The Bay of Plenty Rugby Referees Club has a mission to Serve the Game, Serve the Community. Nau mai haere mai
Become a Referee Today
Bay of Plenty Rugby is the home of the mighty Steamers, a 100 + year proud national provincial rugby team, as well as our wahine toa the Volcanix. Stretching from Katikati in the west, Te Kaha in the east and Reporoa in the south, the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union stretches across the three proud provincial cities of Tauranga, Whakatane and Rotorua. With over 10,000 registered rugby players aged anywh
31/08/2026
The start of a busy two weeks, first up the National U15 Tournament hosted by Rotorua Boys High School for the week. Then on Wednesday to Friday it's Rugby by the Beach at Papamoa College. The weekend takes us to Tauranga Domain for a double header for Bay of Plenty Rugby Union then straight into Zespri AIMS Games School Sporting Championships all of next week. Talk about busy times.
28/08/2026
A bit of representative rugby for these legends plus another final.
A couple of weekends ago we came together for our annual BOP Referees Awards Night, celebrating the hard work, commitment and contribution of our members so far this year.
A huge congratulations to everyone who was nominated and to all of our award winners. Very well deserved! 🏆
And a massive thank you to our sponsors and everyone who plays a part in making BOP Referees what it is.
Huge thanks to Mount Golf Club for hosting us!
21/08/2026
Secondary School Finals are on today. Congratulations to all match officials for their hard throughout the 2026 season.
20/08/2026
Swipe through to see who won our awards at our annual 2026 Generation Homes Referee Awards Night
George Woodroffe Memorial Trophy - Highest Law Exam, sponsored by Mastercraft Kitchens NZ - Winner Estelle Whaiapu 100% result
Adam Wilkinson Taonga, most fixtures officiated, sponsored by McLeod Cranes and Hiabs, winner John Kilkelly
Presidents Trophy for Services to BOP Referees, sponsored by The BOP Presidents Group, winner Jaco Brouwer
Bill Sparks Memorial Trophy for Best AR as voted by Premier Referees, sponsored by , winner Josh Baker
Fahys Cup for Best Overall Effort, sponsored by Window & Door Manufacturer, winner Josh Baker
John Cormick Trophy for Most Improved Referee sponsored by Ben Rickard, winner is Elias Owen
Services Certificates to Peter 10 years and David 20 years.
David Hodgson Trophy for Club Member of the year as voted by our members, sponsored by Farmers Mutual Group | Rural Insurers, winner Ben Rickard
Alan Oats Memorial Trophy, referee coach of the year, sponsored by Trufold, winner is Paul Greenstreet
Dave Edwards Trophy for Best First Year Referee, sponsored by The Northern Group Real Estate , winner is Shinoa Nikora
Lawrence Trophy for Best Premier Referee as voted by Premier Coaches, sponsored by NZ’s largest supplier of cabins to rent, winner is Sam Fellows
Martin Teo Shield, Referee of the Year, sponsored by Gallagher Insurance New Zealand, winner is Matt Astle
Sorry to the people that were itching for the answer to the first question... We tried our best!
I guess if you want to know the answer, becoming a referee may be your best bet 👀
Kirk Vosper - Whistler of the Week - 10 August 2026
Our Whistler of the week this week is Kirk, he stepped up at short notice to travel from Tauranga to Whakatāne to cover a 1stXV game.
Kirk steps up on a consistent basis to cover games and guys like him are what make our club strong.
Check out the full episode here https://youtu.be/2KmCgUoYEh0?si=fb1DcnkLoY_PObNw
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4faGkmkrddALSA6jFB7niv?si=fc7S_T-JSumYErWAND1Hwg
We also had Kirk on the podcast earlier in the year and you can listen to his episode here https://youtu.be/hDg6XUc-gQE?si=oU1YFCgYRqa9OGF6
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0X6dOQo9R2OQfKTPrjF9xq?si=b4Z90Cw7TV-U1sA1z4Ww6A
13/08/2026
Our Annual Awards night is on Saturday at Mount Maunganui Golf Course, swipe to see who is nominated for each award. Thank you to our naming rights sponsor Generation Homes
Highest Law Exam, sponsored by Mastercraft Kitchens NZ
Referee who has completed the most fixtures, sponsored by McLeod Cranes and Hiabs
Services to our Club, voted by the RMG, sponsored by the BOP Presidents Group
Best Assistant referee voted by our Premier Referees, sponsored by
Best Overall Effort, nominated from our Panel Managers and voted by our RMG, sponsored by Window & Door Manufacturer
Best 7's Referee, sponsored by AgFirst NZ
Most Improved Referee, sponsored by Ben Rickard
Referee Coach of the Year as voted by our referees, sponsored by Tsar of All Russia
Club Member of Year as voted by our club members, sponsored by Farmers Mutual Group | Rural Insurers
First Year Referee Achievement, sponsored by The Northern Group Real Estate
Best Premier Referee as voted by BOP Premier Club Coaches, sponsored by NZ’s largest supplier of cabins to rent
Referee of the Year as voted by our Referee Coaches, sponsored by Gallagher Insurance New Zealand
12/08/2026
Hey team!
The club rugby season is officially over, but that doesn't mean you still can't become a referee.
If you're keen, but think you've run out of time, you haven't!
Get in touch and we'll start you off so your well and truly ready for the 2027 season.
Darren Morresey - Whistler of the week - 3 August 2026
Meet Darren, the unsung hero of club rugby! 🏉
Every week, he steps up to referee and ensure the game goes on. Without dedicated folks like him, junior and lower-level games would struggle to find referees. Huge shoutout to Darren for being our Whistler of the Week!
Check out the full episode on YouTube, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0GggniLSzpp7qhgGtk0BjT?si=Xy5Z12SbSYKI0kMfoRH7kA
https://youtu.be/SYpXr3EzHA0?si=wAbpMzDQcGOX-0pp