Over 800 students from nine upper North Island universities and technology institutes took to the sports fields on September 20, 2013 on what has become New Zealand’s largest inter-tertiary sporting event.
Co-hosted by Unitec, Massey University Albany and USU Students’ Association at Unitec, this year’s Northern Tertiary Challenge was the biggest to date in the multi-sport event’stwenty-three year history, attracting more students than the New Zealand-wide 2013 University Games.
Students from AUT, MIT, Massey University Albany, New Zealand Institute of Sport, NorthTec, Te Wananga o Aotearoa, Unitec, the University of Auckland and Waikato University came together today at Trusts Arena in Henderson to compete for the prestigious Northern Tertiary Challenge Shield.
Other prizes up for grabs were for the top team in each sport, the Player of the Day in each sport, and the newly introduced Team Spirit Award. Students also competed in a fun tug-of-war challenge.
The Northern Tertiary Challenge was first held in 1992, initiated by polytechnic students who were then not eligible to enter University Games. While the event was set up to cater to polytechnics and universities in Auckland, the scope soon widened to include institutions from all around the upper North Island. In its first three years the shield was won by Carrington Polytechnic (now Unitec) Manukau Polytechnic (now MIT) and Auckland College of Education (now part of University of Auckland).
This year University of Auckland took home the shield, beating defending champions Unitec, who were disappointed to have lost the shield after a two-year reign, but were good-natured about their defeat.
Unitec Student President Ben Kevey said, “While we didn’t win the overall shield, Team Unitec still had a great day. We are a smaller team than UoA so I’m very proud of our efforts, and while it is sad to say goodbye to the shield, it’s probably about time we shared it. Congratulations to University of Auckland.”
Overall Champions – University of Auckland
Team Spirit Award – Manukau Institute of Technology
Tug-of-War Challenge – University of Auckland
Top in Basketball – University of Auckland
Top in Football – University of Auckland
Top in Hockey – Massey University Albany
Top in Netball – AUT
Top in Touch – AUT
Top in Ultimate Frisbee – Waikato University
Top in Volleyball – University of Auckland
