Emerging Talent Set to Disrupt the National Tertiary Badminton Championship

Tertiary badminton talent from across New Zealand will descend on Hamilton this weekend, with the 2026 National Tertiary Badminton Championships and Tertiary Badminton Cup events taking place at the Waikato Badminton Hall on 9–10 May.

A total of 112 athletes will compete across the two divisions, with 52 players contesting the National Tertiary Badminton Championship and a further 60 competing across eight teams in the Tertiary Badminton Cup.

Seven university teams will contest the National Tertiary Badminton Championship, which sits within the UTSNZ National Tertiary Championship series, with AUT, the University of Auckland, University of Waikato, Massey University, Victoria University of Wellington, University of Canterbury and University of Otago all ready to compete in two days of fast-paced action.

The University of Auckland enters the weekend as the team to beat, having won the National Tertiary Badminton Championship for six consecutive years. With a long-established history of success in the event, Auckland will again look to set the benchmark as rival universities attempt to end their championship streak.

Adding a unique dimension to this year’s championship is the inclusion of the Hamilton Schools Select Invitational team. Made up of eight students from six local secondary schools, the invitational side provides an opportunity for emerging young players to experience tertiary-level competition and connect with the university badminton environment.

The Tertiary Badminton Cup, which runs alongside the Championship as part of the Tertiary Challenge Series, continues to provide competitive opportunities for a broad range of players and experience levels while strengthening participation pathways within the sport.

Both divisions are contested in a team format, with squads including a minimum of two male and two female players and a maximum of eight in total. Across the weekend, teams will play three ties on Saturday and two on Sunday, with each tie consisting of men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles matches.

Alongside the on-court action, the event provides opportunities for connection, development, and the strengthening of university sporting communities. With university pride on the line and teams travelling from throughout Aotearoa, both events promise a highly social yet competitive weekend of badminton in Hamilton. The combination of elite-level talent and emerging secondary school players is expected to add further excitement to an event that continues to grow in profile each year.

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@utsnz/live

Draws & Results: BNZ Tournament Software