Northland-based company Coresteel has been announced as the new back-of-shirt sponsor for the Northland Taniwha, as the team prepare to build up for the ITM Cup.
Coresteel is owned and operated by the Donovan family from Whangarei, and has 22 building franchises nationwide, including the local franchise run by Hill Construction.
Company director Kyle Donovan says sponsorship of the Northland Taniwha was an opportunity to celebrate the company’s success over recent years and also put back into the community where he and his family grew up.
“We’ve lived all our lives here so it’s nice to be able to give something back. Our family have always been strong supporters of the game and our local team, so it’s great to be in a position to give back.”
Kyle runs the business alongside his brother Brett and father Graham, who are both also company directors.
Kyle believes the company’s rapid growth over recent years has come from its uniquely patented steel building system which has made construction of large buildings, particularly industrial and commercial builds, more cost-effective.
“We’re in the process of expanding beyond New Zealand, which gives us opportunity for even more growth. In the meantime, our local customers are the most important, and so is supporting our local team, so we’ll be encouraging everyone we know to back the Northland Taniwha this season.” Northland Rugby Union chief executive officer Jeremy Parkinson says Coresteel’s timing was perfect, with Hansen stepping down following a seven-year sponsorship of the team. “Kyle and Brett are all about doing business in Whangarei and looking after Whangarei people, so we’ve got good synergies there,” he says. “We’re always looking for companies to get in behind us and I’ve been talking to Coresteel about the possibility for a few years now. This year the timing was right and it’s just really good to have a Whangarei-based company supporting Northland so we’re really happy.” The sponsorship will give the Coresteel pride of place on the back of the Northland Taniwha jerseys for around 800 minutes of televised rugby this ITM Cup season.