Central Otago Hockey Association

Saturday marked the final wrap-up of our Year 5 & 6 Development Program with an awesome tournament! It was absolute perfection on and off the field, filled with sunshine, endless laughter, and some seriously impressive hockey skills!

​We want to send a huge thank you to Otago hockey and North Otago for traveling to Central to join in on the fun and bring such high energy to the day.

​To our incredible coaches, managers, and umpires: thank you for all your hard work on day

After a lengthy wait, we are proud to announce our Central Otago Senior Men’s and Women’s National Hockey Championship (NHC) teams as they prepare to take on the country's best!
In just two weeks from today, our teams will officially be stepping out onto the turf in Wellington for the tournament!
Congratulations to all the players selected to represent Central Otago! 🎉

Catch Them in Action Before They Head Away!
Senior Men vs. Southland
Gore | 30th August|11:00 AM

Senior Women vs. Southland
Cromwell | Sunday, Sept 6th | 11:00 AM

Can’t Make It to Wellington?
Don't miss a single moment of the tournament! You can stream all the action live and tune in to cheer on our teams from home on www.hockeynz.tv
Best of luck to both teams as they complete their preparations.
Let’s go Central!

The rain has moved on, the sun is shining, and we're ready for a fantastic Saturday of hockey!

Central Otago Hockey is excited to welcome teams from North Otago and Otago to Cromwell this weekend for the Year 5 & 6 Tournament. We look forward to seeing our young players showcase their skills, enjoy great competition, and make lasting memories on and off the turf.

A huge welcome to all players, coaches, families, and supporters travelling to Cromwell.

Safe travels, and we can't wait to see you all!

PREM FINALS ROUNDUP

What. A. Weekend.

What a massive weekend of action! In true Central Otago fashion — the snow rolled in and delivered absolute chaos.

The finals delivered pure drama, heartbreak, and history‑making moments from start to finish.

Matakanui def. Cromwell Braves

The Braves finished their season with two massive goals, proving they weren’t going quietly.

Wakatipu Men def. Upper Clutha men

Wakatipu Men stepped up and outplayed Upper Clutha with a strong, composed performance.

Cromwell def. Alex

Alexandra fought right to the final whistle , pushing hard, creating chances , but just couldn’t crack the Cromwell defensive wall

WOMEN’S FINALS:

WAKATIPU WOMEN TAKE THE CROWN! After years of knocking on the door, they finally broke through to pull off the massive win over Upper Clutha!

GAME OF THE DAY:

Mavericks vs. Cromwell
Cromwell turned into one of the wildest games of the day.. You couldn't script this if you tried!

Locked in at 3-3 at full time, this nail-biter went all the way to a nerve-wracking shootout... where Cromwell held their composure to sn**ch the victory!

THANK YOU, LEGENDS, What a season. Huge shutout to every team, every supporter, every coach, every sideline hero who, cheered, and lived every moment. You all make this competition what it is.!!

Don't miss out!!! Registration close tonight for our years 7 & 8 development program.

We are excited by the responses so far, but we're on the hunt for a few more boys to put their names forward. We are incredibly close to being able to create two teams for the Tessa jopp tournament and we would love to give as many players as possible the opportunity to be involved.

So if you have been sitting on the fence, now is your time to register.

The countdown to the 2026 Year 7 & 8 Tessa Jopp Tournament is officially on, and the trophy is taking a wee road trip to Dunedin!
Central Otago proudly took home the trophy in last year's inaugural tournament. Now we're looking for our next group of players to represent the region and defend the title.

