Brown, the present Highlanders assistant coach, was named yesterday as the new head coach for 2017 for the franchise, taking over from Jamie Joseph, who is heading to Japan to coach the national side.
He will be assisted by Scott McLeod, the current assistant coach for the side, and Mark Hammett, who will join the coaching team following a role with the Sunwolves side in Japan.
Brown (41), who was in the inaugural Highlanders side when Super rugby started in 1996, will be the head coach for only one year, before heading to Japan in 2018 to be involved in coaching the Japanese national side.
The appointment is something of a surprise as Brown previously ruled himself out of seeking the position, feeling his talents would be best used as assistant coach.
Brown was not available for comment yesterday.
Clark, the Highlanders chief executive, said the coaching and playing talent at the Highlanders and the addition of Hammett had been a major reason why Brown had decided to step up and be head coach.
"Right at the beginning of the process we talked to Tony and Scott and told them they were the benchmark we wanted to reach,'' Clark said.
"Then, right throughout the process, they remained there and with the number of players we have coming back - 28 next year - we knew this team we had was high quality.
"Then Mark [Hammett] came on board. We know he is a bloody good forwards coach and is well respected. He knows Super rugby well, both the good and the bad, and between all of them they have the good skill set and make up a really good team.
"That gave Tony the confidence to say yes to being the head coach. Once he was offered the position and has seen the group of people which we had put together, then it did not take him long to accept the job.''
The rest of the Highlanders coaching and management team - including high performance development coach Jon Preston, scrum coach Clarke Dermody, and manager Paul McLaughlan - have all signed on until 2019.
Clark said, over the next few months, the coaching and management group would take stock of the situation and there might be a tweaking of roles within the coaching group.
"There may be slightly different roles, as Tony is not Jamie, but whatever roles are taken we feel we have a really strong team - both playing and coaching-wise - right through to 2019.''
McLeod and Hammett have also signed on until 2019.
Clark said he tried to convince Brown to stay beyond next year but the lure of coaching international rugby with Japan, where he had spent a lot of time, was too much for Brown to turn down.
There have been no promises made to any coach, including McLeod and Hammett, to be head coach in 2018.
Clark said there had been a lot of interest in the position and the franchise had spent a lot of time talking to many coaches - even those who were not going to apply - and that was good for the franchise in the future.
He said the side would have plenty of time to look around and consider coaches before making an appointment for the 2018 season.
