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Rewrite chronologically; preserve sourced 1994–96 history, add Aull's early tournament account, dated player groups and 2000–01 results, correct citation numbering, and distinguish Valhalla scores from tournament placings.
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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 [[Paintball in New Zealand|New Zealand]]. Its documented formats included ten-player competition in an early participant account and five-player competition in 2000–01.[1][7][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]
The tournament 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 ==
Line 11: Line 7:
=== Early history ===
=== Early history ===


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]
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.[1]


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]
Aull named himself, his brothers Doug and David Aull, and Marcel Ensing among the intended entrants who assembled the House Steiner tournament team. He also recalled recruiting six other Thunderball players, whom he did not name.[1]


=== 1995 championship ===
A later Mercenaries Star calendar described the South Pacific Championship as one of New Zealand's oldest tournaments, attracting teams from both main islands.[2]


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]
=== 1994 ===


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]
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.[3]


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]
=== 1995 ===


=== 1996 championship ===
The 1995 championship took place in Wellington over Easter. [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)|Saints]] won, with Australia's [[Sydney HEAT]] finishing second.[4]


The 1996 New Zealand South Pacific Championships were scheduled for 5–7 April in Wellington. Wayne Hillman was listed as the tournament contact.[8]
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Documented 1995 placings
! Place !! Team
|-
| 1 || [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)|Saints]]
|-
| 2 || [[Sydney HEAT]]
|}


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]
The event was Sydney HEAT's first tournament outside Australia. Its travelling contingent included former Oz-Ball players '''Peter Russell, Martin Yew, Matthew Hawkins and Robert Ambrose'''. These four names represent part of the contingent, rather than a complete playing roster.[4]


=== 2001 championship ===
A later report also recorded Dragons Claw's participation in stock-class competition at the South Pacific Championships.[5]


The 2001 South Pacific Championships took place on 14–15 April at Thunderball Paintball, Manor Park, in the Wellington region.[2]
=== 1996 ===


The published competition details specified:
The 1996 championship was advertised for '''5–7 April in Wellington'''. The published calendar named '''Wayne Hillman''' as the tournament contact.[6]


{| class="wikitable"
=== 2000 ===
! Detail
 
! 2001 championship
The 2000 championship was held at '''Thunderball Adventure Games, Wellington''', on '''22–23 April''', followed by a recreational day on 24 April. Ten teams attended the five-player tournament.[7]
|-
| Dates
| 14–15 April 2001
|-
| Venue
| Thunderball Paintball, Manor Park, Wellington region
|-
| Team size
| Five players
|-
| Competition class
| Open
|-
| Format
| Centre flag
|-
| Rules
| APPL rules
|-
| Entry fee
| NZ$350 per team
|-
| Tournament contact
| John Clement
|}


[[John Clement]] was identified as the tournament contact and operator of the Thunderball field.[2]
The entrants were Phoenix, House Steiner, Paint Contractors, Saints, Viper, Warp Speed, Flashpoint, Solidaire, Damn Natives and DOA.[7]


== Recorded editions ==
[[Wellington Phoenix (paintball team)|Phoenix]] qualified for the finals alongside Saints, House Steiner and Paint Contractors, then finished fourth. The Phoenix account does not give the finishing order of the other three finalists.[7]


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
|+ Documented 2000 result
! Location
! Place !! Team
! Winner
! Runner-up
! Notes
|-
|-
| 1994
| 4 || [[Wellington Phoenix (paintball team)|Phoenix]]
| 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 report names '''Peter Hamilton, Jeremy Hooper and Shane Grant''' in descriptions of Phoenix's games. This is a partial identification of the event squad.[7]


The surviving 2001 [[Valhalla National Rankings]] database documents participation by several New Zealand tournament teams.
=== 2001 ===


Teams recorded in the South Pacific Championships scoring columns included:
The 2001 championship was held on '''14–15 April''' at '''Thunderball Paintball, Manor Park''', in the Wellington region. The announcement specified open five-player centre-flag competition under Australian Paintball Players League rules, with entry of NZ$350 per team. '''John Clement''' was the tournament contact.[9]


* [[Tag n' Release]]
A Phoenix report congratulated [[Tag n' Release]] on winning the tournament. Phoenix's history recorded its own fourth-place finish.[7][8]
* [[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]
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Documented 2001 results
! Place !! Team
|-
| 1 || [[Tag n' Release]]
|-
| 4 || [[Wellington Phoenix (paintball team)|Phoenix]]
|}


== Historical scoring records ==
==== Valhalla scoring records ====


Valhalla preserved the following ranking contributions from the 2001 competition:
The [[Valhalla National Rankings]] preserved the following normalised scores from the preliminary and final stages. These are ranking contributions, rather than raw tournament points or a complete finishing order.[10]


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
! Team
! Team !! Preliminary score !! Final score
! Round 1
! Round 2
|-
|-
| [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)|Saints Gold]]
| Saints Gold || 71.9 || 48.0
| 71.9
| 48.0
|-
|-
| [[Tag n' Release]]
| Tag n' Release || 68.3 || 56.5
| 68.3
| 56.5
|-
|-
| Phoenix Wellington
| Phoenix Wellington || 47.1 || 20.0
| 47.1
| 20.0
|-
|-
| DamNatives
| DamNatives || 42.3 || 40.0
| 42.3
| 40.0
|-
|-
| Fusion
| Fusion || 36.3 || —
| 36.3
| Not recorded
|-
|-
| Flashpoint
| Flashpoint || 24.0 || —
| 24.0
| Not recorded
|-
|-
| Nutters
| Nutters || 24.0 || —
| 24.0
| Not recorded
|-
|-
| P.C/B.C
| P.C/B.C || 7.7 || —
| 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]
A dash indicates that no final-stage score was recorded in the table.[10]
 
