Day 0 – Saturday

We hit the road on Saturday afternoon to avoid icy conditions forecast for Sunday morning. Our overnight stay at the Dunedin Holiday Park gave students a chance to rest, connect, and enjoy a relaxed start to the week ahead.

Day 1 – Sunday

After a short drive from Dunedin to Invercargill, we joined students from six other area schools at ILT Stadium. The day included two training sessions where students developed their skills and bonded with their new teammates.

That evening, we settled into our accommodation at Enwood House—Southland Girls' High School hostel. For many of our students, staying in cubicles and living among peers from across the region was a brand-new and enriching experience.

Day 2 – Monday

Competition Day 1: South of the South vs Central North Island; a fantastic start to the tournament!

 ✅ Wins in:

• Netball
• Girls Basketball
• Boys Basketball
• Girls Volleyball
• Boys Volleyball
  
  

Day 3 – Tuesday

Competition Day 2: South of the South vs Top of the North; another strong day of competition against a highly skilled North team.

 ✅ Wins in:

• Netball
• Boys Basketball
• Girls Basketball
• Ki o Rahi
• Girls Football
• Boys Volleyball
• Girls Volleyball
  
  

Day 4 – Wednesday

Competition Day 3: South of the South vs Top of the South; this is the most prestigious matchup of the tournament—the Battle of the South Island. A win today means our coaches are selected to lead the South Island Representative Teams.

 ✅ Wins in:

• Netball
• Boys Basketball
• Girls Basketball
• Boys Volleyball

Day 5 – Thursday

South Island vs North Island Showdown; congratulations to the following students selected to represent the South Island:

Match Results (South Island vs North Island):

 ✅ Wins in:

• Netball
• Girls Basketball
• Boys Basketball
• Girls Volleyball
• Boys Volleyball
• Rugby

Closing Ceremony:

Kiara Max (Roxburgh Area School, Year 13) represented the South of the South and formally handed over the Mauri to the North Island, who will host next year’s tournament.

We are incredibly proud to announce that the South of the South team won the overall tournament—a historic first in over 20 years!

Even more exciting, six of our Twizel Area School students were named in the New Zealand National Area Schools Team:

🌟 National Team Selections:

• Jackson Parata – Basketball, Football
• Kiara Thyne – Basketball, Netball
• Hazel Mason – Basketball, Netball
• Riley Beattie – Netball
• Mark Lavina – Football
• Hazel Henderson – Football

A Huge Thank You!

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Twizel community for helping us raise the $11,000 needed to make this incredible opportunity possible. Your support has helped create unforgettable memories and open doors for our students on the national stage.

Missy and I couldn’t be prouder of our students this week. It’s been an absolute privilege to support them throughout the tournament and watch them grow, not just as athletes, but as teammates and individuals. Seeing them go from strength to strength, stepping up in every game, and genuinely supporting one another on and off the court has been truly inspiring. Their resilience, determination, and team spirit made this a week we’ll never forget.

Chelsea Lousley
Sports Coordinator

A few comments from our students about their experiences

Going to the National Area Schools was an amazing experience. I’m super thankful to all the sponsors who made it possible for us to go without having to worry about the cost. Also, a huge thank you to Chelsea and Missy  who came with us, and did all the behind the scene work so we could go.  You guys helped so much and made the whole trip even better. I feel really lucky to have been part of it. 

Paige Firman 

Nationals was such an awesome experience. I’m really thankful to all the sponsors and supporters who helped make it happen and covered the costs it meant a lot. The Meridian dinner was a great fundraiser opportunity, and it was cool that some of us could help out and earn some money. A big thank you to Chelsea and Missy who came with us and made it possible, the planning and sacrifices were greatly appreciated. I loved getting to play netball at such a high level, and I’m proud of how I played, how our team played, and how we all represented South of the South with pride.

Myah Gilchrist

This year I was selected to represent my school at the national area school tournament, where I had the opportunity to compete in netball, basketball, and kiorahi. Following the tournament, I was chosen for the NZ team in both netball and basketball. Also, represent a team in the Ki o rahi Nationals this Summer.

This entire experience has been amazing , and I couldn't have done it without the incredible support of our sponsors and staff that came . A massive thank you to everyone who helped with the costs and organizing involved.

Thank you to Chelsea and Missy for getting the team to Nationals and giving up your holiday time for us. We are truly grateful!

Hazel Mason 

The National Area Schools Tournament has been the highlight of my year so far. It was such a great experience to be able to play in a team with friendly faces from our South of the South region. This year we had a new area school join our team and it was so cool to be able to make new friendships and connections through the sports we were playing. Thanks to everyone who had donated for our trip, we wouldn't have been able to go without you!

Hazel Henderson 

I'm super grateful to have been able to attend the Nationals Tournament at no cost! I played basketball and netball and it was an amazing year for our South of South team, it's exciting to say that I was part of the teams that ended up coming away with the win! This was an amazing experience for me and I would like to thank my sponsors, the businesses who went out of their way to support our team and to the parent help and support that went above and beyond with fundraising efforts.  I would not have been able to attend this year without the support I received from our entire community and for that I'm so grateful. 

Kiara Thyne 

Nationals was such a fun time, We made a lot of new friends from other schools, and everyone did great in their sports. Thank you so much to everyone who helped with fundraising we were able to go from $800 to $0, which is amazing. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Big thanks to Chelsea and Missy for all the driving and for always pushing us to do our best. We really appreciate everything you did.

Thanks again to everyone who helped make it happen!

Riley Beattie 

Nationals was a good experience in Invercargill and was fun to do all the sports and winning the tournament was cool. Thanks to all the supporters and sponsors for helping us out and making it free of cost for the trip. Very appreciated. 

Jackson Parata 

Going to nationals was a fun experience. Thanks to all the sponsors, Thanks to Missy Chelsea for helping out behind the scenes and making nationals a more fun experience.

Mason Crawford

I was proud to get picked for Nationals. What made the trip even better was that the trip was zero cost thanks to all the people that chose to help us which really helped take the pressure off all us students in the end and being chosen to represent the school was an amazing opportunity, and I’m grateful for the support that made it possible. 

Jaxon Shaw

Thanks to our sponsors for making nationals possible. My Nationals experience was truly memorable and has sparked the interest of future tournaments. Nationals was a great opportunity to meet new people and to make new friends. I enjoyed it a lot being in the big facilities and going to new places. Thanks to Chelsea and Missy for all the work they put into nationals.

Tom Gould