New Zealand Rugby (NZR) have today begun legal action against the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) over the use of the Chiefs branding for their Papua New Guinea expansion franchise.
NZR say the move, which has seen them file proceedings with the High Court of New Zealand, is designed to ‘protect’ the branding used by the Waikato-based Chiefs, which has been in use since the creation of Super Rugby in 1996. The body owns the trademark rights to the word ‘Chiefs’ and the logo in New Zealand, and have also held trademark protection of the logo in Australia since 1998.
PNG Chiefs are scheduled to enter the NRL in 2028, but have already made a name for themselves with high-profile transfers like the additions of Zac Lomax and Joey Manu.
NZR move to ‘protect’ Chiefs branding as legal battle with ARLC begins
In a statement, NZR said: “New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has today moved to protect the Chiefs brand and is filing proceedings in the High Court of New Zealand against the decision by the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) to launch a new NRL side using “Chiefs” in its name.
“NZR is seeking both an interim and final injunction which stops the use of the names “PNG Chiefs”, “Chiefs” or any other similar names in New Zealand.
“The Chiefs have competed as a professional rugby team in Super Rugby since 1996 and over those 30 years, have built a strong identity and fanbase across New Zealand, Australia and internationally.
“In New Zealand, NZR owns both the trademark rights for the word Chiefs and the Chiefs logo and since 1998, NZR has also held trademark protection for the Chiefs logo in Australia.
“If the NRL uses “Chiefs” as the name for its expansion team playing and trading in those same markets, it will cause significant confusion and damage. In 2026 there has been increased promotion of the NRL team and they have frequently been referred to and are calling themselves the “Chiefs”.
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“Notably, this view is shared by IP Australia, the Australian Government agency that administers intellectual property (IP) rights, which has warned of a “real and tangible danger of confusion” when ARLC applied for trademark protection for “PNG Chiefs”.
“Since October 2025 when the expansion side’s name was confirmed, NZR has shared its concerns with the ARLC and has sought to engage them to agree a positive outcome.
“Regrettably, NZR has been unable to engage with the ARLC constructively towards a resolution and it is now clear that, unless NZR takes this step, there will be no change to the team’s name ahead of the official launch on 21 October 2026.
Commenting further on the decision to pursue legal action, NZR CEO, Steve Lancaster, said: “For 30 years the Chiefs and their players have built an incredibly strong identity that is widely recognised and loved by fans. 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.
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“We want to be absolutely clear, this is not about rugby league’s growth in the Pacific. We welcome the development of the Pacific region through sport and the passion that the people of Papua New Guinea have for both rugby and rugby league.”
Chiefs CEO, Simon Graafhuis, added: “Here in New Zealand, when people hear ‘the Chiefs’, they think of this club and this region. The identity carries significant cultural meaning and connection to the region and its people, we know it means a great deal to our players and coaches past and present, fans and supporters here and around the world.
“Teams in different sports and markets can exist alongside one another with the same name, but the issue here is the similarity of our sports competing in the same market, for the same fans, in overlapping windows.”