Hurricanes chair Malcolm Gillies issues open letter to fans to support them against Reds at Hnry Stadium
Wednesday, 25 March 2026
Hurricanes chair and investor Malcolm Gillies vowed to re-engage with past players and fans after stepping in to save the cash-strapped franchise in December.
On Saturday the property developer will get a gauge of the size of the challenge, to return the hordes of yellow and black-clad supporters to Hnry Stadium, when they host the Queensland Reds.
At first glance it appears an easy sell. The Hurricanes are crammed with All Blacks and are flying atop the Super Rugby Pacific ladder, having scored 33 tries in five matches and racked up a third 50-plus score in 2026 against the Highlanders in Dunedin.
Saturday’s match is a rare afternoon kickoff (4.35pm), a favourite of the Hurricanes to attract families, and MetService predicts the weather will play ball with a fine but breezy day.
But there are no guarantees of big turnouts in these tough economic times with an array of entertainment options for the increasingly squeezed household dollar (the popular CubaDupa street festival is one rival on Saturday). So Gillies - a proud Upper Hutt product - penned an open letter to Hurricanes fans, with something of a plea.
“If we want this team to succeed, if we want to bring pride back to (the) Hurricanes region, then it starts in the stands. We need you there. Your voice, your tautoko, your belief. That is how games are won,” Gillies wrote.
“Rugby uniquely has a way of bringing people together - it connects us. When the Hurricanes rise, the region rises with them. Our city feels it, our businesses feel it, our people feel it. That's something worth fighting for.”
Gillies and Porirua-based Summit Capital joined forces to buy the Wellington RFU’s 50% shareholding in the Hurricanes, after a shock $2 million loss in the last financial year which caused Gillies to take “a very deep breath”.
Poor turnouts at the Cake Tin was a significant factor - as was the lack of a lucrative home playoff after a too-sluggish start to the season.
Across six Wellington matches in 2025 the average attendance was a mere 12,780, with the season-ender against Moana Pasifika and the returning Ardie Savea drawing comfortably their biggest crowd of 20,373.
This year there are only five Hurricanes regular season matches in Wellington, with their Super Round clash against the Brumbies at the new Christchurch stadium on Anzac Day counting as a home fixture. Ironically the Warriors bring a home NRL game to Hnry Stadium that day and confidently predict a 34,500-sellout amid unprecedented support.
The Hurricanes’ season-opening 52-10 win over Moana Pasifika on a Friday night, February 20, drew 13,903 fans.
The Reds are high quality opponents and arrive with the same 4-1 record as the Hurricanes, perched inside the top-four. But Australian sides are traditionally a tougher sell than a Kiwi derby; notably the Hurricanes’ traditional biggest crowd-pullers the Blues and Crusaders who visit on April 11 and May 1 respectively.
Tickets start at $20 in the Hurricanes’ family zone at the northern end, and every adult ticket purchased secures three free children’s tickets. Bronze covered seats were available online at $27.50, up to $60 for platinum covered seats on halfway.
Gillies told The Post in December that it was on the Hurricanes and the Phoenix, “to work with the stadium to come up with a product that the public want to come and watch”.
Saturday’s response will tell some of the story as to how far they have to go.