The NgÃÂti Porou East Coast Rugby Football Union (NPEC) is a constituent union in the New Zealand Rugby Union located on the East Coast of the North Island. Its provincial team plays in the Heartland Championship and its home ground is Whakarua Park, Ruatoria. It is the smallest Union in New Zealand in the sense of player numbers and population base.
The union was previously called East Coast. Due to the high number of players from the NgÃÂti Porou iwi, the team became known as NgÃÂti Porou East Coast and in August 2023 the Union was officially renamed the NgÃÂti Porou East Coast Rugby Football Union on the New Zealand incorporated societies register.
The East Coast Rugby Football Union was formed in 1922 when they split from the Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union.
East Coast won the 2012 Heartland Championship Meads Cup defeating Wanganui 29âÂÂ27 at Whakarua Park on 27 October 2012., In the 2022 Heartland Championship the team won the Lochore Cup beating Mid Canterbury by 25 to 20. They become the 6th team to have won both the Meads Cup and the Lochore Cup.
The team is renowned for losing 54 consecutive games over eight years. However former All Blacks MaâÂÂa Nonu and Hosea Gear were involved in the side when they broke that drought in a 50-26 win over Buller in October 2021.
NgÃÂti Porou East Coast Rugby Football Union is made up of 10 clubs:
East Coast won the NPC 3rd Division twice. Firstly in 1999 defeating Poverty Bay 18âÂÂ15 in the final at Ruatoria. Secondly and possibly even more impressively, defeating North Otago the following year in front of their home crowd at Oamaru in a come-from-behind 25âÂÂ21 victory to record back to back NPC 3rd Division Championships.
There was no Heartland Championship in the 2020 season due to Covid-19 restrictions.
NgÃÂti Porou East Coast has challenged for the Ranfurly Shield eight times losing heavily on each occasion.
Six All Blacks have played rugby for East Coast:
NgÃÂti Porou East Coast along with Waikato, Counties Manukau, King Country, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, and Thames Valley make up the Chiefs Super Rugby region. NgÃÂti Porou East Coast was formerly part of the Hurricanes from 1996 until February 2025 where they announced their change of allegiance to the Chiefs.