2004âÂÂ05 was the first season of the New Zealand Football Championship, replacing the New Zealand National Football Leagues, which ran from 1970 to 2003. It was organised by the New Zealand Football and was contested by eight competing teams.
The league kicked off on 15 October 2004, with a 3âÂÂ1 victory for Auckland City at Napier City Rovers and it soon became clear that Auckland City, along with Waitakere United, were the class teams in the championship. Auckland lost only three games all year en route to becoming the first winners of the New Zealand Football Championship, while Waitakere lost four times to Auckland City, including the thrilling 3âÂÂ2 final in front of 3,800 spectators at Auckland City's home field, Kiwitea Street, where Auckland came back from 2-1 down to win in the last minutes of the game.
Waikato FC came out best of the rest to take the final playoff position in third, despite making a slow start to the season. Notables among the other teams were Napier City Rovers, who also came back from a slow start to have a chance of making the playoffs in the final week of the season. Otago United won five games all year, but did not win any of their last twelve games.
https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/nz05.html
Waitakere and Waikato play in the Elimination Final, the winner of which plays Auckland in Grand Final.
By winning the NZFC, Auckland City went on to represent New Zealand in the Oceania Club Championship in Tahiti. Auckland lost their first game to Australian representatives Sydney FC, 3âÂÂ2 in the dying minutes. Their next game, against tournament hosts AS Pirae of Tahiti, was also a loss, this time by 1âÂÂ0. Auckland City would take some consolation from finishing third in their group after defeating the champions of Papua New Guinea, Sobou FC, by 6âÂÂ1.