Paintball tournaments in New Zealand
Paintball tournaments in New Zealand have been documented since at least 1994, with organised competition taking place across both the North and South Islands. Tournaments have included national championships, regional cups, three-player and five-player competitions, seven-player tournaments, mechanical-marker events and X-Ball leagues.[1][2][3]
New Zealand tournament paintball has developed through independently organised events, commercial playing fields, regional clubs and national competition series. Major historical competitions have included the New Zealand Paintball Nationals, South Pacific Championships, Northland Open, Super 5s and Hawke's Bay Triples.
The National Paintball League (NPL), established in 1997, was an early attempt to coordinate existing tournaments within a national competition structure. Later organisers included the New Zealand Premier Paintball League, New Zealand Paintball Players League, South Auckland Paintball Club and the New Zealand Local Series (NZLS).[4][5]
During the 2020s, documented competitions included the East Coast Paintball League, New Zealand Race Series at Arena Paintball in Feilding and regional tournaments organised by paintball clubs and commercial venues.[6][7]
History
[edit]Early documented tournaments, 1994-1996
[edit]Tournament paintball was established in New Zealand before the creation of a national league in 1997.
One of the earliest dated records concerns the inaugural Invercargill three-player competition in 1994. In a retrospective published in June 1998, organiser Ken Ryder recalled that four teams entered the first tournament, which was won by the Invercargill team S.L.O.B.s (Slow Old Bastards).[1]
A planned 1994 edition of the South Pacific Championships in Wellington was cancelled because of insufficient entries. Contemporary correspondence published in Australian Paintballer discussed the cost of entering the competition as a contributing factor.[2]
The South Pacific Championships took place in Wellington over Easter 1995. Saints won the event, with Sydney HEAT of Australia finishing second.[3]
The 1995 New Zealand Paintball Nationals was held on 21-22 October at Tactics in Bethells Beach, Auckland. Six teams competed in a seven-player tournament. Saints won with 910 points, followed by X-Men with 683 and Katipo, recorded as Katapo in the contemporary report, with 628. The results were published by Cameron McLeay in Australian Paintballer.[8]
In the South Island, the 1995 South Island Championships was held in Dunedin. The competition included open-class and pump-action events, both won by Flashpoint. A contemporary report appeared in the April-June 1996 issue of Australian Paintballer.[9]
The surviving evidence establishes organised tournament activity by 1994 but does not identify New Zealand's first tournament or confirm a complete national calendar for the preceding decade.
National Paintball League, 1997-1999
[edit]The original National Paintball League began operating in 1997 following an introductory letter circulated in December 1996.
The league was developed by Ian Southern and Dave Pellet, associated with Splatman Paintball. Its initial participating operators were Splatman, Strategy Tag in Whangārei and Actions Paintball Sports Arena in Auckland.[4]
The NPL established two divisions. First Division incorporated major tournaments, including the Nationals, Queen's Birthday competition and Northland Open. Second Division provided more regular competition for developing teams at participating fields.
The 1997 New Zealand Paintball Nationals took place on 25-26 October at Actions Paintball in Te Atatū, Auckland. Eleven teams competed in a five-player centre-flag format. Katipo One won the tournament with 1,008 points, followed by Saints Black. Kamo Karzi won Second Division and finished third overall.[10]
The Nationals continued in 1998 and 1999, with Saints Gold winning in 1998 and Paint Contractors in 1999.[10]
The original NPL structure ended in 1999 after losing the support of participating field operators. Kyn Jackson of Actions Paintball continued elements of its tournament organisation without the original Second Division programme.[4]
Regional tournaments and national rankings, 2000-2002
[edit]By 2000, tournaments were documented in Auckland, Whangārei, Wellington, Hawke's Bay, Rotorua, Dunedin and Invercargill.
The Mercenaries Star archive records events including the Northland Open, Wellington Cup, Hawke's Bay Triples, Dunedin City Challenge, South Pacific Championships and National Three-Man Centre Flag Competition.[11]
The archive also maintained the Valhalla national rankings database, which combined tournament results across different competitions.
Saints Gold led the inaugural 2000 Valhalla rankings. In 2001, the rankings named Saints as the seven-player national ranking champion, Tag n' Release as the five-player champion and DamNatives as the three-player champion.[12][13]
These were composite rankings rather than the results of a single national championship.
