Editing South Pacific Championships

'''South Pacific Championships''', also known as the '''New Zealand South Pacific Championship''' or '''South Pacs''', was a paintball tournament associated with the Wellington region of New Zealand. Its history includes an early account of ten-player competition, five-player tournaments in 2000–01 and seven-player competition in 2002.[1][6][8][9]

It was separate from the [[South Pacific Paintball Championships (Australia)|similarly named Australian competition]].

== History ==
=== Early history ===
In an account of [[House Steiner]]'s formation, Willy Aull recalled that John Sheldon and Lyall Norton of Thunderball Adventure Games were planning the first Wellington South Pacific Open during 1990. The proposed tournament used ten-player teams. This date comes from Aull's retrospective account.[1]

=== 1994 ===
A planned 1994 edition was cancelled because of insufficient entries. Correspondence published in ''Australian Paintballer'' attributed the limited participation partly to the cost of entering the Wellington tournament.[2]

=== 1995 ===
The championship took place in Wellington over Easter. [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)|Saints]] won, with Australia's Sydney HEAT finishing second. It was Sydney HEAT's first tournament outside Australia.[3]

A later report also recorded Dragons Claw's participation in stock-class competition at the South Pacific Championships.[4]

=== 1996 ===
The championship was advertised for 5–7 April in Wellington. The published calendar named Wayne Hillman as the tournament contact.[5]

=== 2000 ===
''See [[2000 South Pacific Championships]].''

The five-player championship took place at Thunderball Adventure Games on 22–23 April, followed by a recreational day on 24 April. Ten teams attended.[6]

[[Wellington Phoenix (paintball team)|Phoenix]] qualified for the finals alongside Saints, House Steiner and Paint Contractors, then finished fourth. The Phoenix account does not establish the finishing order of the other three finalists.[6]

=== 2001 ===
''See [[2001 South Pacific Championships]].''

The tournament took place on 14–15 April at Thunderball Paintball, Manor Park. The announcement specified open five-player centre-flag competition under Australian Paintball Players League rules, with John Clement as the contact.[8]

[[Tag n' Release]] won the tournament. Phoenix's team history records fourth place.[6][7]

=== 2002 ===
''See [[2002 South Pacific Championships]].''

Eight teams competed in the seven-player tournament on 30–31 March at Thunderball Adventure Games. Games took place on the venue's speedball field, which used tyre barricades and large cable reels. Wayne Hilliam served as ultimate referee.[9]

Saints, Tag n' Release, Damage and [[Tag and Training]] qualified for the finals. Saints won, while Tag and Training finished one point ahead of Tag n' Release.[9]

{| class="wikitable"
|+ 2002 finishing order
! Position !! Team
|-
| 1 || [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)|Saints]]
|-
| 2 || [[Tag and Training]]
|-
| 3 || [[Tag n' Release]]
|-
| 4 || Damage
|-
| 5 || [[Wellington Phoenix (paintball team)|Phoenix]]
|-
| 6 || Rush
|-
| 7 || [[Flashpoint (New Zealand)|Flashpoint]]
|-
| 8 || Tag 'n' Boys
|}

The contemporary report gives the finishing order but does not publish points totals.[9]

== See also ==
* [[Paintball in New Zealand]]
* [[South Pacific Paintball Championships (Australia)]]
* [[Wellington Cup]]
* [[New Zealand Paintball Nationals]]

== References ==
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020222021443/http://www.paintball.co.nz/whwaull.htm Willy Aull, Paintball.co.nz player profile. Archived 22 February 2002.]
# ''Australian Paintballer'', June–July 1995, letters concerning the Wellington South Pacific Championships and New Zealand tournament participation.
# ''Australian Paintballer'', June–July 1995, “Sydney HEAT Make Friends in High Places”.
# ''Australian Paintballer'', December 1995–February 1996, report on the 1995 Auckland tournament and preview of the 1996 New Zealand South Pacific Championships.
# ''Australian Paintballer'', April–June 1996, “New Zealand Tournament Calendar 1996”.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20011020080141fw_/http://www.blacksun.co.nz/phoenix/news.htm Wellington Phoenix, ''News'', South Pacific Championship reports headed 27 April 2000 and 24 April 2001. Archived 20 October 2001.]
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20011217030354fw_/http://www.blacksun.co.nz/phoenix/history.htm Wellington Phoenix, ''History'', 2000–01 tournament results. Archived 17 December 2001.]
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Events/SouthPac.htm ''South Pacific Championships'', Mercenaries Star, tournament announcement for 14–15 April 2001. Preserved by OoCities.]
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020817064944/http://www.paintball.co.nz/sthpac02.htm ''SouthPacs 2002'', Paintball.co.nz. Includes Martin Dannefaerd's tournament report and ''South Pacs 30–31 March 2002'' by Ants, captain of Team T.N.T. Archived 17 August 2002.]

[[Category:Paintball tournaments in New Zealand]]
[[Category:New Zealand paintball history]]
[[Category:1990s in New Zealand paintball]]
[[Category:2000s in New Zealand paintball]]