The New Zealand Rugby Union says it wants to see a new domestic competition structure in place no later than 2011.
The new structure will comprise a 10-team Premier Division, a Division One competition and a Heartland Championship.
The NZRU board says the structure is subject to the development of a Division One competition that is meaningful, sustainable, attractive and aspirational.
The board has also resolved to adopt the competition principles worked out last month.
The key principles are: that the competitions must include Super rugby players, have a stand-alone window of 10 to 12 weeks, feature a full round-robin and play-offs, have promotion-relegation, guarantee four or five home games per team, and be concluded by the end of October.
The NZRU CEO Steve Tew says the union will be moving as fast as it can to ensure certainty around teams and competitions, and it is possible these competitions could be implemented as soon as next year.
