But for former Otago coach Tom Donnelly and Otago fullback Finn Hurley, the competition serves a vital role in development.
Hurley, 21, who actually made his debut for the Highlanders before he pulled on an Otago jersey, felt the NPC had helped him develop.
"If you remove this, it’s like where’s the pathway for players to get to that next level?", he said.
"The development of your game comes from getting minutes at a good level and playing against a lot of good players.
"It would be tough coming out of club rugby and going straight into a Super environment, I’d say.
"It’s a pretty crucial part in the pathway of rugby players."
Donnelly was on the same side of the pitch as Hurley.
The former All Blacks lock agreed the NPC was a key link in the chain.
"There’s a big difference from training twice a week with a club and then going into a Super Rugby environment where you’re training every day," Donnelly said.
"You need to prepare your body for that, and you need to prepare mentally as well. The NPC is a great stepping stone for players."
Donnelly was not blind to the challenges the competition faced, though.
"Yes, there’s some challenges around sustainability and what it looks like going forward. But I think it’s certainly something that needs to be on the calendar or in there somewhere.
"Something does have to change. We all acknowledge that.
"What it looks like, I don’t know. But I’d love to see the All Blacks, Super Rugby and NPC still stay around."
