HAWTHORN president Jeff Kennett has urged the AFL to turn its attention to New Zealand as a country for expansion rather than South Africa and Ireland.

Speaking before the Hawks' clash with Melbourne on Sunday, Kennett said the main point in New Zealand's favour as an expansion option was its proximity.

"New Zealand is our closest country," he said. "There's a lot of good sportsmen over there who can't get to play in the good rugby teams because they're mainly occupied by Maoris and Islanders.

"There's a lot of young men who don't have a football code to excel in. I think that New Zealand, with its population, so close to Australia, would be a very good option to consider."

Hawthorn earlier this year signed two youngsters from Auckland - Rhys Panui-Leth, 16, and Shem Tatupu, 15 - to its New Zealand scholarship program.

The signings followed the relocation of another New Zealand youngster, Kurt Heatherley, to Melbourne to attend school as part of his scholarship.

Kennett also used his lunch address to wish North Melbourne all the best in its talks with the Tasmanian Government. Initially he was concerned about the Roos' proposed Tasmanian venture.

Hawthorn has a deal in which it plays four games a season at Aurora Stadium in Launceston. Kennett said he understood the plan for the Roos was to play two games a season in the state's capital.

"We're not opposed to that at all," he said. "We just didn't want a situation where we we're expelled from the Apple Isle to allow another club in there, given we've put in 10 years of work there."