NZ Heritage Hockey squads compete in their First Ever Competition

When NZ Heritage Hockey received an invitation to compete in The Hockey Experience U18 Quad Series, the opportunity to put our very first NZ Heritage representative teams together was too exciting to turn down.   That we were able to provide this opportunity in the youth space was even better as it aligned with one of our core strategies.

In December 2024, Queensland, T.H.E. North, T.H.E. South and the NZ Heritage Hockey U18 squads came together in competition at St Paul’s Collegiate in Hamilton.   The competition was held over five days with each team playing six games each – culminating in a final’s series for the title.

The NZHH U18 squads represented a mix of different ethnicities that included Indian, Maori, Pasifika, Asian, South African and German backgrounds – a rich blend of people where their differences of culture bought them closer together.  To see the players be proud of their respective heritage, brandishing flags throughout the tournament and performing a haka in the girl’s final showed just what NZ Heritage Hockey is all about.

The hockey itself was fantastic.   The boys didn’t get the results that they would have wanted but showed what they were capable of with close matches throughout and some highly skilful play.   The girls went all the way to the final going down to a very well drilled Queensland outfit, but again, played strongly as a team whilst learning a new structure.

The best we can ask for from events like this is the support from our players – that they enjoyed the competitive level of the hockey as well as the environment within the squads.   All of which was overwhelmingly positive with all players wanting more opportunities like this in the future.    We can’t wait to announce the next U18 events and look forward to bringing through emerging talent from the heritage fold to join our experienced team.