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 ==


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


== References ==
== References ==


# [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.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020222021443/http://www.paintball.co.nz/whwaull.htm ''Willy Aull'', Paintball.co.nz player profile; archived 22 February 2002.]
# [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.
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Events/EventsIndex.htm Mercenaries Star, ''Annual Tournament Events'', 2001; preserved by OoCities.]
# [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.
# [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.
# ''Australian Paintballer'', June–July 1995, letters concerning the Wellington South Pacific Championships and New Zealand tournament participation.
# ''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'', 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'', 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'', 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.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20011020080141fw_/http://www.blacksun.co.nz/phoenix/news.htm Wellington Phoenix, ''News'', South Pacific Championship reports dated 27 April 2000 and 24 April 2001; archived 20 October 2001.]
# ''Australian Paintballer'', December 1995–February 1996, "South Pacific Extravaganza".
# [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 Mercenaries Star, ''South Pacific Championships, 2001'', tournament announcement; preserved by OoCities.]
== External links ==
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/2001Hall.htm Mercenaries Star, ''Valhalla Hall of Heroes – 2001'', five-player rankings; preserved by OoCities.]
 
* [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 in New Zealand]]
[[Category:Paintball tournaments]]
[[Category:New Zealand paintball history]]
[[Category:1990s in New Zealand paintball]]
[[Category:2000s in New Zealand paintball]]

Revision as of 08:27, 25 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 documented formats included ten-player competition in an early participant account and five-player competition in 2000–01.[1][7][9]

The tournament was separate from the 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.[1]

Aull named himself, his brothers Doug and David Aull, and Marcel Ensing among the intended entrants who assembled the House Steiner tournament team. He also recalled recruiting six other Thunderball players, whom he did not name.[1]

A later Mercenaries Star calendar described the South Pacific Championship as one of New Zealand's oldest tournaments, attracting teams from both main islands.[2]

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.[3]

1995

The 1995 championship took place in Wellington over Easter. Saints won, with Australia's Sydney HEAT finishing second.[4]

Documented 1995 placings
Place Team
1 Saints
2 Sydney HEAT

The event was Sydney HEAT's first tournament outside Australia. Its travelling contingent included former Oz-Ball players Peter Russell, Martin Yew, Matthew Hawkins and Robert Ambrose. These four names represent part of the contingent, rather than a complete playing roster.[4]

A later report also recorded Dragons Claw's participation in stock-class competition at the South Pacific Championships.[5]

1996

The 1996 championship was advertised for 5–7 April in Wellington. The published calendar named Wayne Hillman as the tournament contact.[6]

2000

The 2000 championship was held at Thunderball Adventure Games, Wellington, on 22–23 April, followed by a recreational day on 24 April. Ten teams attended the five-player tournament.[7]

The entrants were Phoenix, House Steiner, Paint Contractors, Saints, Viper, Warp Speed, Flashpoint, Solidaire, Damn Natives and DOA.[7]

Phoenix qualified for the finals alongside Saints, House Steiner and Paint Contractors, then finished fourth. The Phoenix account does not give the finishing order of the other three finalists.[7]

Documented 2000 result
Place Team
4 Phoenix

The report names Peter Hamilton, Jeremy Hooper and Shane Grant in descriptions of Phoenix's games. This is a partial identification of the event squad.[7]

2001

The 2001 championship was held on 14–15 April at Thunderball Paintball, Manor Park, in the Wellington region. The announcement specified open five-player centre-flag competition under Australian Paintball Players League rules, with entry of NZ$350 per team. John Clement was the tournament contact.[9]

A Phoenix report congratulated Tag n' Release on winning the tournament. Phoenix's history recorded its own fourth-place finish.[7][8]

Documented 2001 results
Place Team
1 Tag n' Release
4 Phoenix

Valhalla scoring records

The Valhalla National Rankings preserved the following normalised scores from the preliminary and final stages. These are ranking contributions, rather than raw tournament points or a complete finishing order.[10]

Team Preliminary score Final score
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 —
Flashpoint 24.0 —
Nutters 24.0 —
P.C/B.C 7.7 —

A dash indicates that no final-stage score was recorded in the table.[10]

See also

References

  1. Willy Aull, Paintball.co.nz player profile; archived 22 February 2002.
  2. Mercenaries Star, Annual Tournament Events, 2001; preserved by OoCities.
  3. Australian Paintballer, June–July 1995, letters concerning the Wellington South Pacific Championships and New Zealand tournament participation.
  4. Australian Paintballer, June–July 1995, “Sydney HEAT Make Friends in High Places”.
  5. Australian Paintballer, December 1995–February 1996, report on the 1995 Auckland tournament and preview of the 1996 New Zealand South Pacific Championships.
  6. Australian Paintballer, April–June 1996, “New Zealand Tournament Calendar 1996”.
  7. Wellington Phoenix, News, South Pacific Championship reports dated 27 April 2000 and 24 April 2001; archived 20 October 2001.
  8. Wellington Phoenix, History, 2000–01 tournament results; archived 17 December 2001.
  9. Mercenaries Star, South Pacific Championships, 2001, tournament announcement; preserved by OoCities.
  10. Mercenaries Star, Valhalla Hall of Heroes – 2001, five-player rankings; preserved by OoCities.
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