New Zealand Rally Championship
The New Zealand Rally Championship is New Zealand's leading rallying championship. A multi-event national championship has been held each year since 1975. Today the championship is held for a variety of classes based on engine capacity and further split by four or two wheel drive. The top class for a number of years has been the CAT1 class, featuring R5, NR4, and AP4 cars.
The New Zealand Rally Championship has been a launching pad for the career of many New Zealand drivers. Rod Millen and Possum Bourne being the most notable. In the 2000s Hayden Paddon used the series as a springboard to international competition, competing in the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship before moving on to the Production, Super 2000 World Rally Championship, and World Rally Championships. Most recently Zeal Jones has used the series to gain valuable skills and experience to get a spot in the Toyota GAZOO Racing WRC Challenge Program.
The championship was formed around the then newly created Rally New Zealand when it joined the World Rally Championship in 1973. Since then Rally New Zealand has frequently been the starring event of the NZRC and the event is current based in Auckland. The International Rally of Whangarei and International Rally of Otago are also rounds of the NZRC as well as being rounds of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship. The current 2025 championship also has events based in Canterbury, Coromandel, and Bay of Plenty regions.
2025 Calendar
The 2024 season is scheduled to be contested over six rounds in Otago, Canterbury, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, and Northland.| Round | Date | Rally | Rally headquarters | Surface | Stages | Distance |
| 1 | 4–6 April | International Rally of Otago | Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand | Gravel | 15 | 639.32 km |
| 2 | 10 May | Rally South Canterbury | Timaru, Canterbury, New Zealand | Gravel | ||
| 3 | 10 June | Canterbury Rally | Rangiora, Canterbury, New Zealand | Gravel | ||
| 4 | 23 August | Rally Coromandel | Whitianga, Waikato, New Zealand | Gravel | ||
| 5 | 11 October | Rally Bay of Plenty | Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand | Gravel | ||
| 6 | 7–9 November | Rally of Whangarei | Whangarei, Northland, New Zealand | Gravel |