Rotorua hosted two distinct tournaments during this period. The Rotorua Invitational began on 3 December 2000 at Blue Lake Reserve, with Katipo winning the inaugural event. The Volcanic Rotorua Paintball Tournament was separately advertised for 2-3 June 2001 at Rotorua International Stadium, using seven-player, two-flag rules and inflatable tournament bunkers.[14][15]
The South Pacific Championships continued in the Wellington region. The 2002 edition was a seven-player competition won by Saints, with Tag and Training second and Tag n' Release third.[16]
Super 5s and regional expansion, 2003-2007
[edit]The early 2000s saw continued development of regular five-player speedball competition alongside independent seven-player tournaments.
The Super 5s was operating by 2003 at Extreme Events in Auckland. Its first half of the 2003 season comprised rounds from February through June, with Menace leading the published standings on 3,043 points.[17]
The same venue hosted the 2003 Auckland Queen's Birthday Superball, a separate seven-player tournament organised by Wayne Rolleston. Twelve teams competed, with Phoenix winning ahead of Raiders, Saints and Bad Karma.[18]
The Super 5s subsequently operated at Kumeu and other Auckland venues.
The 2006 season used two divisions. Menace won Division 1 with 8,688 championship points, while Legion won Division 2 with 5,512 points.[19]
In 2007, the Super 5s held early rounds at A Paintball Adventure in Papakura before announcing a move to Actions Paintball in Swanson for the final part of the season. Legion and Menace were among the leading teams during the documented rounds.[20]
A separate organisation, the New Zealand Premier Paintball League, promoted XPS tournaments during 2006-2007, including three-player, five-player X-Ball and seven-player formats.[21]
The 2007 New Zealand Paintball Nationals took place at Actions Paintball in Swanson on 20-21 October. Menace won, defeating Muppets Inc in the final. Fusion finished third and Intense fourth.[22]
Regional competition, 2008-2010
[edit]Independent tournaments continued alongside national and regional series.
The 2008 Western Springs Open was held at Western Springs Stadium in Auckland on 25-26 October. Nine teams competed in five-player paintball, with Flashpoint defeating Blast 2-1 in the final.[23]
Christchurch also hosted a three-player tournament on 2-3 February 2008, documented through contemporary NZ P8NT forum announcements and post-event discussion.[24]
Other documented competitions during this period included tournaments in Hamilton, Tauranga, Whanganui, Palmerston North and Hawke's Bay.
On 20-21 November 2010, the 2010 Greater Auckland Open was held at North Shore Paintball. Eight teams competed in a race-to-three format. SCK won, with Clown Monkeys finishing second. The tournament was filmed by DerDer, whose archived video listings preserve several matches.[25]
New Zealand Paintball Players League, 2011-2014
[edit]The New Zealand Paintball Players League (NZPPL) organised tournament competition during the early 2010s. Jason Newport identified 2010 as the year he established the league.[26]
The later NZPPL should be distinguished from the New Zealand Premier Paintball League active during 2006-2007. Both organisations used the NZPPL abbreviation and nzppl.com domain, but their formal organisational relationship has not been established.[21][26]
The Players League organised events in Horowhenua, Rotorua, Auckland and the Kāpiti Coast.
The 2011 programme included tournaments at Tatum Park near Levin, Lakes Ranch near Rotorua and Waikanae.[26]
In 2013, the NZPPL held a three-round Super 5 Man series. X-Fighter$ won the opening event at Waikanae and X-Fighter$ Fracture won the second event at Paraparaumu.
The final tournament, promoted as the 2013 NZPPL Nationals, took place at Asylum Paintball in Kingseat on 26-27 October. KC Damage won the event ahead of Wellington Vendetta and X-Fighter$ Fracture. X-Fighter$ won the overall 2013 series championship.[27]
The 2014 NZPPL International Pacific Championship was held at Asylum Paintball on 25-26 October 2014. Eight teams from New Zealand, Australia and French Polynesia competed in Division 1 X-Ball.
Trauma won the championship, defeating Legacy NZ 4-1 in the final. Kamikaze Knights finished third, while Phoenix Tahiti placed fourth.[28]
South Auckland Paintball Club Race Series
[edit]The South Auckland Paintball Club (SAPC) operated a separate series at Asylum Paintball during 2014 and 2015.
The 2014 competition comprised four rounds in February, May, July and September. It included Open X-Ball and mechanical pump divisions.
