Gisborne has got the nod over Rotorua to host a major touch tournament this year. Photo / Gisborne Herald
Teams are criticising a decision to move a national schools’ tournament from Rotorua to Gisborne, with concern some will be priced out or unable to find accommodation.
The New Zealand Secondary Schools Touch Championships will be held in Gisborne in December, Touch New Zealand announced last month.
The event has been hosted by Rotorua for the past six years. Last year it attracted more than 90 teams, bringing thousands of people to the city.
Critics of the move say it’s impossible to find somewhere for large groups of teenagers to safely stay in Gisborne and claim many schools have decided not to attend.
Touch NZ said it was taking the concerns seriously and trying to help teams find accommodation.
Gisborne leaders were confident the city could pull off hosting the tournament, saying it already caters for large events such as the Rhythm & Vines music festival.
A parent said they had given up trying to get a Waikato team to nationals because there was nowhere left to stay.
The woman, who spoke on the condition she was not named, said she knew of several other teams not attending, including some that previously won medals.
They were instead aiming for next year’s event, which Touch NZ had signalled could be in the South Island.
She said there were concerns about holding national events in areas such as Gisborne.
“It makes a mockery of the results if teams can’t compete because there is no accommodation.”
She said the girls’ team her daughter is in would be upset to learn they could not go as nationals was the pinnacle of the season.
She said she had exhausted all avenues of trying to find accommodation.
“I’ve rung every marae in Tairāwhiti, but the problem with marae is if there is a tangi, you can’t stay there.”
She said there were no boarding schools nearby and many motels could only sleep two people in each unit, which she said was unsuitable for teen groups.
Touch NZ will host the event at Harry Barker Reserve and Nelson Park from December 11 to 13. Expressions of interest open soon for girls’, boys’ and mixed-grade team entries.
The announcement said the venue change was part of its “commitment to growth, inclusion and strengthening regional connections”.
It would also support a community that faced significant challenges in recent years.
“For many participants, this will be their first experience of a major sporting event in Gisborne.”
The news copped criticism on Touch NZ’s Facebook page.
One person said: “Come on Touch New Zealand. You’ve probably just crippled the tournament by changing venue”, estimating Gisborne could host only 30 teams.
Another said Rotorua was an amazing host – cost-effective, central, excellent accommodation – while Gisborne was harder to reach: “We can’t find accommodation either.”
Others claimed schools would be priced out, with one person saying their school’s costs would “triple”.
“This tournament is too big for Gisborne.”
Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell commented on the Facebook page, acknowledging those who preferred Rotorua as host.
She said Rotorua loved hosting touch tournaments and, while sad to see this one go, she wished “Gizzy all the best” and hoped to “welcome you all back to Rotorua” soon.
Touch NZ community engagement and partnerships manager Pat Spellman told NZME the touch community’s concerns had been heard.
The organisation was working with provincial association Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa Touch Association, key partners Trust Tairāwhiti, and local contacts to find solutions.
Spellman said they were engaging with local marae, community halls, private rental providers and other accommodation avenues, and had already “successfully housed schools” struggling to find somewhere online.
Schools could request accommodation help when registering their expression of interest.
Touch NZ was confident Gisborne was “more than equipped” to host the event.
Spellman said Rhythm & Vines catered for more than 20,000 people. Other events held successfully included the National Surf Lifesaving Tournament and Waka Ama Nationals.
He said they were looking forward to enjoying the manaakitanga and sunshine the region was world-famous for.
Trust Tairāwhiti contributed $65,000 towards delivering the Gisborne event. Chief executive Doug Jones said Gisborne had a strong track record of hosting large events, and noted about 700 Rhythm & Vines attendees stayed at motels, Airbnbs, campgrounds and private accommodation.
He said the region’s young local athletes regularly fundraised and travelled long distances to compete at national tournaments, so it was nice for them to compete “on home turf” occasionally.
Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz said Gisborne was “stoked” Touch NZ had chosen it to play host and shared events across New Zealand.
“We have a lot to offer, including beautiful beaches, restaurants and facilities. We look forward to welcoming the schools to Tairāwhiti and wish them all the best of luck at the championships.”
Rotorua Lakes Council community experience group manager Alex Wilson said it was advised of the venue change after inquiring following the 2025 tournament. There was no bidding process.
The council had a five-year agreement with Touch NZ from 2019 to 2024, covering three events annually.
After the first year, Touch NZ chose to bring only the secondary schools event to Rotorua, Wilson said.
In 2025, Touch NZ looked at other cities before asking to return to Rotorua.
“Our district has a long history of successfully hosting large sporting tournaments, offering facilities with experienced event operators and a compact layout that makes it simple for teams, supporters and officials to get around,” Wilson said.
Rotorua’s central location, accommodation network and reputation for manaakitanga also made it an attractive and reliable choice for events.
“We continue to value our longstanding relationship with Touch New Zealand and remain open to future [hosting] opportunities,” Wilson said.
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.