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| | '''Arena Paintball''' is an outdoor [[paintball]] venue at 558 Kimbolton Road, [[Feilding]], New Zealand. It provides recreational paintball, club sessions and tournament facilities, and hosts a recurring five-player race programme.[1][2] |
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| '''Arena Paintball''' is an outdoor [[paintball]] venue located at 558 Kimbolton Road in [[Feilding]], [[Manawatū]], [[New Zealand]]. The facility offers recreational paintball, organised club sessions, tournament training and competitive speedball events.
| | The venue is associated with [[Manawatu Titans]], [[Expendables Feilding]] and the equipment retailer [[Paintball Direct NZ]].[1][3][4] |
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| Arena Paintball has hosted New Zealand and international paintball competitions, including the Arena Cup, Corkill Cup and Arena Five-Man Race Series.
| | == Facilities and activities == |
| | Arena’s website identifies two playing areas: an Airball field and a separate Speedball field, also described as the COD field. The venue offers private group bookings, rental equipment and equipment using smaller paintballs for children.[1] |
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| The venue is associated with the New Zealand tournament teams [[Expendables Feilding]] and [[Manawatu Titans]], and is operated by people involved with the Titans.
| | Its published club programme provides sessions on the second and final Sundays of each month, using the Airball and COD fields respectively.[1] |
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| == History ==
| | The venue’s website identifies members of Manawatu Titans as involved in its operation.[1] Paintball Direct NZ advertises a showroom at the same Kimbolton Road address and handles tournament registrations and Arena annual passes.[4] |
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| === Establishment === | | == Tournament history == |
| | | === 2021 events === |
| Arena Paintball was established on the outskirts of Feilding, approximately 20 minutes from Palmerston North.
| | Arena’s published calendar listed three two-day tournaments during 2021:[2] |
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| The exact opening date has not been established, although official tournament records confirm that the venue was operational by April 2021. [1]
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| The facility was developed to accommodate both recreational paintball and organised competitive play.
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| Its two playing areas allow visitors to participate in different game formats, while its tournament infrastructure supports five-player speedball and X-Ball competitions.
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| Arena Paintball's own website identifies members of Manawatu Titans as operating the venue. [2]
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| === Business operations === | |
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| Arena Paintball and Paintball Direct are listed as trading names of Custom Blinds Limited, a New Zealand registered company with company number 1666073 and NZBN 9429034647400.
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| Company records identify David Hopkins and Diane Karen Hopkins as directors of Custom Blinds Limited. [3]
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| Paintball Direct operates a retail paintball equipment business with a showroom at the same Kimbolton Road address as Arena Paintball.
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| The business sells paintball equipment and supplies and provides online registration and payment facilities for certain Arena Paintball tournaments. [4]
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| == Facilities ==
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| === Playing fields ===
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| Arena Paintball operates two outdoor playing areas described on its website as Airball and Speedball.
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| The Airball field accommodates inflatable paintball bunkers and is used for competitive speedball training and organised tournaments.
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| The separate Speedball area, also described by the venue as the COD Speedball field, supports recreational games and alternative game formats.
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| Both playing areas are used for organised club activities. [2]
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| === Recreational paintball ===
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| Arena Paintball offers recreational paintball for individuals and organised groups.
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| Its activities include birthday parties, corporate events, social groups and other private bookings.
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| The venue provides rental markers, protective masks and paintballs.
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| Different equipment packages are available for younger and adult participants, including lighter markers using smaller paintballs for children.
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| The venue operates under published safety rules covering protective equipment, field access and game supervision. [5]
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| === Club days and training ===
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| Arena Paintball provides regular opportunities for players to participate outside private recreational bookings.
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| Its published programme includes club days on the second and final Sunday of each month.
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| The second Sunday generally uses the Airball field, while the final Sunday uses the COD Speedball field.
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| The venue offers rental equipment for new players as well as field access for experienced competitors.
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| Arena Paintball has also offered annual passes providing access to designated club and training sessions. [2][6]
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| == Tournament paintball ==
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| === Paintball Factory Cup 2021 ===
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| One of the earliest documented tournaments at Arena Paintball was the Paintball Factory Cup, held on 24 and 25 April 2021.
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| The event was registered through PBLeagues and used the Arena Paintball venue at 558 Kimbolton Road.
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| Eight teams were registered in the Open Five-Man division.
