Te Aroha Boys and Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Koutu Girls successfully defend A titles.
The Girls ‘A’ Secondary Schools National Championship Grand Final was a repeat of the 2025 championship game with Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Koutu taking on Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Kura Kōkiri at Fly Palmy Arena in Palmerston North. As last year it was Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Koutu that prevailed winning 100-42.
The Rotorua school claimed the title in its first ever appearance in a Nationals Grand Final in 2024 and have since lifted the Ngaire Lee Cup in three straight years.
Amaia Edwards was outstanding for Te Kura o Te Koutu (TKTK), logging a game high 27 points with Tournament MVP Marewa Waerea-Tamai at her stats stuffing best with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 8 steals. Tia Leach added a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds and there were also double figure contributions for Karly Kaio (12 points) andKeirah Ratahi (11 points).
For Te Kura Kōkiri, Hineaupounamu Rewi double-doubled with 10 points and 10 rebounds,
Hinetai Biel-Thorner scored 8 points, Jahnae Savage 6 points and Hineraumihi Biel added 5 poibnts to a valuable 7 rebounds.
TKTK made a terrific start as they raced to a 33-14 quarter time lead. Edwards, was the force behind the lead – a driving And-1 play the highlight of her 15 first quarter points.
A Kaio triple increased the lead to 40-16 and when Ratahi drained another from deep TKTK had 50 points on the board.
Rewi scored 10 first half points for Te Kura Kōkiri but the Tauranga school were facing an uphill battle in the second half as they trailed 61-26.
In a dominant display TKTK pulled further away in the second half, leading 81-36 at three-quarter time before cruising to victory.
The TKTK victory was even more impressive given Ngahirata Jennings-Haumaha(Tournament MVP in 2025) is away with the New Zealand team at the U18 Asia Cup in Malaysia.
Result:
Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Koutu 100 – Amaia Edwards 27pts, Marewa Waerea-Tamai22pts, 7rebs & 7asts, Tia Leach 16pts & 12rebs, Karly Kaio 12pts, Keirah Ratahi 11pts
Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Kura Kōkiri 42 – Hineaupounamu Rewi 10pts & 10rebs, Hinetai Biel-Thorner 8pts, Jahnae Savage 6pts Hineraumihi Biel 5pts & 7rebs
Referees: Thomas Studholme and Arnika Williams-Riding
3rd/4th Play-off
Waimate High School 68 – Briar Craig 30pts, Kayla Proudfoot 27pts, Brooke Proudfoot 7pts
Ōpunakē High School 49 – Tessa Cook 16pts, Lacie Taylor 12pts, Leah Martins 10pts
Girls All-Star Five
Tessa Cook – Ōpunakē High School
Kayla Proudfoot – Waimate High School
Maringi Tapiata – Te Kura Kokiri
Karly Kaio – Te Kura o Te Koutu
Marewa Waerea-Tamai – Te Kura o Te Koutu
Foot Locker Defensive Player of the Tournament – Keirah Ratahi – Te Kura o Te Koutu
Tournament MVP – Marewa Waerea-Tamai – Te Kura o Te Koutu
The Ngaire Lee Cup is presented to the championship winning Single A Girl’s Secondary School National Champions.
Ngaire Lee Q.S.M is a player, administrator and referee with almost 70 years involvement in the game. She was a sports administrator and coach at Rotorua Girls High School for over 30 years and served as an administrator and coach for Rotorua Basketball Association until her retirement in 2019 aged 88.
Ngaire is a Life Member of both Rotorua Basketball Association and BBNZ and in 1991 received the Lance Cross Award for distinguished contribution to basketball. In 1996 she was awarded a Queen’s Service Medal for services to the Community.
Boys A Final
In Te Aroha College held off the challenge of St Kevin’s College, Oamaru to win the Boy’s ‘A’ Secondary Schools National Championship Grand Final 87-63 and retain the Api Hemi Cup, the trophy they claimed when winning the 2025 championship.
A pair of dominant displays ensured the Cup would remain in the Waikato. Forward Preston Taylor put together a double-double of 24 points and 15 rebounds while skipper, and Tournament MVP, Baraka Maina added a game high 5 assists to 22 points – the duo combined to make 19 from 24 from the floor at a heady 80%.
Harry McLoughlin was also in double figures with 11 points, Haizley Bartlett and Isaiah Anderson scored 8 apiece and Calan Diprose aided Te Aroha’s domination on the boards with 11 rebounds to accompany 6 points.
St Kevin’s were paced by Archer Holding’s 13 points, Hamish Fowler scored 11 points and Wade Smith showed some deft touches in the paint for 10 points and 7 rebounds. Augustine Sumampong tallied 8 points and Marc Mafi scored 6 points on 3 from 4 shooting.
Both teams were bidding to win a third A championship title and it was St Kevin’s that edged the opening couple of minutes 6-4. Te Aroha hit back immediately, seven points from Maina carrying his side to a 26-18 quarter time lead.
Te Aroha scored the first twelve points of the second period before Wade Smith broke the St Kevin’s scoring drought. St Kevin’s hopes were then dealt a major blow with playmaker Quinn Selfe forced to the side-line with an ankle injury – Selfe averaging 22 points per game leading into the final.
Maina, the Te Aroha skipper, scored ten points in the second stanza and had 16 by the half-time break with the Waikato side 51-29 ahead.
St Kevin’s put together a spirited effort edging the third quarter 18-17 but still faced a major challenge in the final period as they trailed 68-49.
Smith and Sumampong further reduced the arears for the South Island champions at the start of the fourth but the impressive Taylor and Maina ensured there were few dramas for Te Aroha as they successfully defended the title and add to their A Boys Championship wins in 2025 and 2012.
Te Aroha College 87 – Preston Taylor 24pts & 15rebs, Baraka Maina 22pts & 5asts, Harry McLoughlin 11pts & 7rebs, Haizley Bartlett 8pts, Isaiah Anderson 8pts, Calan Diprose 6pts & 11rebs
St Kevin’s College 63 – Archer Holding 13pts, Hamish Fowler 11pts & 6rebs, Wade Smith 10pts & 7rebs, Augustine Sumampong 8pts, Marc Mafi 6pts
Referees: Luke Buckley and Te Waihanea Tupe-Chrichton
3rd/4th Play-off
Geraldine High School 71 – Cayden Halsey 19pts, Ethan Hole 17pts, Dillan Sami 16pts, Ivan Orbase 8pts
Hato Pāora College 84 – Natanahira Lambert 47pts, Morgan Patene 10pts, Cadence Haare 8pts
Boy’s All-Star Five:
Dillan Sami – Geraldine High School
Natanahira Lambert – Hato Pāora College
Quinn Selfie – Geraldine High School
Preston Taylor – Te Aroha College
Baraka Maina – Te Aroha College
Foot Locker Defensive Player of the Tournament – Preston Taylor – Te Aroha College
Tournament MVP – Baraka Maina – Te Aroha College
The Api Hemi Cup is presented to the championship winning Single A Boy’s Secondary School National Champions.
Api Hemi was a stalwart of the Church College basketball programme for many years. In 1978 and 1979 he coached the A1 boys who won a silver medal and a national title before he started a highly successful coaching career with girls basketball.
In his first year Church College placed third at Secondary Schools Nationals. From then on Api, his wife and family led many successful campaigns which saw him become the all-time winningest coach in New Zealand Secondary Schools basketball history.
He coached Waikato representative teams that won national titles and carried on his coaching career as a mentor and friend to many other coaches in the Waikato and Porirua regions.
