| Date | 27 August 2016–29 October 2016[1] |
|---|---|
| Countries |  New Zealand |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Wanganui (Meads Cup) North Otago (Lochore Cup) |
| Runner-up | Buller (Meads Cup) King Country (Lochore Cup) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 54 |
← 2015 2017 → | |
The 2016 Heartland Championship, known as the 2016 Mitre 10 Heartland Championship for sponsorship reasons,[2] was the eleventh edition of the Heartland Championship, a rugby union competition involving the twelve amateur rugby unions in New Zealand. The tournament included a round-robin stage in which the twelve teams played eight games each and then the top four advanced to the Meads Cup semifinals, while fifth to eighth advanced to the Lochore Cup semifinals. In both of these knockout stages the top seeds (first and fifth) played at home against the lowest seeds (fourth and eighth), the second highest seeds (second and sixth) played at home against the third highest seeds (third and seventh) and the final had the higher seed play at home against the lower seed.
- ^ "2016 Mitre 10 Heartland Championship Draw" (PDF). Heartland Championship. 1 March 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
- ^ "Mitre 10 unveiled as new sponsor of national provincial rugby competitions". Heartland Championship. 13 December 2015. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.