The Heartland Championship would include semi-professional and amateur players, and consist of the bottom twelve populated and performing regional teams.

The remaining teams would continue to exist in the newly reformed professional competition known as the National Provincial Championship.

The top four teams in the Meads and Lochore Cup competitions at the end of Round Two advanced to the semifinals.

In 2021, a new challenge trophy for the Heartland Championship teams was announced, named after 16-test All Black Bill Osborne.

[4] The 5th ranked team from the 2021 Heartland Championship regular season, Poverty Bay, was the inaugural winner of this trophy after beating the 6th placed Mid Canterbury by 33 points to 26.

Poverty Bay therefore earned the right to defend the trophy in the 2022 Heartland Championship season.

[4] Winners of the Medal are: Each year, a New Zealand Heartland XV is selected to recognise the top performing players in the Championship.