The Plunket Shield first-class championship is one of New Zealand's oldest and most demanding sporting competitions.
It consists of hard-fought, four-day cricket played at first-class venues right across New Zealand, and this season (2025/26) we are marking its 100th summer as the NZC Domestic men's first-class championship!
Plunket Shield Competition Centre 2025/26
This is the red-ball arena, the place where future Test BLACKCAPS are discovered and trained. Players push hard for selection, the standard is high yet entry is always completely free to the public.
The shield itself was donated in 1907 by Lord William Lee Plunket, New Zealand's 12th Governor. It's considered the most beautiful sporting prize in New Zealand, with incredibly detailed, New Zealand-centric silversmithery.
It actually started as a "Challenge" shield, similar to the Hawke Cup today. Canterbury was the first Major Association to hold the shield, but promptly lost it to Auckland in the very first challenge match.
Today, teams compete in a scheduled, eight-round competition across the season - the champion being the team with the most points at the end of the final round.
The Plunket Shield was reduced from a 10-round, double round robin from the 2018/19 season onwards, so not every team plays each other home and away.
Four rounds take place before Christmas, and four rounds towards the end of summer, bookending the national white-ball competitions over the holiday season and high summer.
As the nursery of Test cricket, BLACKCAPS play Plunket Shield cricket for their Domestic side when they're available and this hugely respected and coveted trophy will take pride of place at the home of one of our six Major Associations at the end of this season.
The 2024/25 reigning champion is Northern Districts who broke a long-standing title drought last summer, scripting the perfect cricketing farewell for star Neil Wagner.
Will it be the Wellington Firebirds, Northern Districts, the Auckland Aces, Central Stags, Canterbury or Otago this summer?
Entry to every match around the country is free, and you can also watch every ball of the Plunket Shield live on our live-scoring platforms and on NZC YouTube
Playing Conditions
Match Official Appointments
Recent Champions
2024/25 Northern Districts
2023/24 Wellington Firebirds
2022/23 Central Stags
2021/22 Auckland Aces
2020/21 Canterbury
2019/20 Wellington Firebirds
2018/19 Central Stags
2017/18 Central Stags
2016/17 Canterbury
2015/16 Auckland Aces
2014/15 Canterbury
2013/14 Canterbury
2012/13 Central Stags
2011/12 Northern Districts
2010/11 Canterbury
2009/10 Northern Districts
