• Eligible disputes: An official dispute should only be lodged if the complainant deems the incident to ultimately have unfairly affected the outcome of the race, game or match. Decisions made during the normal course of the race, game, or match, by umpires, referees, or match officials will not be accepted as part of the dispute process.

• Eligible parties: An official dispute can only be lodged by a Coach or Team Manager. A team’s Coach and Team Manager must be listed as named personnel in the team information in the Zespri AIMS Games registration portal.

• Lodgement mechanism: An electronic form, with structured fields to capture:

  • School name

  • Principal name and contact details

  • Name and contact details of person lodging the potential dispute

  • Date/time of incident

  • Sporting code details

  • Description of the incident

  • Desired outcome

  • Evidence uploads (photos, videos, statements)

• School Principal endorsement: An official dispute is lodged on behalf of a school.  A representative from the AIMS Games Trust will contact the school’s Principal to obtain their endorsement of an official dispute being lodged.

• Fee payment: A $100 fee will be charged (refunded if the dispute is upheld).  A school can opt for the dispute fee to be paid on invoice.

A potential dispute must be lodged with the sporting code’s Code Coordinator, within 10 minutes of the conclusion of the race, game or match, except in the following sporting codes:

The Code Coordinator will provide the complainant with a QR code to scan, which will provide access for the complainant to complete an electronic disputes form.

• A Disputes Manager (neutral, removed from any sporting code or school) is appointed in advance of the event. Their responsibilities include:

  • Initial review of submissions

  • Filtering out ineligible disputes (based on published guidelines)

  • Acknowledging receipt within a fixed response window (two hours)

• Upon receipt of the completed electronic disputes form, the Disputes Manager will contact the complainant’s School Principal to obtain their endorsement of an official dispute to be lodged on behalf of their school.

• A $100 fee will be charged (refunded if the dispute is upheld).  A school can opt for the dispute fee to be paid on invoice.

• The Disputes Manager maintains a running register of all disputes and their statuses.

• School Principal is contacted directly once a dispute is lodged, regardless of who submitted it.

• The Code Coordinator is notified and kept informed but is not responsible for leading the investigation.

• A copy of the dispute lodgement and progress updates is shared with the Team Manager.

• The Disputes Manager applies the published guidelines to determine:

  • Whether the dispute qualifies for formal investigation

  • Whether it relates to match outcome, conduct, eligibility, etc.

• If not eligible, the disputer will be advised in writing, via email, with an explanation as to why the dispute does not qualify for investigation.

If eligible:

• Disputes Manager engages with the Team Manager, Coach, and/or other relevant parties for clarification and fact-finding.

• Evidence is reviewed.

• A decision is drafted and validated by an internal panel if necessary.

Target turnaround time: Within 6–12 hours (depending on the sporting code and context).

• Decision is formally issued via email and the digital disputes platform.

• If unsatisfied, the school may escalate to an external appeals body, clearly defined and communicated in advance.

• Escalation must occur within 24 hours of receiving the outcome and may involve an additional fee.

• All dispute outcomes are documented and archived.

• A summary of dispute types and outcomes is collated post-event for reflection and process improvement.

• Anonymised data may be used for annual reporting or benchmarking.