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| The competition used a ten-minute X-Ball format. [1]
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| The event provides independent confirmation of Arena Paintball's operation as a tournament venue by April 2021.
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| === Arena Cup 2021 ===
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| Arena Paintball hosted the Arena Cup on 10 and 11 July 2021.
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| The competition was advertised as a five-player Race event using a Mercy 3 format.
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| The event was capped at ten teams and featured a full round-robin preliminary stage followed by classification matches.
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| The original event announcement specified a hopper-plus-four-pod paint limit and a 12.5-balls-per-second ramping limit.
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| The organisers also provided a dedicated paid refereeing squad rather than relying on participating players to referee matches. [7]
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| The Arena Cup was an early example of the venue organising tournament-standard competition for New Zealand teams.
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| === Corkill Cup 2021 ===
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| Arena Paintball hosted the Corkill Cup on 23 and 24 October 2021.
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| The event continued an established tournament tradition honouring Steve Corkill and his family's contributions to paintball in New Zealand.
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| The competition was advertised as a two-day five-player Race event.
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| Its published playing conditions included:
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| * Five-player Race format
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| * Mercy 4 scoring
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| * Ten-minute games
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| * NXL ramping at 10.5 balls per second
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| * Hopper plus two pods of paintballs
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| * Dedicated refereeing team
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| * Round-robin preliminary competition and finals
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| The organisers also advertised onsite camping and access to showers and toilets. [7]
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| The event illustrates Arena Paintball's role in hosting established New Zealand tournament traditions as well as newly organised competitions.
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| === Arena Race Series 2022 ===
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| Arena Paintball organised a three-round five-player Race competition during 2022.
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| The scheduled rounds were:
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| * 16–17 April 2022
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| * 4–5 June 2022
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| * 22–23 October 2022
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| The competitions used a five-player Race Mercy 4 format.
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| The original event announcements limited participation to ten teams per round.
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| Teams could enter individual rounds or register for all three events at a discounted series price. [7]
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| The series provided a structured competition calendar for New Zealand tournament teams.
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| === Arena Race Tournament 2025 ===
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| Arena Paintball continued hosting competitive tournaments in 2025.
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| Feilding's local events directory advertised an Arena Paintball Race Tournament for 31 May and 1 June 2025. [8]
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| The listing provides independent local documentation of the facility's continuing tournament activities.
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| === Arena Five-Man Race Series 2026 ===
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| Arena Paintball organised a three-round five-player Race Series during 2026.
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| The published calendar scheduled events for:
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| * Round 1: 4–5 April 2026
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| * Round 2: 11–12 July 2026
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| * Round 3: 24–25 October 2026
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| All three events were scheduled at Arena Paintball in Feilding. [9]
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| The published competition regulations specified ten-minute games using a Mercy 4 format, with a hopper-plus-four-pod paint allowance.
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| The series permitted up to 14 teams per round, with eight players allowed on each roster.
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| Events included Cup and Plate classification competitions, trophies and medals.
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| The organisers also provided individual player awards, including Most Valuable Player and Most Improved Player. [10]
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| ==== First round ====
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| The opening round took place on 4 and 5 April 2026.
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| The event attracted teams from New Zealand and Australia.
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| Sydney SWAT, an established Australian professional paintball team, competed at the venue and finished second.
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| The Australian team subsequently described the tournament as its first visit to New Zealand together as a squad. [11]
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| ==== Second round ====
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| The second round was held on 11 and 12 July 2026.
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| Australian team Cult won the event, with Manawatu Titans finishing second and Sydney SWAT third.
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| The results were documented in contemporary posts by participating teams and the organisers. [11][12]
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| ==== Provisional season standings ====
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| Arena Paintball published the following season standings after the second round:
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| {| class="wikitable" | | {| class="wikitable" |
| ! Position | | ! Event !! Advertised dates |
| ! Team | |
| ! Points | |
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| | 1
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| | Manawatu Titans
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| | 386
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| |-
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| | 2
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| | Sydney SWAT
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| | 359
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| |-
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| | 3
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| | Cult
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| | 350
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| |-
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| | 4
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| | Expendables
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| | 303
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| |-
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| | 5
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| | Reavers
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| | 301
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| |-
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| | 6
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| | Lumberjacks
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| | 273
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| |-
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| | 7
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| | BOP Blast
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| | 262
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| |- | | |- |
| | 8 | | | [[2021 Paintball Factory Cup]] || 24–25 April 2021 |
| | Ballistics Unit 1 | |
| | 261 | |
| |- | | |- |
| | 9 | | | [[2021 Arena Cup]] || 10–11 July 2021 |
| | Surge | |
| | 251 | |
| |- | | |- |
| | 10 | | | [[2021 Corkill Cup]] || 23–24 October 2021 |
| | Misfits | |
| | 208 | |
| |} | | |} |
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| The standings were published on 12 July 2026 and represented the provisional classification before the final round. [12] | | The Corkill Cup announcement described the event as a tribute to [[Steve Corkill]] and his sons for their contributions to paintball.[2] |
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| The series demonstrated Arena Paintball's role as a cross-Tasman tournament venue, hosting teams from both New Zealand and Australia.
