It comes as the Southern Orcas – who are backed by ex-Kiwis and Manly coach Sir Graham Lowe and his long-time business partner, former New Zealand Rugby League chairman Andrew Chalmers – push to secure a lucrative deal to join the top-tier Australian rugby league competition.
Lowe says the vision was for a world-class regional high-performance asset, rather than a facility serving one team.
“The Southern Orcas and all of our stakeholders are working to secure the NRL’s 20th licence for Christchurch and the South Island. If successful, this facility would be central to our long-term high-performance programme, but the Centre of Excellence vision is much broader than one team or one code,” Lowe said.
“We want to create a world-class multi-sport Centre of Excellence, supporting high-performance training, sports science, medical and rehabilitation services, athlete development programmes, indoor training and specialist performance support.
“It would give talented young athletes across Canterbury and the South Island access to facilities and expertise that are not currently available at this scale, while attracting professional teams, elite sporting programmes, visiting athletes and specialist talent to the region.
“The Southern Orcas would be proud to be an anchor tenant, but the larger objective is to create a shared high-performance asset that helps grow elite sport, employment, investment, athlete pathways and regional capability for decades.”
Carter Group’s Tim Carter said the combination of housing, education, community infrastructure and elite sport makes the proposal unique.
“James Gammack used the success he achieved from farming to benefit others. This proposal would continue that practical tradition by helping meet the housing, education and infrastructure needs of one of Canterbury’s fastest-growing areas, while also creating the opportunity for a major new high-performance sporting asset for the region,” Carter said.
A media release from Carter Group today said that referral under the Fast-track Approvals Act would not constitute approval of the development and that the proposal would still be subject to the full statutory assessment process before any final decision is made.
The Southern Orcas consortium hopes to become the 20th NRL team when the competition expands, potentially as early as 2029 – based in Christchurch.
The bid is one of several that has been proposed for Christchurch in recent years.
And even though it’s in its early days, the Southern Orcas already have a jersey and have made waves across the Tasman.
The Southern Orcas released renders of both a home and away jersey that plays on the black-and-white colours of the orca. It also features an element of red.
As reported by the Australian, Chalmers says the orca is the perfect symbol for their club.
“It combines intelligence with strength. It doesn’t rely on aggression alone – it succeeds through teamwork, communication, leadership and precision. That’s the culture we’re building at the Southern Orcas,” he said.
The managing director says the franchise have “deliberately set out to create one of the most distinctive identities in professional sport”.
They wouldn’t be the first professional franchise to use the orca as their team symbol or mascot – others include the Vancouver Canucks (NHL), the Seattle Orcas (Major League Cricket) and the Ulsan Whales (South Korean baseball). The Wellington rugby league team also use the name.
The concept design of the Southern Orcas playing kit.
“Our logo and jersey tell a uniquely New Zealand story through the movement of the Southern Ocean, the unity of the pod and the relentless pursuit of excellence,” Chalmers said.
“From day one, we wanted to create more than another sporting crest. We wanted a world-class identity that could stand proudly alongside the biggest brands in the NRL and become one of the competition’s most recognisable jerseys. What the jersey means is important.”
One NZ Stadium in Christchurch hosted NZ Warriors v North Queensland Cowboys last month and would be home to the Southern Orcas if their bid to join the NRL was successful. Photo / Photosport
Lowe, the Southern Orcas chairman, reiterated the importance and symbolism of the playing kit.
“The Southern Orcas logo and jersey are about far more than a football uniform. They’re the visual identity of an entire region that has been waiting for its place in the NRL,” Lowe said.
The team would play out of Christchurch’s new covered One New Zealand Stadium.
Mike Thorpe is a senior multimedia journalist for the Herald, based in Christchurch. He has been a broadcast journalist across television and radio for 20 years and joined the Herald in August 2024.