New Zealand, June 26, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - A New Zealand provincial rugby union on Wednesday suspended all matches for a week because of continued abuse of officials, including a threat to stab a referee.

The Horowhenua Kapiti Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) -- which is based north of Wellington and has produced All Blacks Christian Cullen and Dane Coles -- said all levels of rugby would be halted.

"This will provide time to reflect and consider what kind of rugby environment we are creating and enabling," HKRFU chief executive Corey Kennett said.

"We must take collective responsibility to protect our referees ... and ensure that rugby remains a safe and respectful environment for everyone involved."

In May, a spectator threatened to stab a referee during a match, with the union voicing "deep concern" at the time about mounting instances of verbal and physical threats and warning that any further abuse would lead to the suspension of all rugby.

That has now occurred after a referee suffered "serious verbal abuse and physical intimidation" during a match last weekend between a college team and a visiting school side.

The situation was so bad that members of the public had to escort the official to his car after the game, fearing for his safety.

New Zealand Rugby said it supported the suspension decision, with referee abuse a longstanding problem in the rugby-mad country.

In 2024, two referees in Auckland and Ashburton were violently attacked, leading to police investigations.

Five years earlier, an Otago man was handed a life ban from rugby after punching an official, while an 11-year-old also faced a life ban after assaulting a referee in 2015.