New name fits nicely on Taniwha jersey

TANIWHA MEN: Brett (left) and Kyle Donovan, of Coresteel Buildings, along with Northland Rugby's CEO Jeremy Parkinson get comfy on what will be their home ground later this year as new back-of-the-shirt sponsors for the Taniwha. PHOTO/JOHN STONE

Even though the club rugby season has yet to kick off, the Northland Rugby Union is preparing for the ITM Cup, complete with a new back-of-the-shirt sponsor.

Whangarei-based company Coresteel Buildings has signed on for 800 minutes of televised rugby with their logo plastered on the backs of Taniwha players.

Coresteel director Kyle Donovan's sees the excitement of having a new-look Taniwha jersey.

"I've got an 11-year-old son who just thinks it is the bees' knees," Donovan said of being linked in with the Taniwha. "But, for us, it's nice to be able to take the next step. If I had of contemplated spending that sort of money on a marketing budget 10 years ago when we first got involved in it I probably would have had a heart attack, but now it's just part of a bigger picture.

"In a way I feel it's giving something back to Northland, we're a successful Northland business and I think the Northland rugby team is, hopefully, going to be successful going forward."

Donovan, who is one of three directors for the company alongside Kyle and Graham Donovan, said while he didn't have any particular player he wanted to see in the new jersey, he had thought about what it'd be like watching the Taniwha in their first game of the season.

"... it'll be nice to see a few Kamo players in there. It's nice for us to finally come out of the closet, as it were, and be able to support Northland, because we're from here.

"We've lived all our lives here so it's nice to be able to give something back. It's just nice to be able to be in a position to take the next step and become a major sponsor of something like Northland Rugby Union."

Donovan added that he hoped the sponsorship would result in some more business for the companies it works closely with such as Hill Construction. Donovan continued that it was exciting to be part of the Taniwha set-up, especially as Coresteel was about to become an international company - to go with its 22 national franchises.

Northland Rugby Union chief executive officer Jeremy Parkinson said Coresteel has filled a void for them, adding that the 12-month contract would be reviewed at the conclusion.

"They're all about Whangarei businesses and looking after Whangarei people, so we've got good synergies there," Parkinson said.

"We are always looking for companies to get in behind us but it was a process of courting these guys for about three years, I think I've been into their office every year two or three times a year. It's just really good to have a Whangarei-based company supporting Northland so we're really happy."

Parkinson added that the back of the shirt was an important space on the jersey for them to fill, after Hansen called time on their seven-year commitment to the Taniwha jersey late last year.

"It's always challenging [to find sponsorship]. From a financial point of view it's huge for us because it was potentially a big void that has been filled."