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UTSNZ is proud to unveil its latest award – Te Kaitiaki – to be presented for the first time this year. Te Kaitiaki, the National Tertiary Spirit Champion award recognises the tertiary institution that has captured the spirit of national championship events as determined by participant vote across all UTSNZ National Tertiary Championships throughout the year.

Over 100 students hit the courts for the National Tertiary Badminton Championship and Tertiary Badminton Cup events held at the AUT North Campus over the weekend, taking the tertiary badminton nationals on-campus for the first time ever. In another first, Championship and Challenge Series events were held side-by-side, giving twice as many students the opportunity to represent their universities, compete for a national title, and connect with others from across the country.

We head into the second half of the 2021 UTSNZ event calendar this weekend as student-athletes take the courts at the AUT North Campus in Auckland for the National Tertiary Badminton Championship. After being held in badminton halls across the country for the past 5 years, the event moves on-campus for the first time in its history.

The University of Auckland achieved a rare feat at the National Tertiary Volleyball Championship last weekend with both their men’s and women’s teams lifting the event shields and earning the title of Tertiary Volleyball Champions for 2021. Also achieving an impressive double was their opposition, the University of Canterbury, who played their way into both Grand Finals.

There is set to be a lot of young talent on display as men's and women's teams from across the country prepare for the National Tertiary Volleyball Championship. As the sport at the secondary school level continues to go from strength to strength, we check in with a few students who will be tasting tertiary volleyball for the first time in Christchurch on the 17th & 18th of July.

Online introduction sessions will commence this weekend for selected participants in the 2021 FISU Volunteer Leaders Academy (FVLA). Read more on the event and New Zealand's representative here.

With the 2021 FISU World University Games postponed until next year, New Zealand Broadcasting School student Jess Dermody talks to UC athlete Christina Ryan about what the postponement means for her and other aspiring student athletes. Read Jess's story on Metronews here.

The South Island Universities reigned supreme at the Tertiary Futsal Championships 2021, held over the last four days at Palmerston North’s Central Energy Trust Arena. Read more about the tournament delivered by UTSNZ and New Zealand Football here.

After a hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Tertiary Futsal Championship makes a return this week as athletes hit the courts at the Central Energy Trust Arena in Palmerston North from Thursday through Sunday. The tournament will see seven university teams in both the men’s and women’s tournaments for the very first time, proving the opportunity to be as popular as ever among student-athletes. Read more here.

The Canterbury women and Auckland men have taken out UTSNZ 3X3 Tertiary Championships, presented by Stuff, at ASB Sports Centre in Wellington on Sunday. Both finals reversed the lead-up form with the lower ranked sides upstaging the favourites in the tournament deciders. Read more here.

Stuff is continuing its support of basketball in New Zealand by becoming the Presenting Partner for the UTSNZ's National Tertiary Basketball Championships. National Sports Editor Fred Woodcock says Stuff is pleased to continue their partnership with Basketball New Zealand and additionally support University and Tertiary Sport New Zealand (UTSNZ). The addition of Stuff as a presenting partner is a fantastic vote of confidence and boost in exposure for tertiary sport in New Zealand. Read more on the announcement here.

On 7 December 2020 it was confirmed that due to COVID-19, Rowing NZ did not intend to send athletes to compete at international regattas throughout 2021, excluding the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta and the Tokyo Olympic Games. However, it is still the intention of Rowing NZ to select and support age group squads irrespective of international travel throughout 2021. A World University squad has been selected and will train together over the course of the winter and race at the Development Regatta from 21 - 28 August 2021 at Lake Karapiro. Read more on the team announcement here.

University and Tertiary Sport NZ have received official confirmation from FISU that the 2021 World University Games scheduled for August in Chengdu, China have been postponed until 2022 due to ongoing Covid19 restrictions

One of the most fiercely contested events on the inter-tertiary calendar, the Aon New Zealand University Rowing Championships is held around Easter time each year and universities from all around the country compete in grades ranging from completely Novice to Championship level in all sizes of boats, from singles to eights. Read more to find out where it all started.

Ever wondered when the first ever inter-tertiary swim meet happened? Check out our latest sport profile here which talks about the history of swimming in the university and tertiary sport programme, as well as where the sport is heading.

Tom Mackintosh graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from Canterbury University in 2019 and is a member of the New Zealand rowing team. "University rowing complimented my studies, and I am grateful I was able to represent my country whilst doing so". Read more about Tom's journey from starting rowing at Lindisfarne College, to rowing while studying at university, to now being a member of the NZ Elite Team.

Northern futsal rivalries between the University of Auckland, AUT and the University of Waikato will be reignited at the University of Auckland’s tri-series tournament beginning Thursday the 22nd of October. Men’s and women’s teams from the three universities will compete in the unique 2-day round robin event - read on for more details.

The University of Otago men’s and women’s basketball teams are travelling up to Christchurch this weekend to take on Lincoln University and the University of Canterbury as the three rivals do battle in the South Island Derby, with the Southern Universities Challenge shield up for grabs. The team lists are in and the schedule is set with the first round of games tipping off at 10am on Sunday.

The 2020 National Tertiary Badminton Championship was held at the Counties Manukau Badminton Association over the weekend with 48 students representing six universities in seven teams. It was a gripping tournament with plenty of close matches as seen across the country on Sky Sport Next. Read on for a full wrap of the weekend's event.

The first and only official National Tertiary Championship event for 2020 is set to get underway this weekend with the much-anticipated badminton championship being hosted by the Counties Manukau Badminton Association.

The connection between UTSNZ and the Ara Institute of Canterbury has been strengthening in recent times as UTSNZ Executive Director Sarah Anderson joined a group of students from Ara’s New Zealand Broadcasting School live on the Metronews broadcast this week. Read more about the relationship that's developed between the two organisations here.