New Zealanders can only watch major rugby games live on pay television but Pacific Island countries will get free-to-air coverage of many games under a deal with Sanzar in an apparent bid to recruit more players.
It is part of a rollout of more free-to-air television to the Pacific Islands that will mean eight countries get eight hours a day of television - up from just 11 hours a week now.
Sanzar agreed to allow some rugby games to be screened on free to air television in those countries as part of the expanded coverage, which will also include more news, documentary and entertainment shows from New Zealand.
The games will include some Super 15 and ITM CUp matches as well as Rugby Championship Tests and is expected to start in early 2016.
Prime Minister John Key said it was a nice gesture from Sanzar (South Africa, New Zealand and Australia Rugby) which holds the television rights to coverage of major southern hemisphere rugby tournaments.
The countries set to benefit from the deal are Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Niue, Fiji, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.
"The explanation appears to be that a lot of rugby players come out of the Pacific and they're very keen as the rights holders there to promote more sports. I guess in essence they're hoping there will be more Pacific Islands players who take up rugby," Mr Key said.
NZ Rugby, NZ Cricket and Basketball NZ had also signed up to the initiative for more free television.
He said the Government will put in $400,000 a year to help provide the equipment the islands will need for the ramped up coverage.
All of the major New Zealand television networks and production companies had agreed to provide programmes at no cost to the Pacific.
Mr Key made the announcement from Port Moresby where he is attending the Pacific Islands' Forum leaders' meeting.
Mr Key also announced an extra $100 million in aid to Pacific countries over three years.
He said that took the total aid into the Pacific to $1 billion - about 60 per cent of New Zealand's total aid spending of $1.7 billion over the next years.
"The decision to allocate close to 60 per cent of out growing aid budget to the Pacific recognises the importance we place on our neighbourhood, the challenges we collectively face and the enormous potential our region has."
He said much of that aid would be put into areas that would drive economic growth such as fisheries, tourism and agriculture as well as more tradition aid areas such as health facilities and education.
New Zealand has focused on installing renewable energy sources on many Pacific islands to reduce the reliance on costly imported oil and diesel.
Mr Key said that would continue over the next three years "as we step up our support for climate change adaptation."
New Zealand and Australia have both been criticised at the Forum for the level of commitment they have given on climate change.