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Created article on the South Pacific Championships, a historic Wellington-region paintball tournament. Documents the 14–15 April 2001 championship at Thunderball, Manor Park, its five-player centre-flag format, organiser John Clement, participating teams and original Valhalla ranking records. Includes contemporary archived sources.
 
Link the 1994–1996 edition articles, distinguish the cancelled and advertised editions, improve contemporary magazine citations and add the Wellington category. Preserve the documented 2000–2002 history and results.
 
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'''South Pacific Championships''', also known as the '''New Zealand South Pacific Championship''' or '''South Pacs''', was a paintball tournament associated with the Wellington region of New Zealand. Its history includes an early account of ten-player competition, five-player tournaments in 2000–01 and seven-player competition in 2002.[1][6][8][9]


{{Short description|Historical New Zealand paintball tournament held in the Wellington region}}
It was separate from the [[South Pacific Paintball Championships (Australia)|similarly named Australian competition]].
 
The '''South Pacific Championships''', also known as the '''South Pacs''', was a New Zealand tournament [[paintball]] competition associated with the Wellington region. It was one of the country's established regional tournaments during the late 1990s and early 2000s, attracting teams from both the North and South Islands.[1]
 
The competition was associated with Thunderball Paintball at Manor Park, in the Wellington region. The 2001 championship took place on 14–15 April and used an open five-player centre-flag format.[2]
 
The tournament formed part of the New Zealand competitive paintball calendar alongside events including the [[Northland Open]], [[Wellington Cup]] and [[New Zealand Paintball Nationals]]. Its results were incorporated into the independent [[Valhalla National Rankings]].[1][3]


== History ==
== History ==
=== Early history ===
=== Early history ===
In an account of [[House Steiner]]'s formation, Willy Aull recalled that John Sheldon and Lyall Norton of Thunderball Adventure Games were planning the first Wellington South Pacific Open during 1990. The proposed tournament used ten-player teams. This date comes from Aull's retrospective account.[1]


The South Pacific Championships was established before 2001, although its precise founding date has not been confirmed.
=== 1994 ===
 
The [[1994 South Pacific Championships|planned 1994 edition]] was cancelled because of insufficient entries. In contemporary correspondence, Tony Witheridge attributed the limited participation partly to players being unable to afford the entry fee.[2]
The contemporary [[Mercenaries Star]] tournament calendar described the competition as one of New Zealand's oldest events and noted that its central location attracted teams from both main islands.[1]
 
The event was associated with the Wellington paintball community and the Thunderball playing facility at Manor Park.
 
The tournament was commonly called the South Pacs.
 
A separate Mercenaries Star calendar identified the Auckland-based APSA Easter Challenge as an alternative event for teams unable to travel to Wellington for the South Pacs.[4]
 
=== 2001 championship ===
 
The 2001 South Pacific Championships was scheduled for '''14–15 April 2001''' at Thunderball, Manor Park, which the contemporary event notice identified as being in Upper Hutt.[2]
 
The published competition details specified:
 
{| class="wikitable"
! Detail
! 2001 championship
|-
| Dates
| 14–15 April 2001
|-
| Venue
| Thunderball, Manor Park, Wellington region
|-
| Team size
| Five players
|-
| Competition class
| Open
|-
| Format
| Centre flag
|-
| Rules
| APPL rules
|-
| Entry fee
| NZ$350 per team
|-
| Tournament contact
| John Clement
|}


The tournament was played using a centre-flag format, in which opposing teams competed to secure a centrally positioned flag while eliminating their opponents.
=== 1995 ===
The [[1995 South Pacific Championships|1995 championship]] took place in Wellington over Easter. [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)|Saints]] won, with Australia's Sydney HEAT finishing second. It was Sydney HEAT's first tournament outside Australia.[3]


John Clement was named as the tournament contact and operator of the Thunderball field.[2]
A later report also recorded Dragons Claw's participation in stock-class competition at the event.[4]


