Sport and Recreation's Chief Executive Peter Miskimmin says the Kiwis's Four Nations win is symptomatic of the way the New Zealand Rugby League has turned itself around.
A new constitution was adopted in March last year after Sir John Anderson chaired an independent review of a game he said was broke and broken.
And March this year SPARC announced a $3 million, three year invesment in rugby league.
Miskimmin says a lot of work's gone into establishing the new seven zones, growing the game at grass roots levels and focussing on bringing back some respectability to the NZRL's leadership.