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| The final round was scheduled for 24 and 25 October 2026.
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| == Competitive teams ==
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| === Manawatu Titans ===
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| [[Manawatu Titans]] is a competitive paintball team based in Feilding and associated with Arena Paintball. | |
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| The venue's website identifies Titans members as involved in running its operations.
| | === Recurring race programme === |
| | Arena advertised a three-round five-player race series in 2022, with events in April, June and October.[2] |
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| The team has competed internationally in the United States and Australia, including in the National Xball League's Semi-Pro division.
| | A further three-round calendar was published for 2023. A contemporary interview with [[Ralph Tsing]] documented the October event at Arena, identifying [[David Hopkins]] as its organiser. Tsing reported that Expendables won the tournament and overall series, with [[Ballistics Unit]] second at the October event and [[Phoenix Tahiti]] third.[3][5] |
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| Manawatu Titans won the Semi-Pro X-Ball division at the 2022 NXL Golden State Open in the United States.
| | Paintball Direct subsequently advertised three-event programmes at Arena for both 2024 and 2025.[6][7] Feilding’s local events directory independently listed the 31 May–1 June 2025 tournament.[8] |
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| The team also participates in Arena Paintball's domestic competition programme. | | The 2026 calendar scheduled rounds for 4–5 April, 11–12 July and 24–25 October.[2] |
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| === Expendables Feilding === | | == Related tournament articles == |
| | | * [[2022 Arena 5 Man Race Series]] |
| [[Expendables Feilding]] is an internationally active New Zealand paintball team founded by David Hopkins.
| | * [[2023 Arena 5 Man Race Series]] |
| | | * [[2024 Arena Paintball Race Events]] |
| The team has competed in the Millennium Series, NXL Europe, Australian Super 7's and Paintball Asia League Series.
| | * [[2025 Arena Paintball Race Events]] |
| | | * [[2026 Arena Paintball Easter Race]] |
| Its international achievements include winning the 2017 Millennium Series Semi-Professional championship and 2018 Australian Super 7's Professional season championship.
| | * [[2026 Arena Paintball Matariki Race]] |
| | | * [[2026 Arena Paintball Labour Day Cup]] |
| Arena Paintball has publicly described itself as a home venue for Expendables. [12]
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| The team continues to appear separately from Manawatu Titans in competition results.
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| == Equipment and safety ==
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| Arena Paintball publishes rules for recreational and competitive activities.
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| Its safety procedures require participants to wear protective masks in playing areas and use barrel sleeves when leaving the field.
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| Markers must be chronographed before games, with the venue specifying a maximum velocity of 285 feet per second for outdoor recreational play.
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| The facility generally requires recreational participants to use equipment and paintballs supplied by Arena Paintball.
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| An exemption applies to approved tournament participants using their own competitive equipment. [5]
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| These rules form part of the venue's published operating procedures.
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| == Role in New Zealand paintball ==
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| Arena Paintball provides facilities for both recreational participation and organised competitive paintball in the Manawatū region.
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| Since at least 2021, the venue has hosted tournaments involving New Zealand teams and visiting international competitors.
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| Its regular tournament programme includes five-player Race competitions, dedicated refereeing and structured season rankings.
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| The venue also provides club days and training opportunities for competitive players.
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| Through its competition programme, Arena Paintball has become a destination for New Zealand and Australian speedball teams.
