Supporting Canterbury Rugby in 2025

Supporting Canterbury Rugby – A Community Connection We’re Proud Of

At Barker’s of Geraldine, we’re proud to be part of the Canterbury community. Being based in Geraldine means supporting local people, clubs, and organisations is more than something we do, it’s part of who we are. That’s why our partnership with Canterbury Rugby means so much to us, as it reflects our shared values of dedication, teamwork and pride in where we come from.

2025 marks our third year of supporting Canterbury Rugby- and what an awesome year it was! Both the NPC and FPC teams had standout seasons, with the women finishing second in the Farrah Palmer Cup and the men taking home the cup in the National Provincial Championship. Seeing both Canterbury sides competing in finals rugby made the 2025 season especially meaningful for our region.

Here’s a few of our favourite moments from across the season.

A Season Starting with Appreciation

It takes a village of referees and volunteers to keep rugby thriving. We wouldn’t have a fair and safe sport without the refs, but they often go unnoticed. So, we kicked off the 2025 season with 300 Barker’s gift boxes filled with a selection of our favourite treats. These were shared at the referee meetings across Canterbury and South Canterbury as a small way to say, “We appreciate you.”

Bringing Rugby to Geraldine

We had the pleasure of welcoming the Canterbury FPC Women’s team to Geraldine for a special pre-season match against Otago. Families, supporters, and players all connected through shared pride of the FPC team. We rounded off the match with a community function at the Barker’s Foodstore to gather and refuel with some Barker’s kai.

Watching the women go on to finish second overall was incredibly inspiring. Their determination, teamwork, and growth throughout the season reflected exactly what we value in our partnerships.

Celebrating the Supporters

Rugby is nothing without its supporters who show up, rain or shine. We wanted to help bring more of those people into the stands. We gave away family pass tickets in competitions on our Facebook page at the Barker’s Foodstore to help more supporters experience the atmosphere of a live match.

We also enjoyed sharing some of our favourite products with fans and introduced our new Squeezy Tomato & BBQ Sauces- perfect for a sideline sausage sizzle or watch party BBQ.

Behind-the-Scenes Moments

Throughout the season, we were also fortunate to spend time with players to create some fun videos for our socials. We got to know some of the players a bit better with Q&As. We challenged their tastebuds with a Squeezy Sauce Roulette, where players spun a wheel to decide what food they had to squeeze our sauce on... T-Sauce and Sushi, anyone? To see the videos, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @barkersofgeraldine

A Stadium Farewell and a New Chapter Ahead

This was the final season at Apollo Projects Stadium, a venue that holds many special sporting memories for Canterbury. As Canterbury Rugby prepares to move into the new One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha, we’re excited to continue standing alongside them in this next chapter.

For us, this partnership is about more than rugby. It’s about connection, community, and backing the people who make our region special.

We’re proud to support Canterbury Rugby and look forward to another season together.