A positive outcome for all involved with a change of date by 24 hours for the QBE North Harbour against Hawkes Bay Mitre 10 Cup clash.

The game was set to be played on Sunday 11 October at 2.05pm at North Harbour, however this would clash with the beginning of the first Bledisloe Cup match in Wellington. After agreement between North Harbour, Hawkes Bay, NZR and broadcasters, Sky Television the match has been moved forward one day and will now be played on Saturday 10 October, 2.05pm kickoff.

The Farah Palmer Cup game between QBE North Harbour and Northland will also move forward 24 hours and now be played at North Harbour Stadium at 11.35am, Saturday 10 October.

“It’s a win-win for everyone in that we can all watch QBE North Harbour teams play and now also the Bledisloe Cup game the following day,” said North Harbour Rugby Chief Executive, David Gibson. “The cooperation between all parties is great and we acknowledge that fans want to watch the sport and players want to be involved. This is the ideal solution.”

Harbour will have extra incentive in its clash with Hawkes Bay, as it teams up with QBE and their charity partner, Orange Sky New Zealand.

For every try scored by Harbour against Hawkes Bay, QBE Insurance will donate $2,000.00 to Orange Sky. This will feature on the big screen at North Harbour Stadium as well.

Orange Sky provides free laundry, warm showers and genuine conversation to people experiencing homelessness. https://orangesky.org.nz/. It also highlights that Saturday 10 October is official World Homeless Day.

“We have a great relationship with QBE and we’re grateful for the opportunity to work alongside them to support the work Orange Sky is doing to help Kiwis doing it tough - especially in what has been a difficult year in the community,” said Gibson.

If the game is to be under level 1 conditions, North Harbour will be giving out orange T-shirts to members of the crowd to illustrate that approximately one in a hundred people are homeless in New Zealand.