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| == See also ==
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| * [[Expendables Feilding]]
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| * [[Manawatu Titans]] | |
| * [[Paintball in New Zealand]] | |
| * [[Paintball in Australia]] | |
| * [[New Zealand Race Series]] | |
| * [[Super 7's Paintball Series]] | |
| * [[National Xball League]] | |
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| == References == | | == References == |
| | | # [https://www.arenapaintball.co.nz/about Arena Paintball — About Us]. |
| # [https://pbleagues.com/event/7237 PBLeagues. "Paintball Factory Cup."] Official event registration confirming the Arena Paintball venue, 24–25 April 2021. | | # [https://www.arenapaintball.co.nz/events Arena Paintball — Events]. |
| # [https://www.arenapaintball.co.nz/about Arena Paintball. "About Us."] Venue facilities, operations, fields, rental equipment and club-day information. | | # [https://pf.airtahitinui.com/actualites/ambassador/paintball-ralph-tsing-enchaine-les-bons-resultats Air Tahiti Nui — Paintball : Ralph Tsing enchaine les bons résultats, 31 October 2023]. |
| # [https://www.companyhub.nz/companyDetails.cfm?nzbn=9429034647400 Company Hub. "Custom Blinds Limited."] Company record listing Arena Paintball and Paintball Direct as trading names and David and Diane Hopkins as directors. | | # [https://www.paintballdirectnz.co.nz/ Paintball Direct NZ — Official website, showroom information and Arena products]. |
| # [https://www.paintballdirectnz.co.nz/ Paintball Direct NZ.] Retail showroom information, identifying the Kimbolton Road address. | | # [https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=515284927291133&type=3 Arena Paintball — 2023 tournament calendar, Facebook, 6 December 2022]. |
| # [https://www.arenapaintball.co.nz/rules-game-safety Arena Paintball. "Rules and Game Safety."] Official safety regulations. | | # [https://web.archive.org/web/20240814075618/https://paintballdirectnz.co.nz/2024-race-events-sold-out/ Paintball Direct — 2024 Race Events SOLD OUT, archived 14 August 2024]. |
| # [https://www.paintballdirectnz.co.nz/arena-paintball-annual-pass-2026/ Paintball Direct. "Arena Paintball Annual Pass 2026."] Club participation and field access programme. | | # [https://www.paintballdirectnz.co.nz/2025-race-events/ Paintball Direct — 2025 Race Events]. |
| # [https://www.arenapaintball.co.nz/events Arena Paintball. "Events."] Historical event listings for the 2021 Arena Cup, Corkill Cup and 2022 Arena Race Series. | | # [https://feilding.co.nz/articles/whats-on/arena-paintball-race-tournament.html Feilding & District Promotion — Arena Paintball Race Tournament, 31 May–1 June 2025]. |
| # [https://feilding.co.nz/articles/whats-on/arena-paintball-race-tournament.html Feilding.co.nz. "Arena Paintball Race Tournament."] Local event listing for 31 May–1 June 2025. | |
| # [https://www.arenapaintball.co.nz/events Arena Paintball. "Arena Five-Man Race Series 2026."] Official calendar showing the three scheduled events.
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| # [https://www.paintballdirectnz.co.nz/2026-race-events/ Paintball Direct. "2026 Race Events."] Competition format, roster limitations, entry conditions and prize information.
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| # [https://www.findglocal.com/AU/Hawkesbury/152878098111462/Sydney-S.W.A.T. Sydney SWAT. Historical team updates.] Contemporary accounts of the April and July 2026 Arena Race Series rounds.
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| # [https://www.findglocal.com/NZ/Feilding/102027051785091/Arena-Paintball Arena Paintball. Historical social media updates.] Tournament results and provisional standings published 12 July 2026.
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| == External links == | | == External links == |
| | | * [https://www.arenapaintball.co.nz/ Official website] |
| * [https://www.arenapaintball.co.nz/ Arena Paintball official website] | | * [https://www.facebook.com/ArenaPaintballNZ/ Official Facebook page] |
| * [https://www.facebook.com/ArenaPaintballNZ/ Arena Paintball on Facebook] | | * [https://www.instagram.com/arenapaintballnz/ Official Instagram profile] |
| * [https://www.paintballdirectnz.co.nz/ Paintball Direct NZ] | |
| * [https://www.arenapaintball.co.nz/events Arena Paintball events calendar]
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| [[Category:Paintball fields in New Zealand]] | | [[Category:Paintball fields in New Zealand]] |
| [[Category:Paintball in New Zealand]] | | [[Category:Paintball in New Zealand]] |
| [[Category:Sports venues in New Zealand]] | | [[Category:Sports venues in New Zealand]] |
