The New Zealand Cricket Players' Association and NZC will begin negotiations on a new master agreement in the coming months.
The old agreement ends in July and both parties are beginning to jostle for position.
Earlier this month, NZC chief executive David White would not rule out the idea of cutting the Plunket Shield from 10 rounds to five in 2018-19.
CPA chief executive Heath Mills weighed in, telling Fairfax ''we ought not to be cutting cricket programmes for the sake of it''.
''We don't mind having a conversation about the structure of domestic cricket but it is absolutely the heartbeat of our high performance programme.''
Otago Cricket Association chief executive Mike Coggan agreed with Mills' view but could also see the time fast approaching when the sport would need to considered what was affordable.
''New Zealand Cricket will have an amount of money available to it through the next period and, as a result of that, it will need to make decisions with the major associations and the CPA as to how many formats of cricket it can sustain and how much money needs to be filtered into the community game to sustain cricket long term,'' Coggan said.
''That may well mean we have to revisit and think carefully about the three formats and whether we can afford them.''
''I can't answer that question because I don't know what sort of revenue is going to come into the game. But what must happen is we must sustain our community game.
''The kids who are going to be excited about cricket must being seeing development offices in schools and clubs. That costs a lot more than is being invested in the game at the moment.
''NZC understand if they don't invest in the game's grass-roots, they will not have a talent pool to sustain the game. So it is not just about first-class cricket, it is about the base of that pyramid.''
The future of first-class cricket is inextricably linked to test cricket, which has struggled to remain relevant. But with the International Cricket Council expected to confirm a test championship beginning in 2019, the long format of the game may experience some renewed interest.
But if that renewed interest does not materialise and the broadcasters lose faith, ''what does that mean for our first-class game?'', Coggan questioned.
''There are 90 contracted domestic players and 21 nationally contracted players who would say that it is really, really important but who knows in 15 years' time?
''Over time every sport at the national level looks at itself in the mirror and asks itself if it is sustainable and can we grow. NZC, to their credit, realise the importance of community cricket and how it is played in schools and how it is played in clubs.
''It is not so much the longer format of the game which is exciting the young kids to want to play cricket.''