Tournament Dates: 26–27 September
Eligibility: Open to all players in the Kwik Sticks grade.
This year we are offering two tier options:
Competitive or Development
6-Week Programme
Weeks 1–3: Player Development
Weeks 4–6: Team Focus
Training Details (Cromwell):
Girls: Tuesdays, 5:00pm–6:00pm (Starts 18 August)
Boys: Wednesdays, 5:00pm–6:00pm (Starts 19 August)

Registrations close: Sunday, 16th August
Register here: https://www.playhq.com/hockey-new-zealand/register/311f78

We need volunteers!
We're looking for Coaches, Team Managers, umpires and Parent Helpers. If you’d like to support our young hockey players and help this a fantastic tournament, we’d love to hear from you.
Join us on the road to Dunedin and be part of an unforgettable campaign! 🏑

SEMI-FINALS RECAP...
If last weekend’s semi-final drama was any indication, this Saturday’s Finals Day is going to be an absolute blockbuster!
Wakatipu vs. Cromwell Women . Cromwell hit the turf firing, building a dominant 3-0 lead but Wakatipu fought their way back to level the score 3-3 by full time. With the match heading to shootouts, Wakatipu held their nerve to secure a spot in the Women's Final against Upper Clutha.
And the Upsets Kept Coming...
In another thrilling matchups, a determined Alexandra team delivered a big performance to defeat Matakanui.
Mavericks snapped their string of draws in style, powering past a strong Wakatipu side 5-2 to punch their ticket to the Men's Final.
Upper Clutha Men and Cromwell Men fought out an absolute nail-biter. Locked at 2-2 at full-time, sending the semi-final to a shootout with the Cromwell Men advancing
If the semi-finals were this wild... imagine what Finals Day has in store!

FINALS DAY SCHEDULE
10:45 AM — Matakanui vs. Cromwell Braves ( Women's 5th/6th Playoff)
12:15 PM — Upper Clutha Men vs. Wakatipu Men (Men's 3rd/4th Playoff)
1.45PM — Cromwell vs. Alexandra (Women's 3rd/4th Playoff)
3:15 PM — Wakatipu Women vs. Upper Clutha Women (Women's Final)
5:00 PM — Cromwell Men vs. Cromwell Mavericks (Men's Final)

Head down to the turf this Saturday to cheer on your teams as they go head-to-head for the last time.

The 2026 Senior Reserve season came to a memorable close under surprisingly mild winter conditions. Our senior teams displayed incredible commitment, respect, and energetic hockey .
The final round delivered all the drama, skill, and excitement we could have hoped for.

Girls Final (1st/2nd Place): DHS 1sts Vs Wakatipu 1sts
Wakatipu fought hard, but Dunstan worked harder, taking out the championship in a high-scoring 6-3 thriller!
Boys Final (1st/2nd Place): Wakatipu Vs DHS
Dunstan Boys 1st team put on a stellar performance against Wakatipu to seal a 7-1 victory

Across the rest of the grade, every team left their all on the turf to round out their 2026 campaign.

Girls
Cromwell Girls vs. DHS Black (3rd/4th Place): A standout performance from the Cromwell Girls, who put together a seamless team effort to claim a brilliant 4-1 victory over DHS Black and lock in 3rd spot!
UCHC 1sts vs. DHS Red (5th/6th) : Both sides threw everything at each other in a fierce battle to close out their season!
WHS 2nds vs. Cromwell Girls 2nds (7th/8th Place): Cromwell 2nds stepped up when the pressure was on, digging deep to earn a hard-fought 3-2 victory over a very determined Wakatipu side.

Boys
Cromwell 1sts vs. UCHC Boys: (3rd/4th place)Cromwell 1sts sealed their week in style, putting together a commanding performance to take a strong 3-1 win over Upper Clutha Hockey Club Boys.
Boys
Maniototo vs. Cromwell Mixed : (7th/8th place) An absolute nail-biter down to the final whistle! Cromwell Mixed fought valiantly in a tight, end-to-end clash, just coming up short 2-3 against Maniototo.
Cromwell
Catch the last remaining game as DHS 2nds take on WHS 2nds (5th & 6th Place) this Friday 14th in Cromwell at 6:30 PM.

Massive congratulations to all our grade winners, runners-up, and every single player who stepped onto the turf this season.
To our players moving on, thank you for everything you’ve given to our competition and your clubs over the years. Best of luck with your next chapter!
To those sticking around, rest up and get ready to do it all over again.

