Farah Palmer Cup division placements confirmed for 2026 Season

Farah Palmer Cup division placements confirmed for 2026 Season

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has today confirmed the division placements for the upcoming 2026 Farah Palmer Cup season:

Premiership competition	Championship competition
Auckland Storm	Hawke's Bay Tui
Bay of Plenty Volcanix	North Harbour Hibiscus
Canterbury Women	Northland Kauri
Counties Manukau Heat	Otago Spirit
Manawatū Cyclones	Tasman Women
Waikato Women	Wellington Pride

For the 2026 season, the competition will be structured into two pools of six teams each. These pools have been determined through structural changes and minimum standards, rather than playoff results. As part of this process, Hawke’s Bay will move into the Championship division, while Otago will remain in the Championship division. This approach ensures both balance and competitive integrity across the two pools.

Hannah Porter, Head of Women’s High Performance, says structural changes have been introduced to strengthen the competition and ensure its long-term sustainability.

"These changes align with NZR’s focus on strengthening development pathways in the women’s game. While this will be disappointing for the Otago Spirit, it is not a reflection of their commitment or performance. Otago remains a proud contributor to women’s rugby, inspiring players and supporters, and their role will be vital as we move forward," says Porter.

A similar situation occurred in 2017/2018, when Auckland stayed in the same pool despite where they placed in the previous season, due to structural changes that were made the following year. In the same way, the current adjustments reflect the unique circumstances of the competition’s evolution rather than the efforts of any individual team.

Richard Kinley, Otago Rugby Union CEO, says the Union advocated strongly throughout the wider 2026 competition structure change process.

“This was a thorough process and, while we are naturally disappointed with the immediate outcome, we remain optimistic. The changes being introduced will help to grow the women’s game, and we look forward to supporting our Otago Spirit team next season."

Looking ahead, NZR remains committed to a fair and transparent competition structure. The standard promotion–relegation model between the Premiership and Championship will return from the 2026 season onwards, ensuring that on-field performance once again determines movement between divisions.