ADHD won all four Open X-Ball rounds and the season championship with 400 ranking points. Disposal Unit finished second with 314.5 points, followed by Tempest with 229.[29]
The mechanical competition operated separately, with ADHD RED winning the 2014 Mechanical Pump Division 4 season standings.[29]
SAPC continued organising documented race-format tournaments in 2015.
New Zealand Local Series, 2016-2019
[edit]The New Zealand Local Series (NZLS) operated regional tournament rounds during the second half of the 2010s.
Surviving records document events in Hāwera, Palmerston North and Auckland between 2016 and 2019.
The 2017 final round was held at Lock N Load Adventures, while the 2018 final round took place at Asylum Paintball. A contemporary Bay of Plenty Paintball Club report recorded its leading team finishing second at the 2018 final and second overall in the North Island series.[30]
In October 2019, Ballistics Unit reported winning the NZLS season championship with one round remaining after competing at Hāwera. The result is documented in the team's contemporary report.[31]
East Coast Paintball League, 2020-2022
[edit]The East Coast Paintball League (ECPL) was established in 2020 to encourage regional competition in the upper North Island.
Its opening tournament took place on 23 February 2020 at Bay of Plenty Paintball Club's field at TECT All Terrain Park. Surge won the event, followed by The Ponies in the opening-round championship standings.[6]
The league continued to publish tournament schedules during 2020 and 2021. Its 2022 programme advertised four rounds of three-player X-Ball with seven-minute games and limited paint allowances.[32]
The ECPL programme provided an alternative to larger five-player race competitions, with an emphasis on regional participation and developing players.
New Zealand Race Series and Arena Paintball
[edit]Arena Paintball in Feilding became an important venue for five-player race-format competition.
The opening 2020 New Zealand Race Series Event 1 took place in March 2020. Expendables won, followed by Ballistics Unit and The Replacements.[33]
PBLeagues subsequently recorded the 2021 Paintball Factory Cup on 24-25 April and 2021 Corkill Cup on 23-24 October at Arena Paintball. The registration database lists eight teams for the Paintball Factory Cup and five for the Corkill Cup, but the recovered records do not establish their final standings.[34][35]
A three-round Arena five-player race competition was advertised for 2022, with events in April, June and October.[36]
The series continued through the following seasons, attracting teams from New Zealand and overseas, including Australia and French Polynesia.
The 2023 series championship was won by Expendables.[7]
Arena Paintball advertised three tournament weekends in each of 2024 and 2025, continuing the race-to format with round-robin competition followed by Cup and Plate finals.[7]
Competition in 2026
[edit]Arena Paintball's 2026 calendar scheduled three race-format tournaments:
- 2026 Arena Paintball Easter Race, 4-5 April
- 2026 Arena Paintball Matariki Race, 11-12 July
- 2026 Arena Paintball Labour Day Cup, 24-25 October
The events used five-player teams, ten-minute matches and a four-point mercy rule, with restrictions on paint carried by each player.[37]
The October Labour Day Cup attracted eleven entries representing ten teams, with Ballistics Unit entering two squads. A post-tournament report attributed to Ralph Tsing recorded Ballistics Unit in first place, Manawatu Titans second and Cult third. The available report does not establish which Ballistics Unit squad won.[38]
Regional competitions also continued. Bay of Plenty Paintball Club advertised a return of its Bay of Plenty Paintball Triples at TECT Park for 7 June 2026, with teams expected from several North Island regions.[39]
In Canterbury, the Ashburton Paintball League advertised a six-round three-player competition for the 2026-2027 season.[40]
Major tournament series
[edit]The following table summarises selected national and regional competition structures. The years indicate documented activity, not necessarily uninterrupted operation throughout every intervening season.
| Organisation or series | Documented period | Principal region or venue | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Paintball League | 1997-1999 | Auckland and Northland | First and Second Division tournaments |
| Super 5s | 2003-2007 | Auckland | Five-player speedball |
| New Zealand Premier Paintball League | 2006-2007 | New Zealand | XPS three-player, five-player and seven-player competitions |
| New Zealand Paintball Players League | 2011-2014 | Auckland, Horowhenua, Rotorua and Kāpiti Coast | Five-player and X-Ball |
| South Auckland Paintball Club | 2014-2015 | Asylum Paintball, Auckland | Open X-Ball and mechanical-marker competition |
| New Zealand Local Series | 2016-2019 | Multiple North Island venues | Regional speedball |
| East Coast Paintball League | 2020-2022 | Bay of Plenty | Three-player X-Ball |
| New Zealand Race Series | 2020; 2022-2026 | Arena Paintball, Feilding | Five-player race-format X-Ball |
Selected tournament and championship results
[edit]The following results illustrate the documented competitive history of New Zealand tournament paintball. The table is selective and does not constitute a complete national championship register.
