This weekend will see the beginning of BBNZ Secondary School Basketball tournaments, with students from across Aotearoa able to participate in regional school basketball tournaments in specific competitions dedicated to regional basketball. In total, close to 4,500 students and approximately 418 teams are expected to take to the court and represent their schools, with 13 tournaments being held throughout the country.
In comparison to last year, there’s a 13% increase in teams participating this year, which will see an estimate of an additional 500 students taking the court over the next two weeks.
Two different types of tournaments will be hosted around the country within the next two weeks; Non-Qualifiers and Qualifiers. Both are designed to cater for different age groups, experience levels and pathways, while giving everyone the opportunity to get involved and play basketball for their school.
All schedules, results and information can be found on GameDay the day before the tournament begins or by downloading the GameDay app, choose “Find a Team” and under “Leagues” search BBNZ Schools. Hard copies of the draw, team rosters and other important information can be found by clicking the link next to the tournament down below.
Secondary Schools Non-Qualifiers (Juniors & Cups)
The Non-Qualifier events allow teams to participate, without the need to follow-up with a National Championship. Junior teams will play in one of four zone tournaments around the country, while senior teams who don’t want to qualify for the National Championships will play in one of three “Cup” tournaments.
Junior Premierships
Designed for Junior teams (Year 9-10) to participate
| Dates | Event | Venue | Link to Information |
| Aug 31 – Sep 3 | Junior Premiership Zone 1 | Pulman Arena, Takanini | https://bbnz.link/0vl8q |
| Aug 31 – Sep 3 | Junior Premiership Zone 2 | Energy Events Centre, Rotorua | |
| Aug 31 – Sep 3 | Junior Premiership Zone 3 | CET Arena, Palmerston North | |
| Aug 31 – Sep 3 | Junior Premiership Zone 4 | Edgar Centre, Dunedin |
Non-Qualifier Cups
Designed for teams that want a tournament experience, schools may choose to enter a B team, or send a new team in the lead up to attending a qualifying tournament the following year.
| Dates | Event | Venue | Link to Information |
| 2-4 Sep | Central Cup | TSB Stadium, New Plymouth | https://bbnz.link/djtnm |
| 4-6 Sep | Southern Cup | EA Networks, Ashburton | |
| 6-8 Sep | Northern Cup | The Trusts Arena, Henderson |
Secondary Schools Nationals Qualifiers (Premierships)
These tournaments allow teams to qualify for the Secondary School National Championships held in October. Within the Secondary School National Qualifying tournaments, there are different qualifying paths depending on the size of your school. There will be four “AA” Zone qualifying tournaments played around the country, as well as two “A” qualifying tournaments.
“A” Qualification – These are tournaments for smaller secondary schools around the country. They must have a roll of less than 300 students (in Years 9-13) for a single sex school, or less than 600 students (in Years 9-13) for a co-ed school. There is both a North and a South island tournament.
“AA” Qualification – These are tournaments for larger secondary schools around the country. Schools should have a roll of more than 300 students (in Years 9-13) for a single sex school, or more than 600 students (in Years 9-13) for a co-ed school. “A” schools can attend “AA” Premierships if they choose to, however the school must commit to “AA” for the entire qualification process and will not be able to qualify for “A” division at the National Championships.
Each qualifying tournament will have a certain amount of spots for teams to progress through to the National Championships. You can find a flowchart here which explains the total number of teams able to qualify for Nationals from each tournament.
Senior Premierships
| Dates | Event | Venue | Link to Information |
| 2-5 Sep | A Premiership North Island (A Nationals Qualifier) | Mercury Baypark, Tauranga | https://bbnz.link/tayn0 |
| 2-5 Sep | A Premiership South Island (A Nationals Qualifier) | Aorangi Stadium, Timaru | |
| 4-7 Sep | AA Premierships Zone 1 (AA Nationals Qualifier) | Pulman Arena, Takanini | https://bbnz.link/6wl8n |
| 4-7 Sep | AA Premierships Zone 2 (AA Nationals Qualifier) | Energy Events Centre, Rotorua | |
| 4-7 Sep | AA Premierships Zone 3 (AA Nationals Qualifier) | CET Arena, Palmerston North | |
| 4-7 Sep | AA Premierships Zone 4 (AA Nationals Qualifier) | Edgar Centre, Dunedin |
The teams that qualify for the National Championships will head to Palmerston North on 30 September to compete for the National Champions title. More information about this year’s Secondary Schools National Championships can be found here.
