Arena Paintball

Arena Paintball is an outdoor paintball venue located at 558 Kimbolton Road in Feilding, Manawatū, New Zealand. The facility provides recreational paintball, organised club sessions, tournament training and competitive speedball events.

Arena Paintball has hosted national and international paintball competitions since at least 2021, including the Paintball Factory Cup, Arena Cup, Corkill Cup and Arena Five-Man Race Series.

The venue is associated with the competitive paintball teams Manawatu Titans and Expendables Feilding, and operates in conjunction with the paintball equipment retailer Paintball Direct NZ.

History

Establishment

Arena Paintball was established on the outskirts of Feilding, approximately 20 minutes from Palmerston North.

The precise opening date has not been established, although tournament registration records confirm that the venue was operational by April 2021. [1]

The facility was developed to accommodate both recreational paintball and organised competitive play, with separate areas for different paintball formats.

Arena Paintball's website identifies members of Manawatu Titans as involved in operating the facility. [2]

The venue has subsequently hosted regular recreational activities, club days, training sessions and organised tournament events attracting teams from throughout New Zealand and Australia.

Business operations

Arena Paintball is listed as a trading name of Custom Blinds Limited, a New Zealand registered company incorporated on 21 July 2005.

The company has New Zealand Business Number 9429034647400 and company registration number 1666073.

Public company records identify David Hopkins and Diane Karen Hopkins as directors and shareholders of Custom Blinds Limited.

The company's registered trading names include Custom Blinds, Paintball Direct and Arena Paintball. [3]

The incorporation date of Custom Blinds Limited should not be confused with the establishment date of Arena Paintball, which has not been independently confirmed.

Paintball Direct NZ

Arena Paintball operates in conjunction with Paintball Direct NZ, a New Zealand paintball equipment retailer with a showroom at the same Kimbolton Road address in Feilding.

The retailer supplies paintball markers, protective equipment, paintballs, accessories and tournament equipment.

Paintball Direct also provides registration and payment facilities for Arena Paintball competitions and offers products associated with the venue, including annual field passes. [4]

Paintball Direct NZ was previously operated by Steve Corkill, who was a founding director and shareholder of Paintball Direct NZ Limited when the company was incorporated in May 2008.

David Hopkins subsequently became a director of Paintball Direct NZ Limited in August 2021. [5]

The retailer's earlier history predates its current association with Arena Paintball.

Facilities

Playing fields

Arena Paintball operates two outdoor playing areas, identified on its website as Airball and Speedball.

The Airball field uses inflatable paintball bunkers and is used for competitive speedball training and organised tournaments.

The separate Speedball area, also referred to by the venue as the COD Speedball field, provides an alternative playing environment for recreational games and club activities. [2]

The facilities accommodate both recreational players and experienced tournament competitors.

Recreational paintball

Arena Paintball offers recreational paintball activities for individuals and organised groups.

These include birthday parties, corporate events, social groups and private bookings.

The venue provides rental markers, protective masks and paintballs.

Different equipment packages are offered for children and adults, including lighter markers using smaller-calibre paintballs for younger players. [2]

The venue requires participants to complete a registration and waiver process before playing.

Club days

Arena Paintball organises regular club days for players wishing to participate outside private recreational bookings.

The venue's published programme identifies club days on the second and final Sunday of each month.

The second Sunday generally uses the Airball field, while the final Sunday uses the COD Speedball field.

The venue offers rental equipment for new participants and provides opportunities for experienced players to use the facilities for regular practice. [2]

Club activities have also been supported through an annual pass programme offered by Paintball Direct NZ.

Equipment and safety

Arena Paintball publishes safety rules covering protective equipment, marker use and playing conditions.

Its published regulations include:

Mandatory protective goggles and face masks in playing areas
Barrel sleeves when leaving designated playing areas
Chronograph testing before participation
A maximum marker velocity of 285 feet per second for outdoor recreational games
Mandatory safety orientation before play
Restrictions on shooting outside designated playing areas
Prohibition of blind firing and physical contact

The venue generally requires recreational players to use markers and paintballs supplied by Arena Paintball.

