Mayor's column – More than a game
Published on 07 September 2026
A fortnightly column by Whangārei Mayor Ken Couper.
48 years is a long time to wait.
The Ranfurly Shield is back in Northland and that belongs to Northland Rugby, to the players, the coaches, the management and everyone who has worked towards this over a long period.
Last week's defence against Tasman showed it was no accident. It has been achieved through hard work, and it is well earnt.
What has followed has been just as good to watch, with the celebrations going deep into shield country. The shield has been into schools, into clubs, in front of sponsors and around communities across the Northland region.
Our local kids have had their photo taken with it, and people who have given decades to their club have held it with pride. That is grassroots stuff, and the sort of thing people remember for a long time.
The parade last Saturday said something too. The weather was miserable, and nobody would have thought less of anyone for staying dry. Hundreds came out anyway, along Riverside Drive and into the Cameron Street Mall, to celebrate this victory for Northland.
It would be easy to see this as a rugby story, but it is bigger than that. When a region gets in behind something together, the consequences do not stay in one place. None of it gets meassured, but it is how the foundations of a region are laid.
We spend a good deal of time in Northland talking about what is hard, and there is reason for that. We have had our share of storms, floods and roads cut in half, and every time the response is the same – we work together to help each other out.
Our greatest strength has always been our people, and we are used to seeing that proven in adversity. What is different about these past few weeks is seeing the same thing in triumph. Storm or shield, this region turns up, the lines on maps mean nothing, we are one.
We should spend just as much time noticing what happens when this place pulls in the same direction. People stand a bit taller, the distance between our towns feels smaller, and the momentum of pride and place spills into the community.
That is worth taking notice of, because it does not only apply to sport. It applies to our businesses, our schools, our community organisations and our Council.
It is important to remind ourselves of this as Northland works through what reform and amalgamation might mean for us. To answer these questions will take time but by working together we will get the best answers possible.
The example has been set by Northland Rugby. They have taken this success out to the people who have followed them for years, and the region has responded in kind.
So let us follow the leadership of our players. Let our own efforts, as individuals and as communities, feed into the unity and pride of this region.
Success shared around does not stop where it started. It carries, and in a place like ours, that is the sort of thing that lasts for generations.