The Black Sticks will warm up for the crucial Oceania Cup in Stratford next month with games against world-class opponents.
The women will play Argentina in Blenheim on October 3 and October 4 before travelling to Nelson for the third and final test on October 6.
The men play two tests against India in Nelson on October 6 and October 7 and then shift to Christchurch where they will play two matches against India on October 9 and October 11.
It has been eight years since Dunedin last hosted a hockey test - Oamaru was also on the itinerary in 2007 - and Hockey New Zealand chief executive Malcolm Harris agreed it had been too long.
''We are working on a plan for early next year,'' Harris said.
''While there is a bit of water under the bridge to go, the southern region is certainly high on our priorities.
''We are very mindful and keen to make it happen and are looking at February-March at the moment.
''That's the plan but we are often in the hands of international teams.''
With the Rio Olympic Games starting in August, Harris is expecting the Blacks Sticks will be in demand as teams look for quality opponents against which to play warm-up games.
However, visiting teams on whistle-stop tours tend to fly into Auckland and are sometimes reluctant to decamp and travel south to Dunedin.
The other, perhaps more significant, barrier is the match has to stack up financially.
''There are a couple of hurdles we have to get over. We have to get the teams to agree in terms of that domestic travel and ... the series has to be financially viable for us.
''We are not a sport where we can take a significant loss on the international programme. We've been getting good support from various regional councils around the country and also the local trusts and that does affect our decision also.''
Harris said Stratford had put in hundreds of thousands of dollars to host hockey events in the town and ''were supportive of the economic impact hockey has on their region''.
''That is driving a lot of that activity.''
Black Sticks men's coach Colin Batch described India's visit as a coup which will provide his side with invaluable build up ahead of the Oceania Cup (October 21-25), the last Olympic qualifying event for the Black Sticks men.
''The biggest thing for us is having good competition in the build-up to a tournament,'' Batch said.
''We last played in June and we identified that it was important for us to secure competition before Oceania Cup - so this series will be good preparation.''
The Black Sticks women have never played in Blenheim, and the men have played only one test there and that was in 1958 against Australia.
Black Sticks
South Island tour schedule
BLENHEIM
• October 3, Black Sticks Women v Argentina
• October 4, Black Sticks Women v Argentina
NELSON
• October 6, Black Sticks Women v Argentina
• October 6, Black Sticks Men v India
• October 7, Black Sticks Men v India
CHRISTCHURCH
• October 9, Black Sticks Women v Argentina
• October 9, Black Sticks Men v India
• October 11, Black Sticks Men v India
