New Zealand Secondary Schools Winter Tournament Week once again proved successful for Trident and Whakatāne High schools.

There were teams that won their respective tournaments, teams who placed in the top three, teams who earned spots at national events and teams and individuals who did their schools proud – medals or no medals.

Trident High School’s first XI boys’ hockey team won the Mayhill Cup, earning them a spot in the Rankin Cup for 2026.

Whakatāne High School’s senior A netball team are back in A grade next year, after winning a thrilling final in the B grade to earn automatic promotion.

Their girls’ hockey team, competing in the Federation Cup and Marie Fry Cup for the first time in many years, picked up a bronze medal in the Marie Fry Cup, confirming their spot for 2026.

Whakatāne High School had over 140 students competing at regional and national events during winter tournament week.

Players and coaches were extremely positive, with the main enjoyment coming from playing new teams, competing against top schools from around the country and playing with mates.

Whakatāne High School’s director of sport, Ben Sexton, said tournament week was always a fantastic week for the teams and this year was no different.

“All teams represented the school with pride and put in their best effort. These opportunities do not happen without the coaches and managers, so WHS would like to thank everybody who gave up their time to coach and manage throughout the season and during tournament week,” he said.

“We’re extremely happy with the results of all the teams, with many showing improvement on previous years’ results. The school sent a rugby team to a tournament for the first time in a few years, and we had a large contingent of equestrian riders, which was cool.”

Sexton said a highlight was the performances of the girls’ hockey team and the premier netball side.

“We were especially proud of the girls’ 1st hockey team and the premier netball team that came away with medals.”

The Whakatāne High School girls 1st XI hockey team competed at Fed Cup/Marie Fry Trophy for the first time in many years after winning a tier three-tournament last year.

The team earned third place in division 2, which was an outstanding result, and were the highest placed team from the BOP and Tauranga regions.

“Whakatāne High School premier netball team had the goal of making top five in B grade at UNISS to qualify for A grade in 2026. The girls exceeded this goal and dominated the grade throughout the week, which culminated in a one-goal victory to win B grade, the best result at UNISS for over a decade for the school.”

Sexton said there were several other teams that performed strongly.

“The school also had boys’ and girls’ football teams, a basketball team, 2nd XI girls and boys hockey teams, boys’ and girls’ badminton teams, an under-15 boys’ rugby team and a group of 15 equestrian students.”

It was also a successful week for Trident High School, which sent 110 students away for the week, competing across cycling, equestrian, football, hockey, netball and rugby league.

For the first time in a while, they had an equestrian team travel to Taupō for the North Island competition, bringing home a fourth-place ribbon in Competitive Trail Riding.

The Trident boys’ football team flew to Christchurch for their tournament. They started strongly with four wins and a draw, earning a place in the semi-finals and finishing fourth overall to cap off a good season.

The Trident girls’ hockey team were unlucky not to finish higher at their tournament. They were unbeaten this year, winning both Round 1 and Round 2 of the BOP Secondary School competition.

At tournament, they drew their pool game against Cambridge High and won the other two games, which saw them finishing first equal in pool play CHS went through to the top eight on goal differential.

The girls were undeterred, winning their remaining games to finish ninth out of 32 teams.

Lilly Collombet continued her cycling success, placing third in the Northern Tour Hill Climb and fourth in the Individual Time Trial, capping off a busy couple of months.

Trident Netball have extended their season by qualifying for nationals in three weeks.

The top six teams from the UNISS tournament progressed through, with Trident performing well in pool play to make the top 16.

A couple of good wins lifted them into the top eight, and they finished in sixth place. They are now looking forward to competing among the top 16 teams in the country.

Trident’s 1st XI boys’ hockey team travelled to North Harbour to compete in the Mayhill Cup. They secured wins against St Peter’s College, Westlake Boys’ 2XI and Ōtūmoetai to top their pool before beating Mount Maunganui College 1st XI and Hauraki Plains College in the play-offs, moving on to the final against Westlake Boys’ 2XI once again.

In a tight match, they took the win 2-1 to claim the Mayhill Cup for 2025. This victory also qualifies the team for the Rankin Cup next year.

Trident High School sports co-ordinator Steph Walker said it was a cracking week for the students.

“It’s always a privilege to see teams and individuals develop through the season and to have opportunities such as Tournament Week. There are many people who contribute to a team’s success – the players, coaches, managers, TICs, whānau, the wider community and sponsors.

“We thank every person who supported our athletes this season. We also acknowledge and thank all our sponsors and our major Winter Tournament Week sponsors, NZCT and Aotearoa Gaming Trust.”

Principal Mikaere October said Trident teams always did the school proud during Winter Tournament Week, and this year was no exception.

“Tournament Week was a fantastic showcase of sport for Trident High School, confirming once again that Trident is a powerhouse in sport. Teams competed across the country in boys’ hockey (Auckland), girls’ hockey (Tauranga), boys’ football (Christchurch), girls’ football (Napier), rugby league 1st XIII and U15 (Auckland), equestrian (Taupō), premier 1 netball (Auckland) and cycling (Auckland).

“Across all codes, the athletes showed resilience, determination, and pride in wearing Trident colours, producing strong performances and building valuable experience for the future.

“The standout moments came in hockey and netball. The 1st XI boys’ hockey team claimed the Mayhill Cup in Auckland, going unbeaten through the week and defeating Westlake Boys 2-1 in the final to qualify for the prestigious Rankin Cup next year.

“The premier 1 netball team secured a coveted top-six finish at UNISS in Auckland, qualifying them for the New Zealand Secondary Schools Nationals – an outstanding achievement against the strongest schools in the region.”