KiC Advocacy
Open letter to NZ Rugby vs INEOS sponsorship
Kiwis in Climate advocacy tackles an ill-considered sports sponsorship deal
In July 2021, NZ Rugby announced a $48-million, six-year partnership with INEOS, a privately owned British oil, gas and petrochemical giant.
INEOS had repeatedly lobbied to weaken climate policy and reduce restrictions on fracking. The company sponsors multiple sports teams and has often been accused of ‘sportswashing’ its reputation to prolong its social licence to operate.
The reaction within Kiwis in Climate was immediate. Although NGOs had already raised concerns about the deal, KiC’s open letter tackled the issue in a different way.
Presenting as a non-partisan, professionally driven voice, the Kiwis in Climate open letter gained mainstream media attention, encouraged big-name signatories, and opened a dialogue with NZ Rugby.
Our Kiwis in Climate letter, full of rugby metaphors, was covered in Stuff, the NZ Herald, and dominated talkback for days. Many signatories took interviews, including former All Black Bob Burgess, climate scientist Dave Frame, Sir Bob Harvey and KiC founder John Lang.
NZ Rugby responds
To its credit, NZR engaged with our letter, responding publicly and meeting with KiC founder John Lang twice in London. At the initial meeting NZ Rugby's CEO Mark Robinson said the organisation was producing a 'strategic roadmap' on decarbonisation and promised an opportunity for Kiwis in Climate to contribute constructively. None of this ever materialised, and further outreach over the next year was brushed off.
The deal breaks
Then in early 2025, INEOS and NZ Rugby parted ways prematurely, after NZR filed a lawsuit from over unfulfilled payments. INEOS cited "the deindustrialisation of Europe" and "extreme carbon taxes" for their lower profit margins and subsequent withdrawal from sponsorships (source: RNZ). Shortly afterwards, New Zealand Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson also stepped down.
While this partnership ended for reasons other than climate or sustainability, we take heart that Kiwis in Climate led a loud, diverse and coherent collective voice against the deal — and that our mahi contributed to the national discourse, still being mentioned in mainstream media such as the Otago Daily Times three years later.
As RNZ sports journalist Jamie Wall put it:
“It is ironic that NZR have walked out looking pretty clean, regarding a deal they were initially criticised for, given the sort of environmentally unfriendly business INEOS are in."
Listen to KiC founder John Lang on NewstalkZB
Listen to Sir Bob Harvey on RNZ 'The Panel'
