The top Tauranga men’s water polo team are gunning to defend their national league title – which they’ve held for the last three years – in the two-month 2025 competition that began in early May.

Tauranga Water Polo Club chairman Mark Edgecombe said the Division 1 men’s team had snatched the Suzuki New Zealand National Water Polo Club League crown in 2022, 2023 and 2024 – so have started the competition this year as the team to beat.

“This year would be the first for any club to get four titles if we were to be fortunate enough to win,” said Edgecombe.

The National League runs from May 3-June 22 with six teams competing in Division 1 – Tauranga, Canterbury, Hutt, Marist, North Harbour and a new men’s side for 2025, Sea Wolf.

Edgecombe said the Division 1 men will be looking to set the tone early and remind everyone why they’ve been so dominant.

“We’ve only just started this year, so I guess it remains to be seen who the other strong teams are, but it has been teams like Marist or Hutt [that] have been pretty strong last year as well.”

Tauranga men's water polo team coach Joe Kayes with the team before practice. Photo / Mark Edgecombe

Edgecombe said teams will play each other home and away in a double round-robin format. “Then it all wraps up with finals weekend in Tauranga on June 28 [to] 29, where every team will be in the mix.”

This Saturday, May 10, spectators can enjoy all the action as Tauranga take on the North Harbour Turtles, who will battle it out from 1pm at Baywave in Mount Maunganui.

“This league gives squad members a platform for up-and-coming players to test themselves at the highest domestic level,” said Edgecombe, who said his club also have a Division 2 men’s team and a women’s team competing in their respective categories in the competition.

“The women’s is a round robin that’s going to be played around the country over different weekends,” said Edgecombe.

“The men’s Division 2 is something similar, they move between different pools and different clubs during the season and at the end of June there’s a playoff series here at Baywave, which will consist of semifinals and finals.”

The National League includes competitions for age groups – Under-12s, U16s, U18s and US21s, before the senior categories.

Tauranga rep Anton Sunde (No 8) marking the centre forward at training this week. Photo / Mark Edgecombe

Bay Venues’ head of aquatics Matthew Strange said his staff were really looking forward to hosting the upcoming National League games at Baywave. “Tauranga Water Polo has been performing strongly on the national stage, and we are proud to be their home pool.

“We love the energy these events bring to our aquatic centre and the positive flow-on effects they have for the city.”