Latest News

The University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka has won Te Kaitiaki, the National Tertiary Championship Series’ overall Spirit Award, for the first time. The university won the event Spirit Award at badminton and was recognised by fellow participants at volleyball, futsal and ultimate throughout the season. A strong Spirit result at the final netball championship lifted the University of Otago past defending champions Massey in a close race. Discover what the peer-voted award means and how the university’s teams earned it. Read the full story here.

Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland has won the 2026 National Tertiary Championship Shield after a closely contested eight-event season. Auckland’s women’s teams led the charge with national titles in 3x3 basketball, volleyball and futsal, while the university also won badminton and collected strong results across the series. A runner-up finish at the final netball championship secured Auckland’s first overall Shield since 2022. The University of Otago pushed the race to the final event and finished second for the second year running. Read the full story here.

The top two teams from the 2026 National Tertiary Netball Championship are heading to Sydney for the next trans-Tasman university netball exchange. The University of Auckland and AUT and will represent their universities against Australia’s leading tertiary teams from 24 November to 1 December, building on the competition and connections established during last year’s inaugural exchange. Read more here.

Massey University claimed gold at the 2026 National Tertiary Netball Championship, holding off the University of Auckland 39–35 in a thrilling final at AUT’s North Campus. Auckland had staged a dramatic comeback against AUT in its semi-final and threatened another in the decider, but Massey stayed composed to secure the title. Read the full story for the weekend’s results and highlights.

The 2026 National Tertiary Championship Series will come down to its final weekend, with the Championship Shield and Spirit Award both still to be decided when the country’s top university netball teams meet at AUT's North Campus in Auckland on 26–27 September. Eight teams will take to the court across the two-day event, with Saturday featuring a round-robin pool play format before the competition moves into crossover semifinals and finals on Sunday.

The University of Waikato successfully defended its women’s title at the 2026 National Tertiary Basketball Championships at Parakiore Recreation & Sport Centre in Christchurch, while the Lincoln University men matched their 3x3 gold from earlier in the year.

The University of Otago heads into the final two events of the 2026 UTSNZ National Tertiary Championship Series with the chance to end a 16-year wait for the National Tertiary Championship Shield – and potentially secure a rare national double. After six championships, Otago remains firmly in contention for both the Championship Shield and Te Kaitiaki, the overall Spirit Award, following an impressively consistent season across rowing, 3x3, volleyball, futsal and ultimate. Only current shield champions, the University of Canterbury, has previously claimed both awards in the same year. Read more here.

The best university basketball teams from across Aotearoa will converge on Christchurch this weekend for the 2026 National Tertiary Basketball Championships, with national titles and valuable Championship Series points on the line at Parakiore Recreation & Sport Centre. The men's competition will be headlined by the University of Canterbury as they look to extend their remarkable run of success at the championships. The women's competition promises to be equally competitive, with the University of Waikato returning as defending champions.

The University of Canterbury Honey Badgers have been crowned the 2026 NZ Tertiary Ultimate Champions after two days of competition at Hagley Park South in Christchurch. Nine mixed teams representing six universities took to the field over the weekend of 29–30 August, battling for national honours in a weekend of great conditions as the sun shone bright on Saturday while the wind made things a little trickier on Sunday.

This September, UTSNZ hopes New Zealand’s tertiary community will join a global FISU celebration marking 10 years of the International Day of University Sport (IDUS). Students and staff across the country are being challenged to move 10 kilometres – by walking, running, riding, rowing, swimming, wheeling or any other way – and help UTSNZ reach a collective national target of 10,000 kilometres. Read more on the campaign here.

The University of Auckland and the University of Otago have been crowned champions following three days of action at the 2026 National Tertiary Futsal Championships at Parakiore Recreation and Sports Centre in Christchurch. Eight men's teams and six women's teams competed from 9–11 August, bringing together more than 160 student-athletes.

First-year New Zealand Broadcasting School (NZBS) students are stepping out of the classroom and into a live sporting environment as part of a hands-on broadcasting project at the Tertiary Futsal Championship. Students will put their developing skills into practice while gaining valuable experience producing and delivering coverage of a live national sporting event. Read more about the project here.

New Zealand's student-athletes have wrapped up competition at the 2026 FISU World University Orienteering Championships in Vila Real, Portugal, taking on a world-class field across sprint, relay and forest disciplines. Standout performances included Felix Hunt's progression to the Knockout Sprint quarter-finals, while the Sprint Relay team of Zara Stewart, Felix Hunt, Sam Carver and Alison Power recorded New Zealand's best relay finish of 16th. Read more here.

Three New Zealand university teams travelled to Australia to contest the 2026 FISU Oceania 3x3 Continental Qualifying Tournament, competing against the region's leading university programmes for a place at the FISU University World Cup. Lincoln University and the University of Waikato both reached their respective finals to claim silver medals, while Massey University gained valuable international experience in a highly competitive men's field. Read the full tournament wrap-up here.

The 2026 New Zealand Universities Lacrosse Tournament brought together teams from the University of Canterbury and the University of Auckland for another exciting UTSNZ Challenge Series event. Hosted by the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, the tournament showcased competitive student sport, with UC Embers claiming the 2026 title after an unbeaten campaign. Read the full tournament wrap-up, results and award winners.

The New Zealand Men's Futsal Team has completed its campaign at the 2026 FISU World University Championship Futsal in Warsaw, Poland, finishing 10th overall after a week of high-quality international competition against many of the world's leading university futsal nations. REad more about their campaign here.

More than 160 student-athletes from across Aotearoa gathered at CET Arena in Palmerston North over the weekend for the 2026 National Tertiary Volleyball Championships, with national titles, UTSNZ Shield points and university pride on the line.

The 2026 National Tertiary Volleyball Championships will take centre stage this weekend as New Zealand's leading university volleyball players converge on Palmerston North’s Central Energy Trust Arena for two days of exciting competition. With only four points separating the top four institutions in the race for the UTSNZ Shield, strong performances in Palmerston North could dramatically reshape the leaderboard.

The New Zealand Men's Futsal Team has departed for Warsaw, Poland, to compete at the 2026 FISU World University Championship Futsal. Drawn in Group D alongside Slovakia, Saudi Arabia and Lithuania, the team is set to take on some of the world's best university futsal nations. Read more about the tournament, the draw and how to watch the matches live.

The inaugural NZ Esports Uni Series: Olympus Edition has wrapped up, with the University of Canterbury crowned overall champions following strong performances across Valorant and Overwatch. With 141 students from six tertiary institutions taking part, the success of the series has paved the way for an even bigger Apex Edition, featuring seven game titles and more opportunities to compete. Read more about the inaugural results and how to register for the next edition here.

When the National Tertiary 3x3 Championships tipped off in May, the athletes weren't the only students gaining valuable experience. Among the team behind the scenes were AUT students A Q Shuddho Huq and Dhon Lao, and University of Auckland student James Pambid, who volunteered as event photographers through the Team UTSNZ Workforce Development Programme. Their role was to capture the energy, emotion and atmosphere of one of New Zealand's premier tertiary sporting events while developing skills that could help shape their own future careers. Read about their experience off the court here.