=== Participating teams in 2001 ===
=== 1996 ===
The [[1996 South Pacific Championships|1996 championship]] was advertised for 5–7 April in Wellington. The published calendar named Wayne Hillman as the tournament contact.[5]


The surviving 2001 [[Valhalla National Rankings]] database documents participation by several New Zealand tournament teams.
=== 2000 ===
The [[2000 South Pacific Championships|2000 championship]] took place at Thunderball Adventure Games on 22–23 April, followed by a recreational day on 24 April. Ten teams attended the five-player competition.[6]


Teams recorded in the South Pacific Championships scoring columns included:
[[Wellington Phoenix (paintball team)|Phoenix]] qualified for the finals alongside Saints, House Steiner and Paint Contractors, then finished fourth. The Phoenix account does not establish the finishing order of the other three finalists.[6]


* [[Tag n' Release]]
=== 2001 ===
* [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)|Saints Gold]]
The [[2001 South Pacific Championships|2001 tournament]] took place on 14–15 April at Thunderball Paintball, Manor Park. The announcement specified open five-player centre-flag competition under Australian Paintball Players League rules, with John Clement as the contact.[8]
* DamNatives
* Phoenix Wellington
* Fusion
* Nutters
* Flashpoint
* P.C/B.C


The ranking database recorded both an opening round and a second round of the South Pacific Championships.[3]
[[Tag n' Release]] won the tournament. Phoenix's team history records fourth place.[6][7]


=== Historical scoring records ===
=== 2002 ===
Eight teams competed in the [[2002 South Pacific Championships|2002 seven-player tournament]] on 30–31 March at Thunderball Adventure Games. Games took place on the venue's speedball field, which used tyre barricades and large cable reels. Wayne Hilliam served as ultimate referee.[9]


Valhalla preserved the following calculated scoring contributions from the 2001 competition:
Saints, Tag n' Release, Damage and [[Tag and Training]] qualified for the finals. Saints won, while Tag and Training finished one point ahead of Tag n' Release.[9]


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
! Team
|+ 2002 finishing order
! Round 1
! Position !! Team
! Round 2
|-
|-
| [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)|Saints Gold]]
| 1 || [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)|Saints]]
| 71.9
| 48.0
|-
|-
| [[Tag n' Release]]
| 2 || [[Tag and Training]]
| 68.3
| 56.5
|-
|-
| Phoenix Wellington
| 3 || [[Tag n' Release]]
| 47.1
| 20.0
|-
|-
| DamNatives
| 4 || Damage
| 42.3
| 40.0
|-
|-
| Fusion
| 5 || [[Wellington Phoenix (paintball team)|Phoenix]]
| 36.3
| Not recorded
|-
|-
| Flashpoint
| 6 || Rush
| 24.0
| Not recorded
|-
|-
| Nutters
| 7 || [[Flashpoint (New Zealand)|Flashpoint]]
| 24.0
| Not recorded
|-
|-
| P.C/B.C
| 8 || Tag 'n' Boys
| 7.7
| Not recorded
|}
|}


'''These figures are Valhalla ranking calculations, not the original tournament scores or an official finishing order.'''
The contemporary report gives the finishing order but does not publish points totals.[9]
 
Valhalla converted tournament results into ranking points using its own scoring methodology. The surviving records therefore establish participation and relative scoring contributions but do not conclusively identify the overall 2001 South Pacific Championships winner.[3]
 
The same database incorporated results from the Wellington Cup, allowing performances across the two five-player tournaments to contribute towards annual rankings.
 
[[Tag n' Release]] finished first in the published October 2001 Valhalla five-player rankings with 214.5 points, followed by Saints Gold with 211.[3]
 
These rankings were separate from the championships awarded at the individual tournaments.
 
== Tournament organisation ==
 
The South Pacific Championships was associated with the Thunderball paintball facility in the Wellington region.
 
John Clement was identified as Thunderball's field operator and the contact for the 2001 championship.[2]
 
The event was included in the annual Mercenaries Star tournament calendar, which circulated information about New Zealand competitions to teams throughout the country.[1]
 
The calendar distinguished the South Pacific Championships from the Wellington Cup, which was described as a new event during the 2001 season.
 
