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Link the 1994–1996 edition articles, distinguish the cancelled and advertised editions, improve contemporary magazine citations and add the Wellington category. Preserve the documented 2000–2002 history and results.
 
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{{Short description|Historical New Zealand paintball tournament held in the Wellington region}}
'''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]


The '''South Pacific Championships''', also known as the '''New Zealand South Pacific Championship''' or '''South Pacs''', was a New Zealand tournament [[paintball]] competition associated with the Wellington region. Contemporary records document planned or completed editions between 1994 and 2001, although the event's founding and final years have not been confirmed.[1][2]
It was separate from the [[South Pacific Paintball Championships (Australia)|similarly named Australian competition]].
 
The [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)|Saints]] won the 1995 championship, with the Australian team Sydney HEAT finishing second.[5] By 2001, the tournament was being played at [[Thunderball Paintball]] in Manor Park as an open five-player centre-flag competition.[2]
 
The New Zealand tournament was distinct from the similarly named South Pacific Paintball Championships conducted in Australia.[8]


== History ==
== History ==
=== Early 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]


The exact founding date of the South Pacific Championships has not been established. A contemporary New Zealand tournament calendar later described it as one of the country's oldest events and stated that its central location attracted teams from both the North and South Islands.[1]
=== 1994 ===
The [[1994 South Pacific Championships|planned 1994 edition]] was cancelled because of insufficient entries. In contemporary correspondence, Tony Witheridge attributed the limited participation partly to players being unable to afford the entry fee.[2]


A planned 1994 edition was cancelled after insufficient entries were received. A contemporary account attributed the low number of entries partly to the cost of participating. The same account described the Wellington tournament as a nationally recognised event.[5]
=== 1995 ===
The [[1995 South Pacific Championships|1995 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]


=== 1995 championship ===
A later report also recorded Dragons Claw's participation in stock-class competition at the event.[4]


The 1995 New Zealand South Pacific Championship was held in Wellington over the Easter weekend. The Saints won the tournament, with Sydney HEAT finishing second.[6]
=== 1996 ===
The [[1996 South Pacific Championships|1996 championship]] was advertised for 5–7 April in Wellington. The published calendar named Wayne Hillman as the tournament contact.[5]


The event was Sydney HEAT's first tournament outside Australia. The team's contingent included former Oz-Ball players [[Peter Russell]], Martin Yew, Matthew Hawkins and Robert Ambrose.[6]
=== 2000 ===
The [[2000 South Pacific Championships|2000 championship]] took place at Thunderball Adventure Games on 22–23 April, followed by a recreational day on 24 April. Ten teams attended the five-player competition.[6]


Later in 1995, a report on an Auckland tournament referred to teams that had competed in the South Pacific Championships. [[Dragons Claw]] had played stock-class at the event before moving into open-class competition later in the season.[7]
[[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]


=== 1996 championship ===
=== 2001 ===
The [[2001 South Pacific Championships|2001 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]


The 1996 New Zealand South Pacific Championships were scheduled for 5–7 April in Wellington. Wayne Hillman was listed as the tournament contact.[8]
[[Tag n' Release]] won the tournament. Phoenix's team history records fourth place.[6][7]


A late-1995 report described the forthcoming championship as potentially New Zealand's largest tournament to that date. The surviving magazine material does not establish its final results.[7]
=== 2002 ===
Eight teams competed in the [[2002 South Pacific Championships|2002 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]


=== 2001 championship ===
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]
 
The 2001 South Pacific Championships took place on 14–15 April at Thunderball Paintball, Manor Park, in the Wellington region.[2]
 
The published competition details specified:


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
! Detail
|+ 2002 finishing order
! 2001 championship
! Position !! Team
|-
|-
| Dates
| 1 || [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)|Saints]]
| 14–15 April 2001
|-
|-
| Venue
| 2 || [[Tag and Training]]
| Thunderball Paintball, Manor Park, Wellington region
|-
|-
| Team size
| 3 || [[Tag n' Release]]
| Five players
|-
|-
| Competition class
| 4 || Damage
| Open
|-
|-
| Format
| 5 || [[Wellington Phoenix (paintball team)|Phoenix]]
| Centre flag
|-
|-
| Rules
| 6 || Rush
| APPL rules
|-
|-
| Entry fee
| 7 || [[Flashpoint (New Zealand)|Flashpoint]]
| NZ$350 per team
|-
|-
| Tournament contact
| 8 || Tag 'n' Boys
| John Clement
|}
|}


