The Waikato National Secondary Schools' Mooting Competition is an event for Year 11, 12 and 13 students to develop their advocacy skills in a competitive environment. Approximately 40 New Zealand schools participate in an intense competition held over May–July each year.
The Waikato Faculty of Law is the only New Zealand law school that hosts this competition. It has done so since 2001.
Future lawyers get to practice many practical legal skills during their study—client interviewing, witness examination, negotiations—but mooting is considered to be the most prestigious as it poses a number of professional and personal challenges.
Through the competition you will learn and apply vital legal skills.
You will:
- Develop and present a legal argument and opinion
- Learn the process of legal reasoning
- Learn the principles of legal research
- Enhance your public speaking and presentation skills
- Learn the process of litigation (taking a case to court)
- Learn about courtroom etiquette and procedures
- Discover sources of law in New Zealand.
Want to know more about the competition?
Important dates for 2026
The schedule is a basic outline of the relevant steps to be followed in this competition:
| Registrations close | 13 April 2026 |
| Mooting problem is sent out | 20 April 2026 |
| Submissions deadline | 29 May 2026 |
| Preliminary rounds | Mid-June 2026* |
| Semi-finals | 23 July 2026 |
| Final | 30 July 2026 |
(*currently for information purposes only and may be subject to change)
I am interested – what shall I do?
First, to participate in the 2026 Waikato National Secondary Schools' Mooting Competition, you need to register your interest. You can do so by:
- filling in the Waikato National Secondary Schools' Mooting Competition registration form (opens in a new tab)
Please download our Mooting Handbook for more information.
Next steps
After registration, Te Piringa will send you the mooting fact scenario and a set of materials that you will use for your legal research. All schools will be sent the same set of materials. During the online preliminary round of the competition, each school moots against one other school. All rounds after the preliminary round will be held in person at our Moot Court in Hamilton, unless otherwise stated.
Because there are two sides to a moot, your school will be given a side of the moot to take from the outset. It is up to your school to decide how a team will be selected. Each team should have 2-3 competitors. We allow no more than 3 teams from each school to enter the competition.
A moot is a legal debate in a courtroom setting with a judge or a panel of judges. A moot usually focuses on areas of law that have been subject to recent developments, or concern an area of uncertainty within the law.
A mooting competition puts two opposing teams of ‘lawyers’ against each other to argue their legal case based on the facts of the problem before a judge. Mooting has been part of the lawyers’ training for court procedures for hundreds of years, and it plays an important role in becoming familiar with the legal system.
The key to mooting is the art of persuasion. Your job as a counsellor is to convince the judge that your interpretation of the law is the most appropriate to the case. The problems selected will give each counsel an equal chance to persuade the judge of the quality of their submission. This can be achieved by skilfully applying the relevant law and legal principles to the facts of your case.
Much like in a court, this competition puts two opposing teams of ‘lawyers’ against each other to argue a legal case before a judge. The ‘lawyers’ will prepare their case based on the fact problem provided.
Mooting is only concerned with the points of law. Therefore, your job as a lawyer will be to convince the judge that your interpretation of the law is the most appropriate to the case. This can be achieved by skilfully applying the relevant law and legal principles to the facts of your case.
We have organised a workshop to guide you through the preparation process. The workshop will help you to tackle the scenario problem and identify what is at the core of the argument on both sides; give you some tips on how to structure your submission and what strategies to employ to make a strong impression on the judge, and persuade them to accept your arguments.
View the 2024 Schools' Mooting Workshops which are relevant for 2026:
- Part 1 - Written Submissions (opens in a new tab)
- Part 2 - Oral Submissions (opens in a new tab)
- Part 3 - Court Etiquette (opens in a new tab)
Access both 2025 PowerPoint presentations:
Want some extra help? View the 2018 Schools' Mooting Workshops below:
Download and read this Mooting Handbook (opens in a new tab); it will provide you with practical guidance for court etiquette and written submissions.
The Handbook will also cover general points of mooting, as well as outline the competition rules and regulations.
Hamilton-based firm McCaw Lewis Lawyers, along with the Faculty, are once again offering additional prizes and awards:
- First prize: The winning team will receive a $400 cash prize as well as a tour/visit of McCaw Lewis Lawyers (sponsored by McCaw Lewis Lawyers).
- Second prize: The runner-up team will receive a $250 cash prize, as well as a visit/tour of McCaw Lewis Lawyers (sponsored by McCaw Lewis Lawyers).
- Best Individual Mooter: Best Mooter trophy cup and a $250 cash prize (sponsored by McCaw Lewis Lawyers).
- Best Māori Mooter: Best Māori Mooter trophy cup and a $250 cash prize (sponsored by Te Hunga Roia Māori o Aotearoa).
All participants will be awarded a Certificate of Participation.
Previous Competition Results
2026 was another successful year for the National Secondary Schools' Mooting Competition hosted by Te Piringa - Faculty of Law. The mooting scenario was Harrington Custom Furniture Ltd v Parata, a dispute over the sale of a commercial café fit-out package. The Court of Appeal had to determine whether a binding contract was formed through an exchange of emails and whether an automated email signature satisfied the legal requirements for an electronic signature.
2026 Competition Winners - Hamilton Boys' High School
Represented by Joseph Guo, Ethan Thetford and Kanu Millward.
| Runners-up | Hamilton Boys' High School |
| Best Mooter of the Competition | Ethan Thetford |
| Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa Best Māori Mooter | Layla Clarke (Pāpāmoa College) |
Represented by Tanyon Osborne and Connor Downey-Parish.
Runners-up: Rototuna Senior High School represented by Lucia Sasso and Ellen Li
Best Mooter of the Competition: Connor Downey-Parish
Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa Best Māori Mooter: Flynn Moodie
Represented by Ellen Li, Maryam Falak Falaah, and Lucia Sasso.
Runners-up: Hamilton Boys' High School represented by Tanyon Osborne, Terrence Fu, and Connor Downey-Parish
Best Mooter of the Competition: Lucia Sasso
Te Hunga Rōia Māori o Aotearoa Best Māori Mooter: Monica Ataahua Ngaire Young
Represented by James Macey and Kaya Selby.
Runners-up: Waikato Diocesan for Girls represented by Joyce Hu and Harper Smith
Best Mooter of the Competition: Harper Smith
New Zealand Māori Law Society Best Māori Mooter: Harper Smith
Represented by Jack Lee, Will Ford and Rawiri Mahue
Runners-up: Hamilton Boys' High School represented by Sameer Mandhan, Henry Yao and Joseph Licht
Best Mooter of the Competition: Sameer Mandhan
New Zealand Māori Law Society Best Māori Mooter: Harper Smith
Best New School Mooting Team: Diocesan School for Girls, Auckland
Represented by Reuben Hurliman, Sameer Mandhan and Liam Haughey.
Amy Spittal, Emma Fountaine and Charlotte McCall
Matthew Handford, Samuel Turnbull and Jacob Cheatley
Olivia Maxwell, Emily Scrimgeour and Kate Hamilton
Tessa Adams, Niamh Blackman and Loren McCarthy
Lydia Verschaffelt, Emily van Arendonk and Loren McCarthy
Hannah Maxwell, Kayla Grant and Ria Nadakkavukaran
Sacred Heart Girls' College, Hamilton
Simon O'Donnell and Tihomir Mijatov
Dhaxna Sothieson, Daniel McGregor and Tom Chen
Louis Chambers and Gemma Lambert
Zara Brouwers, Chloe Muggeridge and Frances Kerslake
Assil Russell, Jimmy Li and Pavithra Vigneswaran