One of hockey's biggest tournaments will be held in New Zealand in December with confirmation the men's Champions Trophy will be hosted on the North Shore.
India was due to host the event, but last week the International Hockey Federation confirmed that they had withdrawn the rights because of ongoing problems with the governance of hockey in India.
With a cumulative television audience estimated at 38 million, it is the first time that New Zealand has held an international hockey event of this scale.
The tournament is for the top eight teams in the World.
In world ranking order, the teams competing include Australia, Netherlands, Germany, England, Spain, Korea, New Zealand and Pakistan. There will be 24 matches, with each team participating in six games.
New Zealand earns a place to compete as host nation and will no longer compete at the 2011 Champions Challenge in Johannesburg, South Africa, in December.