| Year | Tournament or championship | Winning team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 1994 Invercargill Three-Man Tournament | S.L.O.B.s | Inaugural tournament; four teams.[1] |
| 1995 | 1995 South Pacific Championships | Saints | Sydney HEAT second.[3] |
| 1995 | 1995 New Zealand Paintball Nationals | Saints | Seven-player tournament at Bethells Beach.[8] |
| 1997 | 1997 New Zealand Paintball Nationals | Katipo One | Overall winner; five-player format.[10] |
| 2002 | 2002 South Pacific Championships | Saints | Seven-player competition.[16] |
| 2003 | 2003 Auckland Queen's Birthday Superball | Phoenix | Raiders second.[18] |
| 2006 | Super 5s | Menace | Division 1 season championship.[19] |
| 2006 | Super 5s | Legion | Division 2 season championship.[19] |
| 2007 | 2007 New Zealand Paintball Nationals | Menace | Muppets Inc second.[22] |
| 2008 | 2008 Western Springs Open | Flashpoint | Defeated Blast 2-1.[23] |
| 2010 | 2010 Greater Auckland Open | SCK | Clown Monkeys second.[25] |
| 2013 | NZPPL Super 5 Man Series | X-Fighter$ | Overall series championship.[27] |
| 2014 | 2014 NZPPL International Pacific Championship | Trauma | Defeated Legacy NZ 4-1.[28] |
| 2014 | SAPC Open X-Ball | ADHD | Won all four rounds.[29] |
| 2020 | 2020 New Zealand Race Series Event 1 | Expendables | Ballistics Unit second.[33] |
| 2026 | 2026 Arena Paintball Labour Day Cup | Ballistics Unit | Reported placing; winning squad not identified.[38] |
Tournament formats
[edit]Three-player competition
[edit]Three-player tournaments have formed part of New Zealand competitive paintball since at least 1994.
Historical examples include the Invercargill Three-Man Tournament, Hawke's Bay Triples and National Three-Man Centre Flag Competition.
Later three-player competitions included Christchurch tournaments, the East Coast Paintball League and regional events in the Bay of Plenty and Canterbury.
Five-player competition
[edit]Five-player paintball was used extensively during the 1990s and 2000s, including at the Nationals, Northland Open and Super 5s.
Earlier competitions generally used centre-flag or two-flag formats. Later five-player competition increasingly adopted X-Ball and race-to rules.
Seven-player competition
[edit]Seven-player tournaments were prominent during the 1990s and early 2000s, including the 1995 Nationals, South Pacific Championships, Queen's Birthday Superball and Volcanic Rotorua competitions.
Organisers used international tournament rules with local amendments.
X-Ball and race formats
[edit]During the late 2000s and 2010s, organisers increasingly adopted formats based on timed matches, multiple points and race-to scoring.
The New Zealand Premier Paintball League promoted five-player X-Ball by 2006, while later NZPPL, SAPC, NZLS and Arena competitions used variations of race-format play.
Mechanical-marker, pump and limited-paint competitions also provided alternative formats.
Historical documentation
[edit]New Zealand's tournament history is preserved across several different types of sources.
Contemporary tournament reports appeared in publications including Australian Paintballer, while Paintball.co.nz and Mercenaries Star maintained results, calendars and player information during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The former NZ Paintball Message Boards and NZ P8NT forums documented events during the 2000s, although surviving archived threads are incomplete.
For the 2010s, PBLeagues provides tournament dates, registrations, results and season rankings. More recent information is also preserved in official organiser announcements, photographs, live streams and social media posts.
The available evidence varies considerably between events. Tournament announcements establish intended dates and formats but do not necessarily prove that an event took place. Registration lists do not establish attendance or final placings, while national ranking points should not be confused with individual tournament championship results.
Records before 1994 remain incomplete, and the earliest documented tournament should not be assumed to represent the beginning of organised paintball competition in New Zealand.
See also
[edit]- Paintball in New Zealand
- Paintball teams in New Zealand
- Paintball fields in New Zealand
- New Zealand Paintball Nationals
- National Paintball League (New Zealand)
- New Zealand Paintball Players League
- New Zealand Race Series
- Mercenaries Star
- Valhalla
- Australian Paintballer
References
[edit]- 1994 Invercargill Three-Man Tournament. WikiPaintball; based on Ken Ryder, "Invercargill 3-man Results", NZ Paintball Online, June 1998.
