But the New Zealand Rugby Union has admitted, for the first time, it may redraw the boundaries of its five professional franchises when the Super 14 is overhauled in two years.
Its professional rugby manager, Neil Sorenson, told The Dominion Post the franchises could have a different look from 2010, the year the broadcasting deal with News Ltd expires.
‘‘We would be loathe to give up one of the franchises because it would be very hard to get one back, but that's not to say they will look the same as they do now,'' Sorenson said.
The Highlanders have the smallest population base of all the 14 franchises and have been the poorest-performing New Zealand side in recent years.
Suggestions the franchise should be moved to Auckland or the North Shore are nothing new, and have regularly been fuelled by poor results, plummeting crowds and constant speculation in the media.
The Highlanders have always argued it would kill rugby in the South if the franchise was shifted, and Reid does not believe there is any firm indication that will happen.
‘‘I don't think there's any more weight to this issue than there has been before. It's just topical,'' Reid said yesterday.
‘‘If you simply transferred the Highlanders to, say, North Harbour, all you're doing is relocating the problem. That doesn't seem to make much sense.
‘‘I don't see relocating the franchise as an option at all.''
A suggestion Otago and Southland could be asked to join forces with North Harbour to form afranchise with bases at opposite ends of the country has not been discounted by Reid.
‘‘Central Districts do it in cricket. New Plymouth doesn't have a lot to do with Nelson but they are part of the same team and have been for a long time.
‘‘If it's about having the best New Zealand players on the field each week, you might need to think outside the square to solve the problem.''
Reid believes the major problem with the franchise system is there is not an equitable spread of talent.
He has revealed the Highlanders are going to ask the NZRU to relax its policy to allow the franchise to hold on to players it has picked up through the draft.
‘‘The theory is that you want the best 140 players in New Zealand actually playing. Therefore they should be distributed around, and you shouldn't have really good players sitting on the bench.
‘‘That would potentially solve the problem, and it wouldn't matter where the franchise was.''
Reid is not convinced finances will be the major reason the NZRU might look at a shakeup of the franchise borders.
Otago recorded the biggest loss, $1.5 million, of any rugby union in the country last year but everyone was suffering with smaller crowds.
‘‘The real issue is the health of rugby in New Zealand. Why would you relocate the Highlanders?
New Zealand rugby has a duty to foster the game all over the country, not just in some parts.
‘‘The NZRU are not stupid. They understand what the problems are and that there are a lot of issues that will be looked at very closely.
‘‘We focus on the thing that makes us nervous, losing the franchise, which is understandable.
But other issues are just as important, and I think there are other ways to solve the problems.''
There might be some who would be happy to see the Highlanders swallowed up by the powerful Crusaders but Reid is not one of them, and he believes the neighbouring franchise has the same view.
‘‘For a different set of reasons, I suspect the Crusaders would think it was a bloody stupid idea.''
