The Tasman Rugby Union was officially formed in December 2005 as an amalgamation of the Nelson Bays and Marlborough rugby unions. This was done primarily to field a team - the Tasman Mako - in New Zealand's premier provincial rugby competition in 2006 (now the Mitre 10 Cup). The Tasman RU's role is to provide and administer grass-roots rugby in schools and clubs and to offer greater resources to all participants for pathways to higher representative honours and careers in professional rugby.