However, the Hurricanes produced an absolute beauty and stole it by a nose – the way that electric blue pops against the black and yellow gave it the edge over the rest of the heritage drop.
Classic Sportswear led the way with their Super Rugby Heritage jerseys – kudos to you, Classic.
Special note for how well the National Storage sponsor logo blends in with the rest of the jersey; sponsors are essential for the future of sport but they can often derail a great bit of kit.
Cricket – Otago Volts Super Smash retro
Late in the piece was the Super Smash retro drop from Dynasty, with all teams getting a throwback-style jersey for the summer season.
The Volts hit the nail on the head with theirs – simple in design and it lets the colour contrast do the heavy lifting (long live long sleeves). Dynasty Sport were on an absolute tear in 2024 and this was the final flourish of their brush.
Netball – Mainland Tactix (Away)
Quite frankly one of the best netball dresses I’ve seen – the devil is in the detail with the Tactix’ away dress and the predominantly black canvas allows the shoulder and lower sections to shine.
The red home dress doesn’t quite have the same visual impact as the away in black but hats off to the Paladin team for a cracker of a kit.
Basketball – Auckland Tuatara (Home)
Navy and teal, when done well, is a lethal combination and the Tuatara did it very well.
Tuatara are objectively cool animals so any time you put one on a piece of kit, you’re on the right track – I’d like to see a bit more creativity with all the NBL jerseys honestly (think old school Toronto Raptors vibes for the Tuatara) but New Balance ticked plenty of boxes this year with the Aucklanders.
The Tuatara have done away with the full logo for 2025 and that’s a crime in my book.
Football – Wellington Phoenix (Away)
With just two professional clubs to choose from, it was another chapter in the rivalry between the Wellington Phoenix and the noisy new arrivals Auckland FC.
The Nix finally get a win after two losses in the Kiwi Clasico and a win in the Herald kit rankings is as good as three A-League points.
Collars on football shirts aren’t for everyone but this reporter is a sucker for one – the two-tone grey and white with the black trims is simplicity at its best – another shout-out required for Paladin.
Rugby league – Warriors 1998 retro/Kiwis 1994 retro
The most difficult code to judge by some distance, hence the shared award.
In a year that Dynasty Sport went absolutely mental with retro jerseys, the Warriors ′98 slipped through the cracks somewhat, particularly after the fanfare of the Heritage drop that sold out in minutes.
A couple of off-field retros taking out the Herald title will likely ruffle a few feathers, with the Heritage topping most people’s rankings, along with the very smart Kiwis and Kiwi Ferns on-field jersey.
The 1994 retro Kiwis jersey might be the best piece of kit produced in 2024 – manufacturers take note of how easy it is to give fans what they want (just look back through the last 20 years and pick one).
Will Toogood is an online sports editor and golf reporter for the NZ Herald. He enjoys watching people chase a ball around on a grass surface so much he decided to make a living out of it.
