John Hope Muchirahondo pleaded not guilty to 22 counts of rape, nine of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection and a charge of failing to assist police with a search of his computer, the New Zealand Herald reported.
His trial in front of Justice Lisa Preston is set to last at least five weeks.
Born and raised in Zimbabwe - Muchirahondo was arrested in February 2021 and initially faced five charges of sexual violation, the Herald reported.
After his first court appearance, police made Muchirahondo's name public and appealed for other victims to come forward, leading to an increase in the number of complainants against him, the Herald reported.
Police say Muchirahondo met the complainants between October 2018 and February 2021 at parties and nightclubs in Christchurch and Auckland.
Muchirahondo, who is well-known in the football community, is also accused of raping some women more than once and allegedly filmed many of the assaults.
Several of the charges are representative, which is when police believe a person has committed multiple offences of the same type in similar circumstances, the Herald reported.
