In November 2017, the league decided to expand to eight teams beginning in the 2018/19 season, and Baseball New Zealand was officially awarded a spot in the competition.

According to one of the team's board members, Brett O'Riley, the tuatara was chosen as the name in order to celebrate the resilience of the ancient reptiles, and to raise awareness of New Zealand's commitment to species protection.

[citation needed] The club's inaugural manager was announced as former MLB pitcher Steve Mintz.

[3] Three days before the start of the 2019–20 season, Tuatara player Ryan Costello was found dead in his sleep by teammates on 18 November 2019.

[citation needed] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team sat out the 2020–21 and 2021–22 Australian Baseball League seasons.