Sir John Kirwan is the new head coach of the Blues Super Rugby side.
He takes over from Pat Lam who was sacked after being at the helm for the last four years.
Sir John, 47, has signed a two-year contract.
He played for Auckland and in 63 Tests for the All Blacks before embarking on an international coaching career in Italy and Japan.
He also had a brief stint with the Blues' franchise in 2001 as assistant coach.
Under Lam, the Blues reached the Super Rugby play-offs just once and finished 12th overall this year with a record of four wins and 12 losses.
Lam says he turned down several other coaching jobs to re-apply for the Blues role