[[John Clement]] was identified as the tournament contact and operator of the Thunderball field.[2]
The contemporary report gives the finishing order but does not publish points totals.[9]


== Recorded editions ==
== Editions ==
 
* [[1994 South Pacific Championships]] — cancelled
{| class="wikitable"
* [[1995 South Pacific Championships]]
! Year
* [[1996 South Pacific Championships]] — advertised
! Location
* [[2000 South Pacific Championships]]
! Winner
* [[2001 South Pacific Championships]]
! Runner-up
* [[2002 South Pacific Championships]]
! Notes
|-
| 1994
| Wellington region
| colspan="2" | Cancelled
| Insufficient entries were received.[5]
|-
| 1995
| Wellington
| [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)|Saints]]
| Sydney HEAT
| Held during the Easter weekend.[6]
|-
| 1996
| Wellington
| Not established
| Not established
| Scheduled for 5–7 April.[8]
|-
| 2001
| Thunderball Paintball, Manor Park
| Not established
| Not established
| Open five-player centre-flag competition.[2][3]
|}
 
== Participating teams in 2001 ==
 
The surviving 2001 [[Valhalla National Rankings]] database documents participation by several New Zealand tournament teams.
 
Teams recorded in the South Pacific Championships scoring columns included:
 
* [[Tag n' Release]]
* [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)|Saints Gold]]
* DamNatives
* Phoenix Wellington
* Fusion
* Nutters
* Flashpoint
* P.C/B.C
 
The database recorded two South Pacific Championships rounds.[3]
 
== Historical scoring records ==
 
Valhalla preserved the following ranking contributions from the 2001 competition:
 
{| class="wikitable"
! Team
! Round 1
! Round 2
|-
| [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)|Saints Gold]]
| 71.9
| 48.0
|-
| [[Tag n' Release]]
| 68.3
| 56.5
|-
| Phoenix Wellington
| 47.1
| 20.0
|-
| DamNatives
| 42.3
| 40.0
|-
| Fusion
| 36.3
| Not recorded
|-
| Flashpoint
| 24.0
| Not recorded
|-
| Nutters
| 24.0
| Not recorded
|-
| P.C/B.C
| 7.7
| Not recorded
|}
 
These figures are Valhalla ranking calculations rather than original tournament scores or a confirmed finishing order. The surviving records establish participation and relative ranking contributions but do not identify the overall 2001 tournament winner.[3]
 
The same database incorporated results from the [[Wellington Cup]]. Tag n' Release finished first in the October 2001 Valhalla five-player rankings with 214.5 points, followed by Saints Gold with 211.[3] These rankings were separate from the championships awarded at individual tournaments.
 
== Place in New Zealand paintball ==
 
The South Pacific Championships formed part of the New Zealand tournament calendar alongside the [[Northland Open]], [[Wellington Cup]] and [[New Zealand Paintball Nationals]].[1]
 
The event's Wellington location made it comparatively accessible to teams travelling from either of New Zealand's main islands, although travel and accommodation costs remained a barrier for some competitors.[1][5]
 
By 2001, the Auckland-based APSA Easter Challenge was promoted as an alternative for teams unable to travel to Wellington for the South Pacific Championships.[4]
 
== Distinction from the Australian championship ==
 
The New Zealand South Pacific Championships should not be confused with the South Pacific Paintball Championships conducted in Australia.
 
The Australian competition was first held in October 1990 and was staged annually during the early 1990s. Its organisers planned to alternate the tournament between venues in New South Wales and Queensland.[9] The 1995 Australian championship was held at Adventure Quest Games near Windsor and was won by [[Top Hat Jokers]].[10]
 
The New Zealand championship was held in Wellington during the Easter period, while the Australian tournament was generally conducted later in the year. Contemporary publications sometimes referred to both competitions simply as the "South Pacifics" or "South Pacs", creating the potential for their records to be confused.
 
== Historical records ==
 
The principal surviving records include reports and calendars published in ''Australian Paintballer'', the Mercenaries Star tournament calendar and the Valhalla National Rankings database.
 
The available material does not establish a complete annual championship history, every tournament format or the event's final edition.


