Who I Am
Hello Taranaki started as a conversation between mates at a pub in New Plymouth. I was sitting around on a Friday night, phone in hand, trying to figure out which offshore sportsbook had the best odds for the Chiefs game. Everyone had a different opinion, nobody had tested them properly, and we were all just guessing. That conversation sparked an idea: what if I actually did the homework?
So that's exactly what I did. I'm Matt Kingi — a Kiwi sports fanatic and recreational punter who got tired of half-baked recommendations and recycled marketing copy. I wanted real, independent testing — depositing actual money, building multis, and timing withdrawals — so that other New Zealanders could make informed decisions about where to bet.
What I Do
I review offshore sportsbooks and betting sites from a specifically New Zealand perspective. That means I care about NZD support, Super Rugby Pacific markets, NRL odds, and whether the live chat actually works at 9 PM on a Saturday. I don't just read the marketing pages; I sign up, deposit, play, and withdraw. If a site doesn't deliver, I say so.
My Ranking Methodology
Every sportsbook on this site is evaluated across four core pillars: odds competitiveness, payout speed and reliability, bonus fairness, and user experience. I weight these factors based on what matters most to the average New Zealand punter.
I also believe in transparency. This site contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission when you sign up through my links. This is how I fund my testing. However, my rankings are never influenced by commercial relationships. A bad sportsbook is a bad sportsbook, regardless of what they offer me.