Although both tournaments were associated with Wellington, they were listed as separate competitions.[1]
 
== Historical records ==
 
The principal surviving documentary sources for the South Pacific Championships include the contemporary tournament notice published through Mercenaries Star and the Valhalla National Rankings database.
 
The 2001 tournament notice preserves its dates, venue, competition format, entry fee and contact information.
 
The Valhalla database provides additional evidence of participating teams and tournament rounds.


The available records do not conclusively establish the competition's founding year, complete annual championship history or final edition.
== Editions ==
* [[1994 South Pacific Championships]] — cancelled
* [[1995 South Pacific Championships]]
* [[1996 South Pacific Championships]] — advertised
* [[2000 South Pacific Championships]]
* [[2001 South Pacific Championships]]
* [[2002 South Pacific Championships]]


== See also ==
== See also ==
 
* [[Paintball in New Zealand]]
* [[South Pacific Paintball Championships (Australia)]]
* [[Wellington Cup]]
* [[Wellington Cup]]
* [[New Zealand Paintball Nationals]]
* [[New Zealand Paintball Nationals]]
* [[Northland Open]]
* [[Mercenaries Star]]
* [[Valhalla National Rankings]]
* [[Tag n' Release]]
* [[Saints (New Zealand paintball team)]]
* [[History of paintball in New Zealand]]


== References ==
== References ==
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020222021443/http://www.paintball.co.nz/whwaull.htm Willy Aull, Paintball.co.nz player profile]. Archived 22 February 2002.
# Tony Witheridge, “Tony has a go at Lukas”, ''[[Australian Paintballer]]'', June–July 1995, p. 23.
# Peter Russell, “Sydney HEAT make friends in high places”, ''Australian Paintballer'', June–July 1995, p. 9.
# Cameron McLeay, “The New Zealand Nationals — Labour Weekend 1995”, ''Australian Paintballer'', December 1995–February 1996, p. 63.
# “New Zealand Tournament Calendar 1996”, ''Australian Paintballer'', April–June 1996, p. 70.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20011020080141fw_/http://www.blacksun.co.nz/phoenix/news.htm Wellington Phoenix, News]. South Pacific Championship reports headed 27 April 2000 and 24 April 2001. Archived 20 October 2001.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20011217030354fw_/http://www.blacksun.co.nz/phoenix/history.htm Wellington Phoenix, History]. Records 2000–01 tournament results. Archived 17 December 2001.
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Events/SouthPac.htm South Pacific Championships]. Mercenaries Star, tournament announcement for 14–15 April 2001. Preserved by OoCities.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020817064944/http://www.paintball.co.nz/sthpac02.htm SouthPacs 2002]. Paintball.co.nz. Includes Martin Dannefaerd's tournament report and “South Pacs 30–31 March 2002” by Ants, captain of Team T.N.T. Archived 17 August 2002.


# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Events/EventsIndex.htm Mercenaries Star – Annual Tournament Events, 2001]. Contemporary New Zealand tournament calendar describing the South Pacific Championships as an established event attracting teams from both islands.
[[Category:Paintball tournaments in New Zealand]]
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Events/SouthPac.htm Mercenaries Star – South Pacific Championships, 2001]. Original tournament notice specifying 14–15 April 2001, Thunderball, Manor Park, five-player centre-flag competition and John Clement as contact.
[[Category:Paintball in Wellington]]
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/2001Hall.htm Mercenaries Star – Valhalla National Rankings, 2001]. Archived five-player rankings with South Pacific Championships round scores and participating teams.
[[Category:New Zealand paintball history]]
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Calendar/MS_Calendar.html Mercenaries Star – Annual Tournament Calendar]. Historical calendar identifying the South Pacs and the separate APSA Easter Challenge in Auckland.
[[Category:1990s in New Zealand paintball]]
 
[[Category:2000s in New Zealand paintball]]
== External links ==
 
* [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Events/SouthPac.htm Original 2001 South Pacific Championships tournament notice]
* [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/2001Hall.htm Valhalla National Rankings, 2001]
* [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Events/EventsIndex.htm Mercenaries Star historical tournament calendar]
 