== See also ==
== See also ==
 
* [[Paintball in New Zealand]]
* [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)]]
* [[South Pacific Paintball Championships (Australia)]]
* [[Wellington Cup]]
* [[Wellington Cup]]
* [[New Zealand Paintball Nationals]]
* [[New Zealand Paintball Nationals]]
* [[Northland Open]]
* [[Mercenaries Star]]
* [[Valhalla National Rankings]]
* [[Tag n' Release]]
* [[History of paintball in New Zealand]]
* [[Paintball in New Zealand]]


== References ==
== 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.
# Tony Witheridge, “Tony has a go at Lukas”, ''[[Australian Paintballer]]'', June–July 1995, p. 23.
# Peter Russell, “Sydney HEAT make friends in high places”, ''Australian Paintballer'', June–July 1995, p. 9.
# Cameron McLeay, “The New Zealand Nationals — Labour Weekend 1995”, ''Australian Paintballer'', December 1995–February 1996, p. 63.
# “New Zealand Tournament Calendar 1996”, ''Australian Paintballer'', April–June 1996, p. 70.
# [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]. Records 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.


# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Events/EventsIndex.htm Mercenaries Star – Annual Tournament Events, 2001]. Contemporary tournament calendar describing the South Pacific Championship as an established event attracting teams from both islands.
[[Category:Paintball tournaments in New Zealand]]
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Events/SouthPac.htm Mercenaries Star – South Pacific Championships, 2001]. Tournament notice specifying the dates, venue, format, entry fee and contact.
[[Category:Paintball in Wellington]]
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/2001Hall.htm Mercenaries Star – Valhalla National Rankings, 2001]. Five-player rankings recording South Pacific Championships participation and ranking points.
[[Category:New Zealand paintball history]]
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Calendar/MS_Calendar.html Mercenaries Star – Annual Tournament Calendar]. Calendar identifying the South Pacific Championships and the separate APSA Easter Challenge.
[[Category:1990s in New Zealand paintball]]
# ''Australian Paintballer'', June–July 1995, letters concerning the Wellington South Pacific Championships and New Zealand tournament participation.
[[Category:2000s in New Zealand paintball]]
# ''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".
# ''Australian Paintballer'', June–July 1995, "South Pacifics Are on Again" and clarification of the Australian tournament's rotation.
# ''Australian Paintballer'', December 1995–February 1996, "South Pacific Extravaganza".
 
== External links ==
 
* [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Events/SouthPac.htm Original 2001 South Pacific Championships tournament notice]
* [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/2001Hall.htm Valhalla National Rankings, 2001]
* [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Events/EventsIndex.htm Mercenaries Star historical tournament calendar]
 
[[Category:New Zealand paintball tournaments]]
[[Category:Paintball tournaments]]

Latest revision as of 04:42, 27 October 2026

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 similarly named Australian competition.

History

[edit]

Early history

[edit]

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

[edit]

The planned 1994 edition was cancelled because of insufficient entries. In contemporary correspondence, Tony Witheridge attributed the limited participation partly to players being unable to afford the entry fee.[2]

1995

[edit]

The 1995 championship took place in Wellington over Easter. 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 event.[4]

1996

[edit]

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

2000

[edit]

The 2000 championship took place at Thunderball Adventure Games on 22–23 April, followed by a recreational day on 24 April. Ten teams attended the five-player competition.[6]

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

[edit]

The 2001 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

[edit]

Eight teams competed in the 2002 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]

2002 finishing order
Position Team
1 Saints
2 Tag and Training
3 Tag n' Release
4 Damage
5 Phoenix
6 Rush
7 Flashpoint
8 Tag 'n' Boys

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

Editions

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. Willy Aull, Paintball.co.nz player profile. Archived 22 February 2002.
  2. Tony Witheridge, “Tony has a go at Lukas”, Australian Paintballer, June–July 1995, p. 23.
  3. Peter Russell, “Sydney HEAT make friends in high places”, Australian Paintballer, June–July 1995, p. 9.
  4. Cameron McLeay, “The New Zealand Nationals — Labour Weekend 1995”, Australian Paintballer, December 1995–February 1996, p. 63.
  5. “New Zealand Tournament Calendar 1996”, Australian Paintballer, April–June 1996, p. 70.
  6. Wellington Phoenix, News. South Pacific Championship reports headed 27 April 2000 and 24 April 2001. Archived 20 October 2001.
  7. Wellington Phoenix, History. Records 2000–01 tournament results. Archived 17 December 2001.
  8. South Pacific Championships. Mercenaries Star, tournament announcement for 14–15 April 2001. Preserved by OoCities.
  9. 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.
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