Nationals 2026 – July Update
TAG, Hamilton Club and the Midlands Region are looking forward to hosting you at our National Championships in August.
This update provides important information for competitors, umpires, and supporters.
Countries Attending
In addition to our ITFNZ members from throughout the country, we will also be welcoming competitors from Australia and for the first time ever Japan! Lets make sure that all of us welcome and look after our international visitors who have made such an effort to come and compete with us.
Registration Details
Competitor, umpire and Manager/Coach access to the Nationals Ring Marshall registration site is now available via this link:
Competitors can only be registered by their Regional Team Manager. TAG are in regular communication with your Managers who will be liaising with you in terms of the divisions you enter, completing the competitor waiver form, payment of entry fees, and other admin matters. If you have questions about any of these matters, you should contact your regional team manager first.
Umpires
Please register ASAP for Nationals using the Ring Marshall link set out above.
Accommodation on a twin-share basis for full time umpires on Friday and Saturday nights (including breakfast on both mornings) has been pre-booked at the Ibis Hotel on Alma Street in central Hamilton. At this stage it is likely (although not yet confirmed – pending funding application outcomes) that ITFNZ will be able to at least partly subsidise your accommodation at the Ibis. We will provide confirmation of this in the near future.
Please contact Mr Tolley at operations@itkd.co.nz to book yourself a room at the Ibis Hotel. The Ibis is a 5-10 minute walk across Claudelands Bridge (over the mighty Waikato River) to the Claudelands Arena.
Competitor/Team Accommodation
We have very recently been able to secure a discounted rate (10% off best available public rate) for Teams and individuals at the Ibis Hotel and Novotel Hamilton Tainui (both 5-10 mins walk to the Claudelands Arena).
Should you wish to take advantage of this discount, please book directly with the hotels using this link:
https://accorevents.com/offers/taekwon
Carparking
Locations of carparking areas in the overall Claudelands complex are shown on the site plan. The competition venue is the Claudelands Arena. Note that Gate 3C (which accesses the Exhibition Plaza carpark) is only accessible from Gate 3 off Brooklyn Road. Parking within the overall Claudelands site will cost $5 per vehicle per day (cash only accepted) – note that this is not a fund raising mechanism by ITFNZ, it is part of hireage costs levied by the venue.
Plenty of free on-street carparking is available adjacent to Claudelands.
Grandmasters, Masters, TAG members and members with Mobility Parking needs have free allocated parking in the VIP parking accessed through Gate 1 off Heaphy Terrace. VIP names will be pre-registered with Claudelands venue personnel who will admit you to the VIP carparking area.
Master Grant Eccles
Since 2020, our rules have stated that our Tournaments run in accordance with the ITF Tournament Rules. Our rules then duplicated a great deal of the ITF Rules.
This July 2026 version of the ITFNZ rules removes duplication with the ITF Tournament Rules. Our rules set out NZ specific matters such as numbers of individuals and teams allowed for per division, our weight divisions for sparring, heights for Special Technique, numbers of boards for Power etc.
As such, the ITFNZ Rules (July 2026) should be read in in conjunction with the ITF Tournament Rules.
It is important to note that there are no new rules in this 2026 update – as set out above they simply remove duplication with the ITF Tournament Rules.
NEW RULES HERE
Thanks!!
Master Grant Eccles
TAG
Memorandum re National Tournament 2026
Date: 27 February 2026
To: All members
From: Master Grant Eccles, on behalf of the Tournament & Umpires Panel
Subject: National Tournament 2026
We’re excited to bring you this important update regarding the location and dates of this years
National Tournament, to be held on 22nd and 23rd August 2026.
As you know, we were looking forward to hosting Nationals in Christchurch this year. Unfortunately,
despite our best efforts and due to some circumstances beyond our control, we were unable to
secure confirmed venue arrangements in the greater Christchurch area within the required
timeframe.
As a result and to ensure we could provide certainty for competitors, instructors, officials and families
— and deliver the event to the standard our members expect — we can now confirm that this years
Nationals will be held at the Claudelands Events Centre in Hamilton on the 22nd and 23rd of August.
We thank H3 Events and Hamilton City Council for their generous and timely support and sponsorship to allow us to secure the Events Centre as a venue.
