Referee abuse in our national game is on the rise. Image / Herald artists
Abuse towards rugby referees is on track to hit record levels, with figures obtained by the Herald showing a sharp rise in serious incidents.
As of July 10, 68 cases have been reported in 2025, putting the year on course to surpass last year’s total of 79.
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) defines abuse as physical, verbal or threatening behaviour.
In 2022, when the NZR data were first centralised, 69 incidents were recorded, followed by 73 in 2023, before a significant spike last year, which will likely be surpassed again with sevens and playoffs in community and provincial rugby.
Just six of the 26 provincial unions are yet to report an incident this year. One union has already recorded eight.
It is likely there would have been more incidents, but not every case of referee abuse is reported.
Referee abuse has come under the spotlight after several disturbing cases.
In June, the Horowhenua-Kāpiti Rugby Union made headlines for suspending all matches across the region for a weekend over two concerning incidents.
The union told members that after a referee was threatened with being stabbed, it would take serious action – and it took less than 30 days for it to do so, following an incident involving a college coach and a match official that remains under investigation.
Horowhenua-Kāpiti Rugby CEO Corey Kennett called it a “nationwide epidemic” and warned the sport was nearing a crisis at the grassroots level. NZR backed his view, though no other union has taken similar action.
Not all agree. One union boss told the Herald they don’t see it as a national crisis, while another linked the rise in abuse to wider societal issues, such as the cost-of-living crisis.
In Taranaki, a player was slapped with a 36-game ban after shoulder-charging a referee, while issues have also surfaced in Southland.
Numerous unions or referee associations approached by the Herald declined to comment or didn’t respond.
The Herald has contacted several major sporting codes in New Zealand to ask whether they have noticed an increase in incidents involving match officials.
While most organisations that responded were unable to provide specific figures, all expressed similar concerns about growing abuse directed at referees and umpires, many of whom are volunteers.
The issue isn’t just limited to New Zealand, with many sports across the globe facing increasing issues.
NZR says promoting respectful sideline behaviour remains a priority for them and it has recently partnered with the South Canterbury Rugby Football Union and Sport Canterbury to look at a solution that will run across eight codes across the region.
New Zealand Football (NZF) provided stats from 2024 stating that in 2506 matches played with appointed match officials, there were 89 reported incidents which included abusive language or gestures towards the official.
There were also two incidents of violent conduct towards the referee.
While those numbers are higher than rugby, at the community level, football has about 20,000 more players.
Basketball New Zealand (BBNZ) national development manager Garratt Williamson said it encounters challenges, like most other sports.
“We’re always looking at ways to support people in our communities to manage this, through the education of coaches, parents and other supporters,” Williamson said.
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief community officer Kent Stead said it does not see many serious incidents, attributing this to the fact that many community umpires are also players or coaches.
Hockey New Zealand (HNZ) officials lead Colin French said it has not observed a “material increase” in serious incidents this year based on available data.
“Hockey NZ has a robust Code of Conduct process enforced across our 32 associations to ensure this type of behaviour is identified, addressed and ultimately held accountable,” French said.
“To be clear, we still have more to do to improve behaviour in our sport. However, we do not believe community hockey has reached the unacceptable levels of abuse being experienced in other codes.
“We also have a number of initiatives actively promoted within community hockey, namely Sport NZ’s Good Sports and the Positive Vibes Only campaigns.”
The growing trend of abuse is concerning, though it does not appear to be significantly deterring people from taking up the whistle – for now.
Among the sporting bodies that responded, most reported steady or improving participation in officiating.
NZR acknowledged that overall referee numbers are declining, though the number of female referees is trending upwards.
For NZF, as of May 2025, there were 2242 registered referees, reflecting a 1% increase compared with 2024 to date.
BBNZ said the number of registered referees has steadily increased over the past three years.
NZC described its officiating numbers as “stagnant” but has seen slight increases in the Auckland and Northern Districts regions.
Each senior team must send two players to upskilling sessions, which can serve as an incentive for broader participation.
HNZ noted that the recent introduction of an automated management system will allow the organisation to better collect and monitor participation data across referees, coaches and officials.
“Anecdotal evidence suggests we still have strong officiating and umpiring numbers in grassroots and community hockey,” French said.
“However, we are seeing a slight decline in female umpire numbers and are currently reviewing the data to understand the causes.”
New Zealand Rugby League, Tennis New Zealand and Netball New Zealand did not respond to the Herald’s requests for comment.
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.