Event Details

Dates

Monday 7 – Friday 11 September 2026

Venues

Baywave TECT Aquatic and Leisure Centre - Corner Girven Road and Gloucester Road, Mount Maunganui.

Aquatic Centre - Te Pare a Ruahine - Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, Windermere Campus, 70 Windermere Drive, Tauranga.

Entry Fee

NZ$880.00 per team 

RegistrATION TIMELINE 

Entries Open

Friday 20 March 2026 at 9:00 AM

Entries Close

Wednesday 3 June 2026 at 7:59 PM

All registrations must be submitted online by each school’s designated Zespri AIMS Games Coordinator using their unique login code.

CONTACT

Email: info@nzaimsgames.co.nz

PLANNING INFORMATION

Entry Fees

• NZ$880.00 per team (non-refundable)

• Team withdrawals received after 3 June 2026 will result in loss of the entry fee and a two‑year exclusion from future Zespri AIMS Games.

• Payment is due within 7 days of invoice receipt

• Invoices will be issued to school accounts managers after entries close

Eligibility

Students must be aged over 10 and under 13 years as of 31 December 2025. For the 2026 Games, eligible birth years are 2013, 2014, and 2015. Birthdates must be provided during registration.

Competition Divisions

Water Polo Girls Division

• Maximum of 11 players per team

• Minimum of 8 players per team

• Each school may register a maximum of one Girls’ Water Polo team.

• Teams may be made up of any mix of Year 7 and Year 8 students. There are no restrictions on year group ratios — for example, a Water Polo team may consist entirely of Year 7 students, entirely of Year 8 students, or a combination of both.

Water Polo Open Division

• Maximum of 11 players per team

• Minimum of 8 players per team

• Each school may register a maximum of one Open Water Polo team.

• Teams can be made up of any gender ratio. Teams can be all boys.

• Teams may be made up of any mix of Year 7 and Year 8 students. There are no restrictions on year group ratios — for example, a Water Polo team may consist entirely of Year 7 students, entirely of Year 8 students, or a combination of both.

Pool Size

All teams will play in the 25m pool at the Baywave TECT Aquatic and Leisure Centre (indoor pool) and the 25m pool at the Aquatic Centre – Te Pare a Ruahine (outdoor pool).

Seeding

• Teams will be allocated into pools using a combination of 2025 seedings and geographic distribution.

• Final seedings will be determined at the discretion of the tournament organisers.

• No further correspondence will be entered into regarding seedings.

Multi-Code Participation

• Students may enter more than one sporting code, provided they meet permitted code crossover eligibility.

• Students participating in the 2026 Zespri AIMS Games may enter only one team sport. Those registered in Water Polo are not eligible to compete in 3x3 Basketball, 5-Aside Basketball, Football, Futsal, Hockey, Netball, Rip Rugby or Rugby Sevens.

Please note: No timetable adjustments will be made to accommodate scheduling conflicts between sporting codes. It is the responsibility of each school and the parents/caregivers to ensure that students’ chosen events do not overlap.​​​​​​​

PROGRAMME

RULES​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

1. A tournament committee will be in place to administer and facilitate the running of this tournament.

2. FINA rules, and age-appropriate rules, as adopted by NZWP shall apply.

3. At the completion of the round robin, all games requiring a definite result will move to ‘Golden Goal’ sudden death (first goals win).

4. All games will be played in four x five minutes running time quarters.

5. Players are not permitted in the empty lanes of the pool while another game is being played.

6. Six team members play at once including the goalie.

7. Goalkeepers and players are interchangeable.

8. ALL players on the game sheet MUST play one (1) full period during the first half of the game; no substitutions (other than through injury) are allowed during play within the first two (2) quarters, i.e. a coach plays six (6) players during the complete first quarter of the game and then up to six (6) different players, including the goalkeeper if there is a second goalkeeper listed, during the second quarter.

9. Team named first, on the left of the draw, will wear WHITE caps.

10. Both teams playing the final game for the evening game will be on duty to help reset the pool.

11. Team managers/coaches will serve as goal judges for their respective ends of the pool during matches.

12. No timeouts allowed.

13. 30 second shot clock will apply regardless of having no stop clock.

14. There should be no substitutions in the last minute of last quarter in any games. A 5m penalty will result if this rule is being used to determine a game result.

MEDAL PRESENTATIONS

The top three placed teams in the Girls and Open Divisions will be presented with medals and certificates at the conclusion of the Finals.