Massive turnout at 2026 National Tournament
Hundreds of whaanau welcomed by Te Arawa to Rotorua in January as the 2026 National Tournament once again brought iwi from across Aotearoa together for six days of basketball, whakapapa and connection.
Courts across the taaone were full from morning through to evening, with hundreds of teams taking part and packed sidelines creating the kind of atmosphere that has become synonymous with the tournament.
But for many whaanau, the week was about far more than basketball.
It was grandparents watching mokopuna play in their iwi colours, cousins running into each other between games, whaanau filling the stands or sitting courtside, and players sharing the court with people they had grown up alongside.
For some, the National Tournament has become one of the few times each year where so many branches of the whaanau are in the same place at once.
That sense of connection could be felt throughout the week —through haka, the conversations between games, the kapa haka evening, and the pride that came with representing iwi.
The continued growth of the tournament was also hard to miss.
Venues across Rotorua were stretched by the sheer number of players and supporters attending, highlighting both the strength of the kaupapa and the growing demand from whānau wanting to be part of it.
Poituukohu Maaori o Aotearoa said the turnout was a powerful reminder of why the tournament continues to hold such a special place in the calendar.
While champions were crowned and medals handed out at the end of the week, some of the biggest moments happened away from the scoreboard.
They were in the packed courts, the whaanau photos, the tamariki watching from the baseline, the old friends reconnecting, and another generation getting the chance to wear their iwi name across their chest.
After six huge days, the final games brought the 2026 tournament to a close — but for many whaanau, the countdown to the next one had already begun.
Because for those who make the trip each January, the National Tournament is not simply somewhere you go to play basketball. It is somewhere you come home to.