An exemption is provided for approved tournament competitors using their own equipment. [6]

Tournament paintball

Paintball Factory Cup 2021

One of the earliest documented tournaments held at Arena Paintball was the Paintball Factory Cup on 24 and 25 April 2021.

The event was registered through PBLeagues, identifying Arena Paintball at 558 Kimbolton Road as the venue.

Eight teams were registered in the Open Five-Man competition.

The event used a ten-minute X-Ball format. [1]

The tournament provides independent confirmation that Arena Paintball was operating as a competitive paintball venue by April 2021.

Arena Cup 2021

Arena Paintball hosted the Arena Cup on 10 and 11 July 2021.

The competition was organised as a five-player Race event using a Mercy 3 format.

The published tournament conditions included a ten-team entry limit, round-robin preliminary matches and classification finals.

The event used a hopper-plus-four-pod paint allowance and a 12.5-balls-per-second ramping limit.

The organisers provided a dedicated paid refereeing squad rather than requiring participating teams to referee each other's matches. [7]

The event formed part of Arena Paintball's developing programme of competitive tournaments.

Corkill Cup 2021

Arena Paintball hosted the Corkill Cup on 23 and 24 October 2021.

The event continued a New Zealand tournament tradition honouring Steve Corkill and his family's contributions to paintball.

The original event announcement explicitly identified the competition as a tribute to Corkill and his sons for their involvement in the sport over many years. [7]

Steve Corkill was also associated with Paintball Direct NZ, which he previously operated.

The 2021 Corkill Cup was advertised as a two-day five-player Race tournament.

The published competition arrangements included:

Five-player Race competition
NXL ramping at 10.5 balls per second
Hopper plus two pods of paintballs
Round-robin preliminary competition followed by finals
Dedicated New Zealand refereeing personnel
Onsite camping and access to showers and toilets

The tournament was promoted as a Paintball Direct annual event at Arena Paintball.

The event provides a documented connection between the venue, Paintball Direct and the commemoration of Steve Corkill's contribution to New Zealand paintball.

Arena Race Series 2022

Arena Paintball organised a three-round five-player Race Series during 2022.

The published calendar included:

Round 1: 16–17 April 2022
Round 2: 4–5 June 2022
Round 3: 22–23 October 2022

The competitions used a five-player Race Mercy 4 format.

Each round was scheduled as a two-day tournament with a maximum of ten participating teams. [7]

The organisers offered entry to individual events or a discounted entry package covering the complete three-round series.

The competition provided a structured tournament programme for New Zealand competitive paintball teams.

Arena Race Tournament 2025

Arena Paintball continued hosting competitive tournament events during 2025.

Feilding's official local events directory advertised an Arena Paintball Race Tournament for 31 May and 1 June 2025.

The event was held at the Kimbolton Road venue. [8]

The listing provides independent local documentation of the continuation of Arena Paintball's tournament programme.

Arena Five-Man Race Series 2026

Arena Paintball organised a three-round five-player Race Series for 2026.

The published competition calendar scheduled:

Round 1: 4–5 April 2026
Round 2: 11–12 July 2026
Round 3: 24–25 October 2026

The events were scheduled at Arena Paintball in Feilding. [9]

The published competition conditions specified ten-minute games using a Mercy 4 format.

Teams were permitted a maximum of eight rostered players and a hopper-plus-four-pod paint allowance.

The organisers provided for up to 14 competing teams per round, with round-robin matches followed by elimination finals.

The competitions included Cup and Plate classifications, with trophies and medals awarded to leading teams.

Individual awards were also advertised for Most Valuable Player and Most Improved Player. [10]

First round

The opening round was held on 4 and 5 April 2026.

The event featured teams from New Zealand and Australia.

Australian professional team Sydney SWAT participated in the tournament, marking an international team appearance at Arena Paintball.

