Rising star and new Brisbane Broncos signing Calvin Harris-Tavita heralded as best Kiwi prospect in 20 years
The sibling of current Warrior Chanel Harris-Tavita, younger brother Calvin is regarded as the best New Zealand product in decades, and now he’s set to join the reigning premiers.
One of New Zealand’s best young halfbacks of the past 20 years is moving to Brisbane as the Broncos capitalise on the Kiwi talent poaching war threatening rugby union across the Tasman.
Code Sports can reveal Calvin Harris-Tavita, rated the best Kiwi playmaking talent since Benji Marshall and Shaun Johnson, is relocating to Australia after inking an upgraded deal with the Broncos.
The teen sensation was already signed this year but has been handed an extended contract by Brisbane ahead of his arrival at Red Hill to join the famed Broncos Academy.
The younger brother of Warriors playmaker Chanel Harris-Tavita, the 17-year-old is one of three New Zealand young guns snapped up by the Broncos, who also have Barry Taukolo and Antonio Verhoeven on their books.
As revealed by Code Sports, New Zealand rugby is under siege, with the 15-a-side code putting contractual mechanisms in place to stop rising Kiwi stars also dabbling in rugby league.
But Harris-Tavita is another budding superstar to slip the net, with the classy playmaker, who plays in King’s College’s First XV, sidestepping rugby to chase his NRL dreams with the Broncos.
New Zealand has proven a fertile nursery for the newly-crowned NRL premiers, who have been operating across the ditch in a development capacity for the past decade.
Star trio Deine Mariner (Auckland), Xavier Willison (Hamilton) and Jordan Riki (Christchurch) featured in Brisbane’s premiership-winning team this year after being spotted by Broncos scouts as teenagers playing in New Zealand.
The presence of the reigning NRL premiers in the competitive Kiwi market will ring further alarm bells for New Zealand rugby chiefs.
Broncos recruitment boss Simon Scanlan said Brisbane have picked up a number of handy recruits from New Zealand, noting the surge in rugby league’s popularity in the Shaky Isles since the glamour club’s trans-Tasman ventures began in 2015.
“For the past decade, we’ve been working at a grassroots level in New Zealand, focusing primarily on coach education and working with regional zones across the country,” he said.
“Over that time, and particularly the past four years, we’ve seen a surge in popularity of rugby league through schools and junior clubs.
“Deine Mariner, Xavier Willison and Jordan Riki were each signed at 15 years of age.
“All three progressed through our Academy system, advanced into the NRL program and ultimately played in this year’s grand final.
“While New Zealand has never been a major recruitment base for us, the young players we have signed from there have transitioned really well.”
Now more junior Kiwis are ready to flourish in the famous Broncos Academy.
Taukolo, 17, joined the Broncos this season and was named in the Cyril Connell Cup team of the year after impressing at fullback with junior feeder club Wynnum Manly.
The 19-year-old Verhoeven is a powerfully built centre or winger who is tipped for big things at the Broncos after starring for Burleigh in the Mal Meninga Cup.
But the pick of the bunch could be Harris-Tavita, who played a starring role to engineer King’s Auckland Schools Championships triumph this year.
In the wake of that performance, Brisbane signed Harris-Tavita to a multi-year extension and the teenage sensation will arrive in Australia after Christmas to begin his NRL journey in the Broncos Academy.
Fast, skilful and with brilliant footwork, Harris-Tavita has been likened in style to former Wests Tigers whiz-kid Marshall, who was graded from Keebra Park High.
New Zealand Rugby League CEO Greg Peters says Harris-Tavita is an example of a Kiwi talent who could have starred in league or union - but the Broncos have prevailed.
“He is a great signing for the Broncos, absolutely,” Peters said.
“He plays first XV because he’s at King’s and it’s a private school here. But he has played Nines and in national tournaments with the New Zealand Rugby League.
“A number of our (league) players win scholarships to private schools in New Zealand and they play rugby because it’s entrenched in the schools.
“However, they are from league families and league backgrounds.
“Calvin is one of those kids ... he does love rugby league.”
While Scanlan says Brisbane haven’t abandoned their local terrain, the Broncos see merit in mining more Kiwi gold.
“Although Queensland will always remain the primary focus of our recruitment strategy, the growing demand for junior talent has led us to broaden our reach - leading to the development of our New Zealand program,” he said.
“Both Queensland and New Zealand are open markets for junior players, meaning they are not tied to any NRL club or programmed until they are officially signed.
“In contrast, juniors in NSW generally come through a formal representative pathway aligned with NRL clubs.
“NSW clubs will also recruit out of Queensland and New Zealand to bolster their respective programs.”
Brisbane’s cross-town rivals the Dolphins have also recently struck gold across the Tasman.
Twin brothers, and rising prop forwards, Lucian and D’Angelo Mikaele, have joined the Dolphins on four-year deals from season 2026.
The duo spent time in the Warriors system before defecting to Redcliffe.
The brothers were also promising rugby union prospects, featuring in the First XV outfit of Auckland’s prestigious Saint Kentigern College.
D’Angelo is also ranked in the top 20 of the best rugby union schoolboy talents in New Zealand.
Originally published as Rising star and new Brisbane Broncos signing Calvin Harris-Tavita heralded as best Kiwi prospect in 20 years
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