NZR investigating sale of 'complimentary' Lions tickets

British and Irish Lions fans at Westpac Stadium, Wellington in 2005. Tickets for the 2017 Lions tour are being onsold online. Photo/NZHerald

New Zealand Rugby is looking into reports that a pair of complimentary Lions tickets has been sold for $1000.

Fairfax reported that two tickets to the July 1 All Blacks test match against the British and Irish Lions in Wellington were being sold online by a woman who originally paid $1000 for them.

The match at Westpac Stadium is one of three against the All Blacks, with all three games selling out months ago.

The complimentary tickets were for Category B and would normally have cost $379.

Nigel Cass, the NZRU's general manager for the Lions tour, said the union and its ticketing provider were looking at whether the tickets had "gotten into the wrong hands".

"If this is the case, they will be cancelled and reissued to the person they were intended for.

"It's a good reminder to fans that they should only purchase tickets from official sources," he said.

The Lions series comes under the Major Events Management Act (MEMA), giving it special protection and meaning it is illegal to onsell tickets for a profit.

MEMA prevents ticket scalping as well as stopping people or companies falsely associating themselves with the event, Cass said.

"Under MEMA, reselling or trading a ticket for a value greater than its original sale price -
either in person or online - is an offence, punishable by a fine of up to $5,000.

"Supporters obtaining tickets from unofficial sources run the risk of having those tickets cancelled, being refused entry or being evicted from a venue."

The Lions' tickets terms and conditions also say tickets can only be purchased through official sellers, and cannot be sold for more than the original sale price.

Holders of onsold tickets could be refused entry to the match and any breach of the conditions meant the NZRU could reclaim the tickets.

Fairfax reported the tickets were being sold on Facebook by Faith Guild. Guild would not say who she bought them from but her plans to go to the game had fallen through so she was selling them.

She said she was not aware they were marked "comp" for complimentary when she advertised them.

Over 20,000 international visitors are expected over the course of the tour in June and July, and more than 200 million people are expected to watch internationally.