21U National Championships attract international talent to Christchurch & Rotorua

The 2025 21U National Water Polo Championships are set to make a splash this weekend, with both the men’s and women’s tournaments kicking off on Saturday, 23 August. Christchurch and Rotorua will play host to New Zealand’s top young talent as clubs from across the country – alongside visiting Australian teams – battle it out for national glory over four days of competition.

High-calibre competition attracts Australian teams

Australia is again sending teams to the 21U Nationals, with an eye on both player development and international experience. Speaking ahead of the tournament, Australian staff highlighted the value of the event:

“We are very much looking forward to coming back to NZ for another great competition. The NZ 21U Nationals provides us with a high calibre competition against more mature and experienced players from which our national age group program players’ performances can be assessed and evaluated.”

Women’s Championship – Christchurch

The 2025 21U Women’s National Championships will be held at Jellie Park Aquatic Centre, with six teams representing seven clubs in action from Saturday.

Competing Teams:

• Canterbury Red U21W

• Harbour City Hawks U21W

• Mainland U21W*

• Marist Red U21W

• Otago U21W

• WaiBOP U21W*
  *denotes composite/barbarian team

Ones to Watch:

• Hosts Canterbury Red, who lifted the trophy in 2023, return looking to reclaim the crown in front of their home crowd.

• Two new composite teams – Mainland U21W (Harbour City, Hutt, Canterbury and Otago players) and WaiBOP U21W (a Waikato/Tauranga mix) – could shake up the competition and create some early surprises.

Men’s Championship – Rotorua

The 2025 21U Men’s National Championships will take place at Rotorua Aquatic Centre, featuring 11 teams from across New Zealand and Australia.

Competing Teams:

• Australian U18M Barbarians

• Australian U18M Buccaneers

• Canterbury Black U21M

• Canterbury Red U21M

• Dolphins*

• Marist Red U21M

• North Harbour Maroon U21M

• Orcas*

• Tauranga U21M

• Waikato U21M

• WPQ 18U Boys
  *denotes composite/barbarian team

Ones to Watch:

• Tauranga U21M will look to complete a historic three-peat, having claimed the national title in both 2023 and 2024.

• A strong Australian contingent, with two U18 teams plus the WPQ 18U Boys, adds international flavour and will provide a stern test for local sides.

• Barbarian squads like the Dolphins and Orcas bring together talent from across the country and could cause a few upsets.

Stay connected

Follow all the action, results, and updates throughout the week:

• Official webpage: https://nzwaterpolo.org.nz/21u-national-championships

• Draws and results: https://nzwaterpolo.org.nz/draws-and-results/21u-national-championships-2025

• WPNZ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waterpolonz/

• WPNZ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nzwaterpolo