Rally New Zealand is the longest-running world championship event in both New Zealand and the Southern Hemisphere. The rally was first included as a round of the World Rally Championship in 1977. Since then its status has grown internationally, with the 2001 event being awarded the WRC Rally of the Year award.
Rally New Zealand celebrated its 40th running in 2010, returning to Auckland as the host city after three very successful years being based in Hamilton.
Rally New Zealand, the event, is run by Rally of New Zealand Ltd, a not-for-profit organisation owned in partnership by MotorSport New Zealand and a number of its member car clubs. A huge number of highly-skilled, dedicated volunteers and a small number of paid personnel work together to make the event a continued success.
In 2011 Rally New Zealand was the second round of the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship and incorporated two days of motorsport action at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park in an exciting supplementary event called 'High Octane on Hampton'.
Rally New Zealand will be the 7th round of the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship calendar and will run from 21 to 24 June. Plans for the 2012 event are currently in development.
