Community sport made a long-awaited return to action on Saturday with grassroots football and hockey the first two to resume post lockdown.
The return is being welcomed by clubs who have found it financially tough while sport has been sidelined due to Covid-19
A host of Black Sticks also turned out for their club sides in Auckland, looking to blow away the cobwebs.
"Fair to say we were pretty rusty but I think everyone's just excited to play some sport and get back out there and getting active again," said New Zealand midfielder Arun Panchia.
The hygiene measures were in place, with all clubs required to ensure government guidelines were followed, including physical distancing where possible.
"Safety's really important for all our members - we've got 650 at Tawa we're a community club and we really want to make sure safety's front of mind," said Tawa FC [president Ben Turner.
Sport New Zealand's Geoff Barry commending all involved for going the extra mile.
"Clubs and sports have been really fantastic in taking the advice, taking the recommendations and applying the standards around signage and contract tracing," he said.
As well as the hand sanitizer - a batch of deep heat would also be the order of the day... with players easing into things post lockdown
"Being really conscious of injuries and stuff like that is really important," Barry added.
The return of sport has also thrown clubs a timely lifeline, with bars and clubrooms opening and people through the doors easing the financial pressure some faced while play was halted.
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