Inaugural Tertiary Challenge Trophy Caps Off 2025 Challenge Series

The 2025 Tertiary Challenge Series has drawn to a close, marking another successful year of accessible and inclusive tertiary sport across Aotearoa. With the recent completion of the Tertiary Archery League and the Tertiary Squash Challenge, and the awarding of the inaugural Tertiary Challenge Trophy, the series once again highlighted the power of flexible sporting opportunities to bring students together, regardless of where or what they study.

The Tertiary Archery League proved to be a cornerstone of the 2025 series, delivering consistent engagement across all four terms and reinforcing the value of remote competition as a meaningful participation opportunity for tertiary students. The University of Auckland successfully defended their league title, accumulating 130 points across the four shoots and overtaking Massey University in the final term. Massey’s 94 points were enough to claim second with Victoria University of Wellington coming third with 36 points.

AUT narrowly missed the podium with 35 points, while participation from the University of Waikato, Manukau Institute of Technology, the University of Canterbury, the University of Otago, Media Design School, Unitec, Weltec, and the Open Polytechnic highlighted the broad reach of the league across the tertiary sector.

At an individual level, the league saw a number of outstanding performances throughout the year, including multiple new records set across multiple divisions and distances. Archers from the University of Auckland featured prominently in the leaders table, alongside strong performances from AUT and Manukau Institute of Technology athletes, demonstrating the league’s ability to provide meaningful competition for students from both universities and institutes of technology. The consistency of participation across all four terms once again showed how the online league format enables students to remain involved despite the pressures of study, work, and geographic distance.

The Tertiary Squash Challenge was held at the University of Auckland’s Hiwa Recreation Centre on 29–30 November, with 5-person teams travelling in from three other universities across the country. The University of Auckland claimed first place on home courts, defeating Victoria University of Wellington in the final with the University of Canterbury coming in third, and the University of Otago finishing fourth. The event showcased a high standard of play and a strong sense of connection between institutions, reinforcing the Challenge Series’ emphasis on participation, community, and positive student experiences.

Together, these events contributed to the final standings for the inaugural Tertiary Challenge Trophy, introduced this year to recognise institutions based solely on participation rather than performance outcomes. The University of Auckland claimed the first-ever Tertiary Challenge Trophy with a commanding 93 points, reflecting sustained engagement across multiple Challenge Series events throughout the year.

The University of Waikato finished second on 28 points, closely followed by AUT on 27 points and the University of Otago on 23 points. Victoria University of Wellington and the University of Canterbury shared fifth place on 14 points, while Massey University placed seventh. Strong representation from across the wider tertiary sector was also evident, with Otago Polytechnic, WITT, Lincoln University, Media Design School, the Open Polytechnic, Unitec, WelTec, Yoobee College, and the Royal New Zealand Navy all featuring on the final leaderboard.

Throughout 2025, the Tertiary Challenge Series continued to strengthen pathways for students who may otherwise face barriers to organised sport, particularly those studying at Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics. With limited access to on-campus facilities and formal sports opportunities, many ITP students were able to benefit from the flexible, innovative events to stay active and connected.

The breadth of institutions represented across the Trophy standings underscores the success of the Challenge Series in engaging students from diverse learning environments and building a sense of shared community through sport.

With another year of strong engagement complete and the inaugural Tertiary Challenge Trophy now awarded, UTSNZ looks ahead to the 2026 series which will begin in January with the Tertiary Beach Volleyball Championships in Mt Maunganui.