- 1994 South Pacific Championships. WikiPaintball; based on correspondence by Tony Witheridge, Australian Paintballer, June-July 1995, p. 23.
- 1995 South Pacific Championships. WikiPaintball; based on Peter Russell, "Sydney HEAT make friends in high places", Australian Paintballer, June-July 1995, p. 9.
- The Rise and Fall of the New Zealand National Paintball League. Mercenaries Star, historical league account.
- National Paintball League (New Zealand). WikiPaintball; history based on the league's original introductory letter and contemporary records.
- East Coast Paintball League. WikiPaintball; based on league announcements and contemporary results, 2020-2022.
- New Zealand Race Series. WikiPaintball; historical event calendars, standings and tournament reports.
- 1995 New Zealand Paintball Nationals. WikiPaintball; based on Cameron McLeay, "The New Zealand Nationals", Australian Paintballer, December 1995-February 1996, p. 63.
- 1995 South Island Championships. WikiPaintball; based on "Flashpoint cleans up", Australian Paintballer, April-June 1996, p. 13.
- New Zealand Paintball Nationals. WikiPaintball; championship history compiled from contemporary reports by Rob Maddox and historical tournament records.
- Annual Tournament Events and New Zealand Paintball Series. Mercenaries Star, historical tournament calendar.
- Valhalla 2000 National Rankings. Mercenaries Star, 2000.
- Valhalla 2001 National Rankings. Mercenaries Star, October 2001.
- Rotorua Invitational. WikiPaintball; based on Russell Clement's historical tournament account.
- Volcanic Rotorua Paintball Tournament. Mercenaries Star, original 2001 tournament announcement.
- South Pacific Championships. WikiPaintball; historical competition reports and results.
- 2003 Super 5s. WikiPaintball; based on NZ Paintball Online, June 2003, and archived contemporary results.
- 2003 Auckland Queen's Birthday Superball. WikiPaintball; based on Rob Maddox's contemporary tournament report, June 2003.
- 2006 Super 5s. WikiPaintball; based on NZ Paintball Message Forum results posted 4 December 2006.
- 2007 Super 5s. WikiPaintball; archived event announcements and results.
- New Zealand Premier Paintball League. WikiPaintball; archived XPS and NZPPL records, 2006-2007.
- 2007 New Zealand Paintball Nationals. WikiPaintball; contemporary tournament reports and results.
- 2008 Western Springs Open. WikiPaintball; contemporary organiser results and match reporting.
- 2008 Christchurch Three-Man Tournament. WikiPaintball; archived NZ P8NT announcements and event discussion.
- 2010 Greater Auckland Open. WikiPaintball; contemporary tournament reports and DerDer video archive.
- New Zealand Paintball Players League. WikiPaintball; league history and tournament records, 2011-2014.
- Blacksheep Communications, 2013 NZPPL Finals Video. Scoop, 16 March 2014.
- New Zealand Paintball Players League 2014 Season Rankings. PBLeagues.
- South Auckland Paintball Club 2014 Season Rankings. PBLeagues.
- 2018 NZLS Final Round. WikiPaintball; Bay of Plenty Paintball Club contemporary tournament report.
- 2019 NZLS Hāwera Event. WikiPaintball; Ballistics Unit contemporary report, 27 October 2019.
- 2022 East Coast Paintball League. WikiPaintball; original league calendar and rules announcement, January 2022.
- 2020 New Zealand Race Series Event 1. WikiPaintball; contemporary Ballistics Unit and Victoria Kate Photography reports, March 2020.
- Paintball Factory Cup, April 2021. PBLeagues, official event information and registration data.
- Corkill Cup, October 2021. PBLeagues, official event information and registration data.
- 2022 Arena 5 Man Race Series. WikiPaintball; Arena Paintball published competition calendar.
- Arena Paintball 2026 Race Events. Paintball Direct NZ, official tournament programme.
- 2026 Arena Paintball Labour Day Cup. WikiPaintball; tournament records and final placings reported by Ralph Tsing in October 2026.
- Paintball Players Set to Battle at TECT Park. Rosalie Liddle Crawford, SunLive, 6 June 2026.
- Ashburton Paintball League. Ashburton Paintball, official competition programme.