New Zealanders keen to purchase tickets for next year's British & Irish Lions series will have to go through a ballot process.

Around 350,000 tickets are expected to be sold across the 10-match tour, the Lions' 12th venture to New Zealand.

The visitors play eight teams, with the New Zealand Barbarians - a side that will be selected from the provincial unions - first up in Whangarei.

GETTY IMAGES Tickets to next year's British & Irish Lions series will be hard to come by for Kiwi punters.

The Lions' testing itinerary also sees them meet the five Kiwi Super Rugby teams in their home bases and take on New Zealand Maori, in addition to two tests at Eden Park and one in Wellington.

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Details will be announced at the end of June, and tickets go on sale in October, but New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Tew confirmed a large number will be allocated to travelling overseas fans for each test.

"When it comes to the tests there will be enormous demand, much greater than the supply particularly once we accommodate the international visitors and other people we have to look after," Tew said at the one-year-to-go launch at Eden Park on Friday. "As in 2005 we thought a ballot was a good mechanism.

"We've got a contractual obligation to the British & Irish Lions. Last time when we walked out into Lancaster Park as it was then and about an hour before kickoff there were already 20,000 Lions supporters in there and we got a bit of a fright. But we knew that was coming. Unlike our fans they tend to get there early.

"We'll have a number available for New Zealand fans and we'll look after the people close to the game first so there'll be an advantage for those who have committed to season tickets but there'll be enough going to public sale."

The Lions is NZR's biggest money-spinning tour, one which provides the national body with revenue to stretch out over a long period of time. That means ticket prices will well exceed usual test match costs but Tew is keeping those figures close to his chest.

"As I've said right from the start, we've tried to price this series so everyone can enjoy it. There's no question when you get to the test matches the prices will be familiar to people having had a World Cup and Lions tour in the past. But we've got a number of games so there'll be opportunity certainly for kids to come cheaply to watch the Super clubs."

The winner of each non-test match will be presented with a custom-made taiaha.