High-Performance

If you aspire to play Underwater Hockey at the highest levels offered in NZ then you have come to the right place!

For more information on all things High-Performance please reach out to Jason Hart, Christchurch Underwater Hockey's High-Performance Coordinator, 2-time NZ Representative, and 2011 U19 Men's Silver-Medalist.

Regional Level:

The entry to high-level hockey, if you aspire to one day wear the fern and play for New Zealand then you must first step outside your comfort zone and play on the regional level.

Each year there are two regional-level tournaments offered, one for school-aged athletes and one for adult athletes.

Interzones (Elite Regionals)

The Interzone Championships is New Zealand’s most prestigious underwater hockey tournament, where the country’s top players compete for their home regions.  The tournament brings the elite New Zealand Underwater Hockey players together and is run in accordance with full international CMAS Rules and pro referees.

The grades for this tournament are Elite Men and Elite Women with Men’s and Women’s Masters grades played if there are sufficient numbers.

This tournament is held in Wellington in March / April each year subject to pool availability and Easter Holidays.

For this tournament, Christchurch joins with the entire South Island to create joint Southern teams to compete at the tournament. These teams are selected by a joint committee with representatives from each club to fairly select the best teams possible to attend.

U18 Interzones (U18 Regionals)

The same format as Elite Interzones. Held at the end of each calendar year recently in October.

For this tournament Christchurch players will join with Nelson to go and compete against the top u18 athletes in NZ.

International Level:

The pinnacle of Underwater Hockey in the world. On the international stage, 4 grades are offered in both Men's and Women's divisions.

  • Under 19s & Under 24s competing at Age-Group World Championships on a two-year cycle
  • Elites & Masters competed at World Championships on a four-year cycle.

At the international level, you will attend training camps over the course of the International cycle before selection will typically take place 4 months out from the tournament.

Training Camps

Typically the U19 trial squad will be selected at the U18 Interzones competition each year. For each other grade, the opening training camp often held over a year out from the International competition will be open sign-up allowing anybody to enter their name.

More information on how to get involved will be shared by Jason Hart as opportunities arise.

Trans-Tasman Competitions

In the U19 & U24 age groups, Australia and New Zealand compete for the Trans-Tasman Championship during years in which there is no Age-Group World Championship.

The location of these tournaments switch between NZ and Aus annually, and the timing varies year to year.

Age-Group World Championships

Next: Malaysia, July 16th - July 27th 2024

This is the bi-annual CMAS Age Group Underwater Hockey World Championship competition and is held at different locations across the world.

The Age-Group World Champs are held over a two-week period around 15 July in the year of the tournament.

Elite World Championship Qualification Competition

Next: Singapore, April  or May 2025 (TBC)

Countries from Asia, The Americas, and Oceania come together to compete for one of 4 spots available to play at the Elite World Championship competition.

Elite World Championship

This is the CMAS Underwater Hockey World Championship competition and is held at different locations across the world.

The World Champs are held over a two-week period around 15 July in the year of the tournament.