How new Hurricanes owner Malcolm Gillies plans to save the Super Rugby club and bring back the fans
Tuesday, 9 December 2025
New Hurricanes chair and investor Malcolm Gillies has made the frank assessment that the Super Rugby club has lost its connection to a lot of its fan base, contrasting the “busloads” of fans from Wellington who go to watch the Warriors in Auckland with the poor crowds which have ravaged the Hurricanes’ finances.
It was confirmed on Monday that Gillies had stepped in to save the Hurricanes despite being blindsided by a $2 million loss in 2025, but the well-known property developer already has a clear idea of what has gone wrong and how he plans to fix it.
In an interview with The Post, Gillies outlined his high confidence in the rugby side of the Super Rugby operation next year (“We’ll win the men’s and women’s”), acknowledged the appeal of a boutique stadium in the capital at some point in the future while vowing to work closely with Sky Stadium on matchday experiences in the here and now. He also refused to use Wellington’s economic malaise as an excuse for the Hurricanes’ commercial woes.
“Look, I think it's a factor,” he said. “I'm in business in Wellington and it’s a factor.
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“You’d have to be naive if you didn't think it was a factor in all our businesses.
“But it’s not the reason. I think predominantly, if you look at the Hurricanes, I think we've got a lot of work to do with our past players and our fans.
“We need to re-engage. We have a big geographical area in our franchise, one of the biggest - Poverty Bay, Gisborne, Whanganui, Horowhenua.
“We've put strategies in place already to try and get out there and re-engage. I believe that's a whole market for the last five to 10 years that has slowly slipped away.”
The Hurricanes’ crowd struggles at Sky Stadium have hurt them badly. The Super Rugby club has now lost about $4m in the past three years, raising legitimate questions about whether Wellington needs a new, smaller stadium for its sporting franchises.
With his property developer hat on, Gillies can see the appeal but for now is entirely committed to making it work at the Cake Tin.
“I think all of us are struggling, including the stadium,” Gillies said.
“So, I think, Phoenix, the Hurricanes, Wellington Rugby - we need to work with the stadium to come up with a product that the public want to come and watch.
“We have looked at perhaps the boutique stadium. It wouldn't fit here [Upper Hutt] but when you look at the crowd numbers and you even look at even concerts, there's probably a good case for a 12,000-seat [covered] stadium.
“But that's probably something to be addressed in the future.
“We think bringing that up right now or even exploring that to any great extent, all you're doing is making it harder on everyone.”
Despite the challenges, Gillies - whose entrepreneurial energy is evident through the interview - remains upbeat about the Hurricanes’ turnaround prospects commercially and is positively bullish about both teams on the field.
Success on the paddock in itself won’t automatically bring back those lost fans, but it will certainly be a step in the right direction.
“On paper we should win both the men's and the women's and if we don't win, we'll give it a damn good go,” Gillies said.
“We've got a very good coaching staff. You've got Clark Laidlaw, who is recognised as very, very good up-and-coming coach.
“You've got Jamie [Mackintosh] and Cory [Jane] both coming out of Jamie Joseph's All Black XV with a lot of accolades for them, and they're developing.
“I think the rugby side has probably been building over the last few years.
“If you took away the financial side away and looked at the rugby side, I think most franchises would be jealous of the quality of the players we've got.”