chiefs and their players have built an incredibly strong identity that is widely recognised and loved by fans,” Lancaster said.
“We have raised our concerns with the ARLC directly and consistently over the last year in attempting to find a resolution. We now have a responsibility to protect the Chiefs brand.”
Lancaster stressed that the dispute was not about opposing rugby league’s growth in the Pacific, saying NZR welcomed the development of the region through sport.
Chiefs CEO Simon Graafhuis said the name carried a deep connection to the club and its Waikato region.
“Here in New Zealand, when people hear ‘the Chiefs’, they think of this club and this region,” Graafhuis said.
He argued that while teams in different sports can share names, the situation was different because rugby and rugby league compete in the same market, for the same fans and during overlapping periods.
The High Court action now puts the future of the “PNG Chiefs” name firmly in the spotlight, with the NRL expansion side’s official launch just days away.
Catch up on the full match replay of the Wallabies vs Springboks Test from Perth!
Watch now on RugbyPass TV (US only)
