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Full Noise by SN
NZ Rugby parts way with long-standing sponsors
Alex Chapman • March 31st, 2026 4:01 pm
Photo: Andrew Cornaga/Photosport
Two of New Zealand Rugby’s longest-running sponsorships have ended.
Sport Nation can reveal that after an iconic 28-year partnership consisting of collecting cards, culinary collaborations, and pondering of “how many can you do?”, Sanitarium and New Zealand Rugby have parted ways.
It’s also understood that after 11 years, the commercial deal between NZR and ASB Bank has ended.
NZR has confirmed to Sport Nation that both deals finished amicably at the end of 2025.
Centred around Weetbix, “how do you do yours?” and “how many can you do” have been regular calls to action by the cereal giant and catch-cries of kiwis for decades. Well-known All Blacks have fronted advertising campaigns, sharing traditional or quirky recipes, as well as challenging each other to see how many Weet Bix they can eat.
All Blacks assistant coaches Neil Barnes and Jason Ryan bond on a farmstay | Scotty & Izzy
Cards of All Blacks in boxes of Weetbix has also been a consistent product partnership, with fans able to dig out from the bottom of packs to build teams, trade the collectables and celebrate and learn more about their favourite players.
In 2018, the Black Ferns temporarily appeared on the classic cards for the first time as part of the “Stat Attack” collection. However, Sanitarium came under fire in 2022 after TV show Fair Go exposed that the recently-crowned World Champion Black Ferns weren’t on the cards on a full-time basis. It was later announced that they’d be permanently present on them from 2023.
In 2023, a TV commercial was released, marking 'Fuelling Future All Blacks for 25 years' starring Ioane brothers, Rieko and Akira, and younger interpretations of the pair, as they dreamed of one day wearing the silver fern.
Meanwhile, ASB’s been with NZR since 2015, announcing when the deal was launched: "It’s a partnership between two organisations with ambitious goals, a track record of success and a commitment to top performance. And just like the loyal fans of the All Blacks, ASB’s people are diverse and stretch from New Zealand’s largest cities to its rural communities.”
Neil Barnes reveals his text message plea to Dave Rennie | Sport Nation
At the time, ASB rebranded several branches, offices, and social media, to spell the popular All Blacks moniker.
Adding to that of the All Blacks, it was announced in 2018 that the bank would become a sponsor of the Black Ferns and Māori All Blacks.
Both the men’s and women’s sevens sides have also been sponsorship recipients and had associations.
ASB has been the name sponsor of the New Zealand Rugby awards since 2016.
In 2020, ASB donated what it said was “its largest sponsorship asset, the All Blacks, Black Ferns, and Māori All Blacks, to promote small and medium-sized New Zealand businesses in an effort to spotlight SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises or businesses) and stimulate New Zealand’s economy.”
ASB claimed at the time that it’d create 100 advertising packages “featuring the players from all three national teams to promote 100 SMEs across New Zealand.”
Last month, it was announced that Ray White had signed as “Official New Zealand Real Estate Partner of New Zealand Rugby” for three years, becoming an official partner with the All Blacks and Black Ferns. They are listed as a “Regional Partner” on the NZR website.
