"We are very excited to have selected a coach of Clark's calibre to lead the All Blacks Sevens to success at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. His specialist experience as both a sevens coach and player makes him uniquely qualified for this role. Our priority was getting the right coach with the long-term vision to win Olympic gold. So while we would have loved Clark to start straight away, we are happy to wait until next year because he is the best person for the job to build a winning sevens team over the long term."
Laidlaw said he was excited about the new role.
"I am massively honoured to be coming back to coach a team I have always considered very special. I'm also excited about coaching a team I've previously worked with and played against. My goal is to develop a world-class programme that sees players peak at pinnacle events. Everything is going to be geared towards bringing home gold from Tokyo in 2020.
"I'm excited to be coming back to New Zealand. I previously lived here for seven years, I've got great friends in the New Zealand rugby community and it's where my wife and I want to raise our daughters. I can't wait to get started," said Laidlaw.
Scott Waldrom, who applied for the top job, will, along with sevens veteran Tomasi Cama, coach the All Blacks Sevens for the 2016-17 World Series, which starts in Dubai in just over a fortnight.
That leaves little time to select and sort players, so this season might be a rebuilding one until Laidlaw takes the reins in June.