The team finished second at the event. [11]

Second round

The second round took place on 11 and 12 July 2026.

The tournament was also promoted as the Matariki Cup.

Australian team Cult won the event.

Manawatu Titans finished second, with Sydney SWAT placing third.

The results were documented in contemporary announcements from Arena Paintball and participating teams. [11][12]

Provisional season standings

Following the second round, Arena Paintball published the following provisional season standings:

Position	Team	Points
1	Manawatu Titans	386
2	Sydney SWAT	359
3	Cult	350
4	Expendables	303
5	Reavers	301
6	Lumberjacks	273
7	BOP Blast	262
8	Ballistics Unit 1	261
9	Surge	251
10	Misfits	208

The standings were published on 12 July 2026, following the second round. [12]

The final round was scheduled for 24 and 25 October 2026.

The rankings demonstrate participation by both New Zealand and Australian teams and the continued use of separate Manawatu Titans and Expendables team entries.

Competitive teams

Manawatu Titans

Manawatu Titans is a competitive paintball team based in Feilding and associated with Arena Paintball.

The venue's official website identifies members of the Titans as involved in its operation. [2]

The team has competed in New Zealand, Australia and the United States, including in the National Xball League's Semi-Pro division.

Manawatu Titans won the Semi-Pro X-Ball division at the 2022 NXL Golden State Open in the United States.

The team also participates in domestic tournaments hosted at Arena Paintball.

Expendables Feilding

Expendables Feilding is a competitive paintball team founded by David Hopkins.

The team has competed internationally in New Zealand, Australia, Asia, Europe and the United States.

Its achievements include winning the 2017 Millennium Series Semi-Professional championship, the 2018 Australian Super 7's Professional season championship and the 2018 NXL Europe Prague Open Professional division.

Arena Paintball has described itself publicly as a home venue for Expendables. [12]

Expendables continues to appear in domestic tournament records, including Arena Paintball's five-player Race competitions.

Role in New Zealand paintball

Arena Paintball provides facilities for recreational and competitive paintball in the Manawatū region.

Since at least 2021, the venue has hosted organised tournaments involving teams from New Zealand and Australia.

Its tournament programme has included the Paintball Factory Cup, Arena Cup, Corkill Cup and recurring five-player Race Series events.

The facility also provides club days, rental equipment and regular playing opportunities for recreational and competitive participants.

Its association with Manawatu Titans, Expendables Feilding and Paintball Direct NZ connects the venue with local competitive teams and the wider New Zealand paintball equipment industry.

References

PBLeagues. "Paintball Factory Cup 2021." Official event registration confirming Arena Paintball as the venue and identifying eight Open Five-Man teams.
Arena Paintball. "About Us." Official venue information, playing fields, club days, rental equipment and association with Manawatu Titans.
Company Hub. "Custom Blinds Limited." Company registration, trading names, directors and shareholders.
Paintball Direct NZ. Retail business website confirming the Kimbolton Road showroom and sale of Arena Paintball passes.
Company Hub. "David Hopkins: Directorships and Shareholdings." Records appointment as director of Paintball Direct NZ Limited on 5 August 2021. See also historical Paintball Direct NZ Limited company records identifying Stephen Thomas Corkill and Rosmarie Corkill as founding directors.
Arena Paintball. "Rules and Game Safety." Official safety regulations and recreational equipment restrictions.
Arena Paintball. "Events." Historical tournament listings, including the Paintball Factory Cup, Arena Cup, Corkill Cup and Arena Race Series.
Feilding and District Promotion. "Arena Paintball Race Tournament." Local event listing for 31 May–1 June 2025.
Arena Paintball. "Arena Five-Man Race Series 2026." Published competition dates and venue.
Paintball Direct NZ. "2026 Race Events." Competition format, team registration conditions, player limits and prizes.
Sydney SWAT. Historical team updates. Contemporary reporting from the April and July 2026 Arena Race Series.
Arena Paintball. Historical public updates. Includes July 2026 Matariki Cup results and provisional season standings.

External links