About

The ITM Cup is New Zealands annual professional domestic rugby competition, taking place from late July through October. It was founded in 2006 with 14 teams, after the NPC was split into two separate competitions. The other 12 provincial teams from the NPC now compete in the amateur Heartland Championship. From its inception through the 2009 season, it was sponsored by Air New Zealand, the national airline and flag carrier of New Zealand, and called the Air New Zealand Cup.

In March 2010 it was announced that the Air New Zealand Cup would be renamed the ITM Cup with the addition of building supplies co-operative ITM (Independent Timber Merchants) as the major sponsor. The change came because Air New Zealand chose to concentrate their rugby sponsorship on the country's national team, The All Blacks