A huge thanks to all the parents, taxi drivers, coaches managers, umpires, frost bitten sideline supporters 👏

OUR LITTLEST LEGENDS!
While the spotlight may have been on our Premier and Senior Reserve players lately, there's a bunch of hockey-mad youngsters quietly plotting their takeover of those teams in a few years' time.

The Kwik Sticks Finals delivered plenty of excitement, with the future of Central Otago hockey on full display!

Girls Competition
In an all-Cromwell showdown, the Cromwell Miners struck gold, defeating the Cromwell Panners to take out the title.
The battle for 3rd and 4th saw Alexandra come away with the win over Wakatipu.

Mixed Competition
The Mighty Maniototo proved they're building a dynasty, claiming back-to-back titles with a win over Alexandra Boys in the final.
Cromwell Boys secured 3rd place over Matakanui, while Wakatipu finished in 5th.

A huge congratulations to all the players, coaches, families, and supporters. Whether there were goals scored, shin pads lost, or post-match lollies consumed, these young players put on a fantastic display of skill, determination, and sportsmanship.
The future of hockey is in good hands!

Premier Semi Finals

The Women's Quarter Finals delivered plenty of excitement last weekend!
Upper Clutha dominated Wakatipu to secure their place straight through to next Saturday's Grand Final.
Cromwell took a while to warm up against Alexandra, but once the wheels started turning, there was no stopping them, powering away to a convincing 6-2 victory.
Matakanui earned a well-deserved win over the Braves to keep their season alive.

Now it's down to the Semi Finals this Saturday!

11:00am | Wakatipu vs. Cromwell
Can Wakatipu bounce back and prove they have what it takes to stop Cromwell? Or will Cromwell continue their charge and keep their finals hopes alive?

12:30pm | Matakanui vs. Alexandra.
Matakanui will look to build on last week's momentum, while Alexandra will be determined to bounce back and fight for a chance for 3rd & 4th

Men's Premier
3.30pm UCHC vs. Cromwell.
Can Cromwell continue their impressive late-season form and book their place in the Grand Final, or will Upper Clutha prove why they've been one of the competition's strongest ? With a spot in the final up for grabs, both teams will be leaving everything on the turf.

5pmMavs VS Wakatipu Beavers
Can the Mavs finally break the curse of the draw when it matters most and knock off top-of-the-table Wakatipu? The last time these two teams met, they couldn't be separated, finishing in a thrilling 4-4 draw. Something has to give this weekend!

The temperatures may be dropping, but the competition is heating up as we reach the closing chapter of Senior Reserve Hockey for 2026. Across two nights of finals action, our teams will take the field one last time to battle it out for final placings and those all-important 2026 bragging rights. For some players, these matches will mark the last time they wear the colours of their school or club team, bringing a special hockey journey to a close and opening the door to new opportunities ahead. So, wrap up warm, pack the sidelines, cheer loudly, celebrate the season that was, and enjoy some great hockey, great company, and a sweet treat from Mr Whippy.

Thursday 6th August
Senior Girls Finals Fixtures
Grand Final in Cromwell.
WHS1sts vs DHS1sts 1sts 7:25pm
The top-of-the-table WHS Girls take on DHS 1sts in what promises to be an exciting clash for the Senior Championship and 2026 bragging rights.

3rd & 4th Playoff 6.05pm Cromwell1st vs DHS Black
5th & 6th Playoff UCHC vs DHS Red 4.45pm

Queenstown turf Fixture 7th & 8th 5pm
Cromwell 2nds vs WHS 2nds

Friday 7th August
Senior Boys Finals Fixtures
Championship Final in Cromwell
DHS vs WHS 4:15pm
An earlier kick-off for the big one, with DHS and WHS going head-to-head to be crowned the 2026 Senior Hockey Champions.

3rd & 4th Playoff
Cromwell vs UCHC 6.55pm
Who will finish the season on the podium?

7th & 8th Playoff 5.35pm
Maniototo vs Cromwell Mixed
One final push to finish the season strong.

Queenstown Turf Fixture
5th & 6th
WHS 2nds vs DHS 2nds 7:00pm