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On 7 December 2020 it was confirmed that due to COVID-19, Rowing NZ did not intend to send athletes to compete at international regattas throughout 2021, excluding the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta and the Tokyo Olympic Games. However, it is still the intention of Rowing NZ to select and support age group squads irrespective of international travel throughout 2021. A World University squad has been selected and will train together over the course of the winter and race at the Development Regatta from 21 - 28 August 2021 at Lake Karapiro. Read more on the team announcement here.

University and Tertiary Sport NZ have received official confirmation from FISU that the 2021 World University Games scheduled for August in Chengdu, China have been postponed until 2022 due to ongoing Covid19 restrictions

One of the most fiercely contested events on the inter-tertiary calendar, the Aon New Zealand University Rowing Championships is held around Easter time each year and universities from all around the country compete in grades ranging from completely Novice to Championship level in all sizes of boats, from singles to eights. Read more to find out where it all started.

Ever wondered when the first ever inter-tertiary swim meet happened? Check out our latest sport profile here which talks about the history of swimming in the university and tertiary sport programme, as well as where the sport is heading.

Tom Mackintosh graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from Canterbury University in 2019 and is a member of the New Zealand rowing team. "University rowing complimented my studies, and I am grateful I was able to represent my country whilst doing so". Read more about Tom's journey from starting rowing at Lindisfarne College, to rowing while studying at university, to now being a member of the NZ Elite Team.

Northern futsal rivalries between the University of Auckland, AUT and the University of Waikato will be reignited at the University of Auckland’s tri-series tournament beginning Thursday the 22nd of October. Men’s and women’s teams from the three universities will compete in the unique 2-day round robin event - read on for more details.

The University of Otago men’s and women’s basketball teams are travelling up to Christchurch this weekend to take on Lincoln University and the University of Canterbury as the three rivals do battle in the South Island Derby, with the Southern Universities Challenge shield up for grabs. The team lists are in and the schedule is set with the first round of games tipping off at 10am on Sunday.

The 2020 National Tertiary Badminton Championship was held at the Counties Manukau Badminton Association over the weekend with 48 students representing six universities in seven teams. It was a gripping tournament with plenty of close matches as seen across the country on Sky Sport Next. Read on for a full wrap of the weekend's event.

The first and only official National Tertiary Championship event for 2020 is set to get underway this weekend with the much-anticipated badminton championship being hosted by the Counties Manukau Badminton Association.

The connection between UTSNZ and the Ara Institute of Canterbury has been strengthening in recent times as UTSNZ Executive Director Sarah Anderson joined a group of students from Ara’s New Zealand Broadcasting School live on the Metronews broadcast this week. Read more about the relationship that's developed between the two organisations here.

Massey University is set to bring local and tertiary hockey communities together later this month in a unique Hockey 5's invitational tournament. Read more about the 2020 event here.

Since its onset, the COVID-19 pandemic has spread to almost all countries of the world. Social and physical distancing measures along with lockdowns of businesses, education institutions and overall social life are common strategies used to halt the spread of the disease. But these strategies have greatly disrupted many regular aspects of life, including travel and the opportunity for international sporting experiences. Why does this matter? What does the international sport experience offer our tertiary student athletes and what has been lost in 2020? Read more here to find out.

In just 20 days from now, university students the world over will step out and celebrate the International Day of University Sport (IDUS). In its fifth edition, IDUS has mobilised students and encouraged them to embrace physical activity as a part of their daily campus lives. Read more about the upcoming celebrations here.

The 2020 UTSNZ Esport Challenge Series will kick off this week with 32 students from across the country set to compete for the first ever national tertiary esport title. Seven of UTSNZ’s eight member universities will be represented in the FIFA 20 tournament with participants also coming from Otago Polytechnic, the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT), and the Universal College of Learning (UCOL).

The University World Cup format is set to be adopted for Rugby Sevens, Handball, Floorball, American Football and Cheerleading. The inclusion of new sports an effort by FISU to provide more international opportunities for student athletes who might not otherwise have an opportunity to compete on the international university sports scene. Read more here.

FISU announces the cancellation of its World University Championship events till the end of the year 2020, due to the prevailing global situation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more on the latest announcement here.

UTSNZ this week opened registrations for its first ever national inter-tertiary esports challenge event. University esports are growing both internationally and here in New Zealand, and UTSNZ is jumping on-board with what is now a global campus phenomenon. Read more about the exciting new opportunities available for New Zealand student gamers here.

The UTSNZ Challenge Series, a new and exciting inter-tertiary competition, will be launched in July 2020 to boost participation and engagement of tertiary students in sport and recreation across New Zealand. Read more about the new events programme here.

The weekend of 27-28 June saw 35 students from across the Oceania region take part in the FISU Oceania qualifying competition for the inaugural FISU eSports Challenge Football. The FISU competition aims to provide a further opportunity for universities internationally to come together during these challenging times to compete against one another. Delivered by the Australian Esports League (AEL) and in partnership with UniSport Australia (UniSport), the Oceania qualifier saw the top two winning students (male and female) progressing through to represent their universities and the Oceania region in the international FISU competition taking place from 6-16 July. Read more about the Oceania Qualifier here.

University sporting rivalries are set to resume with confirmation that the National Tertiary Ultimate and Badminton Championships will go ahead in Semester Two.

UTSNZ is excited to welcome UC student representative Jacob Mulholland to it's Board of Directors following the recent AGM held 21 May. Read more about Jacob's recent appointment here.