The squad for next season was named yesterday with 31 players back from last year, including all the key players.
New Highlanders coach Tony Brown said it was a side that had been pretty successful for the past two to three years and continuity was very important.
''We want to keep building on what we have done in previous years and continue to strive to get better,'' he said.
''The important thing for me being head coach is trying to continue to improve - the way we play, the way we prepare, how we review and how we preview games - just to keep getting to the standards we set and get better.''
Asked if things would change dramatically as he took over from Jamie Joseph, Brown said the side had a pretty good recipe for success over the past few years but if change was needed, then it would be introduced.
Brown had not discussed the captaincy. The side was captained by Ben Smith and Shane Christie last year but whether it goes down the co-captaincy route again has not been decided.
There are five new Highlanders in the squad with props Guy Millar (Southland) and Siate Tokolahi (Canterbury) coming into the team.
Otago lock Josh Dickson joins the squad after being a training member last year. North Harbour winger Tevita Li and Manawatu halfback Kayne Hammington are new members of the backline.
Brown said prop Brendon Edmonds had not sufficiently recovered from his knee injury, picked up in May, to be available for this season.
He said there were always unlucky players not able to make the squad.
''Otago had a great year but it is unfortunate for the guys in the Mitre 10 Cup that 90-95% of the teams are signed up before the Mitre 10 competition starts. All the Highlanders guys in the Otago team played well and that helped other guys get contracts.
''You look at someone like Michael Collins, who has been contracted for the Blues. We wish we had a spot for him. Hopefully, he can play well up there and we can get him back for the Highlanders.''
There are 13 Otago players in the side. Injured inside backs Josh Renton and Hayden Parker have both been named.
Brown said the side's review from last season had shown it had done little wrong and if it had earned one more competition point, it could have all ended differently. The side lost in the semifinals to the Lions.
Brown was in Japan, where he was helping Joseph coach the Japanese national team for four tests this month. He would be back for the pre-season, which starts on December 1.
He did not think he would get stale from a long coaching stint.
''I've had a good break from August to now and had the last couple of weeks in Japan and we've got four big tests coming up. If you stay out of it too long, then you lose touch.''
The Highlanders play their first game of the season against the Chiefs at Forsyth Barr Stadium on February 24.
The pre-season will consist of a match against the Crusaders on February 4 in Darfield, the 10s tournament in Brisbane the following weekend, and a match against the Waratahs on February 16.