My goodness. There is some serious High School talent on display at the 2026 New Zealand Secondary Schools ‘AA’ National Championships.
From Tauihi players, to current Breakers Development players, there’s some incredible athletes who will be gracing the floors of Central Energy Trusts Arena next week, and hear are some of the must-watch names from the ‘AA’ competitions.
‘AA’ Boys National Championships
Aubrey Chunga, Hutt International Boys’ School (Year 13)
Aubrey Chunga’s name is no doubt well known around basketball circles by now, after an incredible Rapid League and Sal’s NBL season with his hometown Wellington Saints which saw him named to the Rapid League All-Star Five.
Chunga’s Hutt International Boys’ squad was unlucky to just miss out on the spot at Nationals last year, but the Breakers development players has willed them into the tournament this year. He’ll be taking a break from Breakers duty on Auckland’s North Shore to attend the tournament, and give the HIBS lads the best possible chance at making a deep run at Nationals this year.
Noah Duncan, Westlake Boys’ High School (Year 12)
Duncan is quite possibly one of the best, if not the best, high-energy guard/forward going around the High School age group.
The Tuatara development player has plenty of New Zealand national team experience, and is one of the real connectors in this Westlake Boys’ squad. He was the leader at Zone 1 Regionals from a scoring perspective, as Westlake had six scorers in double digit averages.
Westlake are looking to win it all in 2026, and there’s no doubt this guy will be a key part of their quest to reach the pinnacle of High School basketball for the first time since 2013.
Cole Hopoi, Mount Maunganui College (Year 13)
Cole Hopoi led the Mount to the Zone 2 title in Rotorua this year, averaging a handy 21 points per contest.
Hopoi has had back-to-back campaigns averaging in double digit scoring for his New Zealand teams at the FIBA U17 Oceania Cup, and the FIBA U18 Asia Cup respectively. He’s a talented scorer, and a great leader for this Mount Maunganui side.
The Mount have already tasted success this year, winning the Secondary Schools 3×3 title in Wellington earlier this year, and with Hopoi at the helm, there’s every chance they could surprise some teams and do the double in Palmerston North.
Toby Langrell, Hillmorton High School (Year 13)
Langrell and Hillmorton High had a good learning year at Nationals in 2025 as one of the youngest, if not the youngest team at the tournament.
The Year 13 had a standout performance against St Patrick’s Kilbirnie in last year competition, where he led his team with 24 points in a crucial win that set them up to perform throughout the rest of the tournament and place as high as they possibly could after pool play at 17th.
Horomaka will be looking to use their experience at Nationals last year to improve on that placing, with their runner-up finish at Zone 4 Premiership leaving them in a good spot to make a huge leap, and you can suspect their Year 13 leader will ably lead them into battle in a very winnable Pool B.
Benjamin Marsh, St Andrew’s College (Year 12)
Benji Marsh has been one of the most highly touted players going around the High School basketball scene in Canterbury this season.
The talented guard has put up some huge numbers at both a representative and school level in 2026, and earnt some solid minutes playing for the Canterbury Rams Rapid League squad this past Sal’s NBL season.
He led Zone 4 Premierships in scoring with 27.5 points per game, leading his St Andrew’s College squad to the title to add to their Thomson Trophy championship in Canterbury’s High School competition.
A member of this year’s Foot Locker U18 All-Star Five, and a standout for the championship winning Canterbury U18 side, Benji Marsh is definitely a name you can expect to be in the big moments down the stretch at Nationals this year.
Zach Rampton, Nelson College (Year 12)
Zach Rampton will be one of the premier bigs on display in Palmerston North next week. The defensive-minded centre holds the paint down for Nelson College, and did so at the FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkey earlier this year when he was the second-highest shot blocker at the World cup at 3.3 per game.
Known for his work around the rim on both ends of the floor, Rampton regularly finishes games with field goal percentages of above 60%, showing his efficiency on the offensive end of the floor.
Playing for the Giants in the Sal’s NBL, Rampton also showed his shot blocking prowess at a higher level, leading the Rapid League in blocks and finishing tenth in rebounding at 3.6 per game.
Ably supported by Freddy Evans and Ludvig Persson, Rampton is set to have a big impact for Nelson at Nationals next week. If you’re thinking about coming into the paint, you might want to think twice.
Roma Tuimaunei, St Andrew’s College (Year 13)
The Foot Locker U18 Most Valuable Player lit the led his Canterbury representative squad to the title in 2026, and has been a big part of St Andrew’s success in their local competition. His performance in the U18 final was standout, recording a mammoth 23 point, 10-rebound double-double whilst shooting 8-9 from the field.
The STAC Year 13 last featured at Secondary Schools Nationals in 2024 when they finished 19th. They missed last year’s tournament, but will most definitely be looking to improve on 2024’s effort, and they’re in a great place to do so.
Tuimaunei’s stellar year so far, puts him in the conversation for the one of the best bigs in the competition alongside Nelson College’s Zach Rampton.
Kahlo Tuuta, New Plymouth Boys’ High School (Year 12)
New Plymouth Boys’ won Zone 3 Premierships by committee, with five players averaging double digits, but not one player averaging over 20 points per game.
Kahlo Tuuta was the second highest scorer on the team at 18 points per game, and carried on his form from the Foot Locker U18 Nationals that saw him lead Taranaki to fourth place. At that tournament, he averaged 26.7 points per game including a massive 37 points in their semi-final loss to Harbour) and was a member of the All-Star Five.
A capable three point shooter, and with the ability to get hot at any given moment, Tuuta will play a bit part in New Plymouth’s first Nationals campaign in four years.
Harper Wilson, Westlake Boys’ High School (Year 13)
Wilson was potentially very unlucky not to make last year’s All-Star Five, and if Westlake had finished a place higher at last year’s Nationals there’s probably a good chance he would’ve been.
However, the Year 13 is locked and loaded for one more go round for ‘Dub-Lake’, and is looking to give the school it’s first national championship in 13 years. Wilson is the glue guy for this Westlake squad, and has plenty of talent around him. But the shifty guard leads from the front, and the Auckland and Zone 1 champions will no doubt be confident in their abilities to finish two spots higher than last year’s bronze medal finish.
