When former All Black Ian ‘Kamo’ Jones stepped in as general manager last year, he described the venue as “the clubrooms of New Zealand Rugby”.
A year on, Jones is still feeling it. “It’s been more than I imagined ... a real passion project. I’ve loved the connection with people coming through, both domestic and international, and bringing former players back to share their stories. It represents all our teams in black.”
The SkyCity-based All Blacks Experience launched into 2020, during the height of Covid-19 disruption. “Opening in the middle of Covid was tough. But we had two great shareholders behind us: New Zealand Rugby and Ngāi Tahu Tourism. They weathered the storm. We still think of ourselves as a startup, two and a half years in the making and only getting stronger,” said Jones.
Ngāi Tahu Tourism is one of New Zealand’s largest tourism operators, with a range of nine businesses including Shotover Jet, the Dark Sky Project, Huka Falls, and Agrodome. The group normally reports collective results across its portfolio, but it’s clear that, under Jones, the All Blacks Experience has made solid gains. “We’ve seen particularly strong results in the lead-up to and after Auckland’s Springboks Test week (1-7 September), across tours, events, VIP experiences, and retail,” he said.
“Between July and October this year, the All Blacks Experience recorded a 45% increase in revenue compared to the same period last year, with visitor numbers up 12%. During Test week, revenue was up 165% compared to the same week last year, while visitor numbers were up 135%.”
Visitors get to experience what it's like to face the haka
Jones said the numbers also reflected their expanded product offering, tailored for “school groups, rugby clubs, local and international manuhiri, as well as corporate clients and visitors seeking personalised tours or VIP experiences. Personalised All Blacks and Black Ferns jerseys are especially popular with our manuhiri.”
He framed the All Blacks Experience as a doorway into the country rather than a shrine to a team. “People come to this country because they want to connect with New Zealanders. They want to hear New Zealand stories.”
He’s heard two consistent reactions: “How connected we are as a nation, but also as a rugby union to our culture, how we use our Māori culture in everything we do. And that’s a real superpower, and the rest of the world doesn’t have that.” For Jones, who has Ngāi Tahu whakapapa or ancestry, the work carries personal meaning. and he said has made his whānau "extremely proud,” he said.
NZ a standard setter for women’s sport
The other reaction Jones regularly gets from visitors to the experience is New Zealand's promotion of women’s sport, with the Black Ferns and Sevens programmes. “The joy they bring to our game, the way we’re teaching our young tamariki girls to be themselves ... the world knows New Zealand as a standard setter for that.”
Te Whatu - the All Blacks pounamu mauri stone
At the entrance of the All Blacks Experience normally sits Te Whatu, the large mauri stone gifted by Ngāi Tahu and Ngāti Waewae before the 2015 World Cup. It wasn’t there when NBR visited, as the pounamu travels with the All Blacks when they tour. And with the team away seeking a northern hemisphere grand slam of victories, Te Whatu was playing its part.
Jones said that, before each test match, the All Blacks touch the pounamu to connect with former players, their whānau, and fan base. Similarly, when it is back at the Experience, visitors are encouraged to place their hands on it. “They pass on their mana, get to pass on their aroha to that stone ... So then, the next time the team win, they’ve had a part to play in it.”
The All Blacks Experience has evolved alongside the game itself. “The biggest evolution has been more content from our Black Ferns,” Jones said. “To hear their journey into the jersey, to hear their stories in the jersey … that’s been beautiful.”
VIP programme
A recent addition has been a structured VIP programme that brings former players back into the fold, giving visitors a personal perspective on what it means to wear the black jersey. “Former players can reflect on their journey into the jersey ... good and bad.
“Some felt like Superman .. others felt doubt [and] imposter syndrome.”
He recalled a moment in the replica Eden Park changing room with a VIP tour group, when Sir John Kirwan candidly recounted his pre-match nerves. Jones, who played alongside Kirwan in the All Blacks, applauded his honesty. “Looks like a superstar, dresses like a superstar, is a superstar, yet was sitting with me in the sheds full of doubt.”
Former All Black legend John Kirwan addressing a VIP tour.
Jones said his own experience had been different. Confidence came from trust. “Then there was me. I had no doubts ... I knew Robin Brooke always had my back,” he said, referring to his long-time locking partner and close friend from their All Black days.
“When I was with Rob, I knew he would always look after me and do his job, so I could do mine. That’s what made me ready to play.”
That mix of vulnerability and belief is what Jones wants visitors to feel – an insight into the human side of New Zealand’s most successful sports team. The All Blacks have won more than three-quarters of their Test matches since 1903, while the Black Ferns hold six Rugby World Cup titles and an 80% plus win rate. Both, Jones said, represent excellence grounded in connection and culture.
Events and retail have become vital to the Experience’s business model. “When there’s a test match in town, this place comes alive,” Jones said. “You walk down that tunnel, stand in front of the haka, and you’re test match ready.”
Retail, merchandise
The retail arm, now the country’s largest stockist of official All Blacks merchandise, attracts a steady flow of visitors. “People come in just for the shop because they want to take a special piece of New Zealand home,” he said.
“You might buy a jersey for your baby or your grandmother ... all ages, ranges and stages.”
Customisation has added appeal. “While you can’t ever put your name on an authentic All Black jersey because we’re just caretakers of that jersey, I love that people can buy one and put their name and number on it. That’s a special gift from Aotearoa.”
Jones said the team had worked to smooth out quieter months through new community programmes. “For kids, if you can see, touch, and dream, you can become,” he said.
“For our retirement folk, they almost become the guides. They share their club, their role, the games they went to, the players they loved. Those stories matter.”
The "sprig" wall graphically shows All Black and Black Ferns success.
The New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) at SkyCity in Auckland is set to open in February next year, and is expected to attract about 33,000 international delegates annually, all within a short air-bridge walk from the All Blacks Experience. With an estimated $90 million in new economic spend tied to the conference centre, Jones believed they were perfectly positioned to draw high-value visitors to one of the country’s strongest brands.
Within the precinct, Jones also expects more domestic traffic, with the soon-to-open City Rail Link and its mid-town Te Waihorotiu Station located beside SkyCity. “This will become the hub. You all come together here into the SkyCity precinct and start your journey here,” he said.
Jones added that the All Blacks Experience had capacity for about 1000 visitors a day once the new infrastructure was in place.
For Jones, who spent his playing days locking the All Blacks scrum, the future of the All Blacks Experience felt equally secure ... grounded, connected, and ready to push forward.