[[Category:New Zealand paintball tournaments]]
[[Category:Paintball tournaments]]

Latest revision as of 03:42, 27 October 2026

South Pacific Championships, also known as the New Zealand South Pacific Championship or South Pacs, was a paintball tournament associated with the Wellington region of New Zealand. Its history includes an early account of ten-player competition, five-player tournaments in 2000–01 and seven-player competition in 2002.[1][6][8][9]

It was separate from the similarly named Australian competition.

History

[edit]

Early history

[edit]

In an account of House Steiner's formation, Willy Aull recalled that John Sheldon and Lyall Norton of Thunderball Adventure Games were planning the first Wellington South Pacific Open during 1990. The proposed tournament used ten-player teams. This date comes from Aull's retrospective account.[1]

1994

[edit]

The planned 1994 edition was cancelled because of insufficient entries. In contemporary correspondence, Tony Witheridge attributed the limited participation partly to players being unable to afford the entry fee.[2]

1995

[edit]

The 1995 championship took place in Wellington over Easter. Saints won, with Australia's Sydney HEAT finishing second. It was Sydney HEAT's first tournament outside Australia.[3]

A later report also recorded Dragons Claw's participation in stock-class competition at the event.[4]

1996

[edit]

The 1996 championship was advertised for 5–7 April in Wellington. The published calendar named Wayne Hillman as the tournament contact.[5]

2000

[edit]

The 2000 championship took place at Thunderball Adventure Games on 22–23 April, followed by a recreational day on 24 April. Ten teams attended the five-player competition.[6]

Phoenix qualified for the finals alongside Saints, House Steiner and Paint Contractors, then finished fourth. The Phoenix account does not establish the finishing order of the other three finalists.[6]

2001

[edit]

The 2001 tournament took place on 14–15 April at Thunderball Paintball, Manor Park. The announcement specified open five-player centre-flag competition under Australian Paintball Players League rules, with John Clement as the contact.[8]

Tag n' Release won the tournament. Phoenix's team history records fourth place.[6][7]

2002

[edit]

Eight teams competed in the 2002 seven-player tournament on 30–31 March at Thunderball Adventure Games. Games took place on the venue's speedball field, which used tyre barricades and large cable reels. Wayne Hilliam served as ultimate referee.[9]

Saints, Tag n' Release, Damage and Tag and Training qualified for the finals. Saints won, while Tag and Training finished one point ahead of Tag n' Release.[9]

2002 finishing order
Position Team
1 Saints
2 Tag and Training
3 Tag n' Release
4 Damage
5 Phoenix
6 Rush
7 Flashpoint
8 Tag 'n' Boys

The contemporary report gives the finishing order but does not publish points totals.[9]

Editions

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. Willy Aull, Paintball.co.nz player profile. Archived 22 February 2002.
  2. Tony Witheridge, “Tony has a go at Lukas”, Australian Paintballer, June–July 1995, p. 23.
  3. Peter Russell, “Sydney HEAT make friends in high places”, Australian Paintballer, June–July 1995, p. 9.
  4. Cameron McLeay, “The New Zealand Nationals — Labour Weekend 1995”, Australian Paintballer, December 1995–February 1996, p. 63.
  5. “New Zealand Tournament Calendar 1996”, Australian Paintballer, April–June 1996, p. 70.
  6. Wellington Phoenix, News. South Pacific Championship reports headed 27 April 2000 and 24 April 2001. Archived 20 October 2001.
  7. Wellington Phoenix, History. Records 2000–01 tournament results. Archived 17 December 2001.
  8. South Pacific Championships. Mercenaries Star, tournament announcement for 14–15 April 2001. Preserved by OoCities.
  9. SouthPacs 2002. Paintball.co.nz. Includes Martin Dannefaerd's tournament report and “South Pacs 30–31 March 2002” by Ants, captain of Team T.N.T. Archived 17 August 2002.
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