New Zealand High School Esports Clash
Do you have what it takes to compete against the very best High Schools around the country?
Calling all gaming experts!
Registrations are now open for our Valorant competition. We are thrilled to be hosting the New Zealand High Schools Clash for the fifth year, this time featuring Valorant!
Get your school team together, find a teacher at your school and register now.
2026 Event Start Dates
April 24 - July 2
All matches will be played Thursday afternoons, between 4:30pm - 6:30pm
Registrations open January 26, 2026
More information
Rulesets
We are the first university in New Zealand to have a dedicated esports programme, learn more our Esports study options.
Follow our Esports channels: Instagram, Twitch
For more information, contact our Esports Coordinator Sam Johnson - sam.johnson@waikato.ac.nz
Brought to you by University of Waikato Esports team and our sponsors
Frequently asked questions
Available for all New Zealand High School students.
Make sure you have a team from your school of at least 5 players for Valorant, with a teacher who can support you throughout Term 2. Both students and teachers need to register. Use the registration link above or email Sam directly.
Please contact sam.johnson@waikato.ac.nz with any queries, concerns, or feedback.
If you are competing in Valorant you will need to be available on Thursdays from 4:30 – 6:30pm for 9 weeks throughout Term 2.
There will be a playoff stage for the top 8 teams during the first three weeks of Term 3, but this will be more flexible on timings.
The league is free to join and Valorant is free to play.
In 2025, we are only hosting Valorant.
The league will run from May 8 until July 17, running every Thursday for Valorant.
Playoffs will be held in the first 3 weeks of Term 3 with times being agreed between schools.
Valorant requires 5 players per team. All teams require a teacher to offer support.
Your team needs access to gaming PCs that have high enough specifications to run Valorant with access to a stable internet connection.
For detailed minimum specifications
Games will be cast and streamed every Thursday afternoon of the competitions on the University of Waikato Esports Twitch account.
Teams can stream their own gameplay on whatever platform they wish, as long as they adhere to the terms and conditions stated on that platform.
Streams must also have a 2-minute delay added to help hold tournament integrity
Valorant is run 5v5 with standard tournament settings found in rulesets and is run each week on Thursday from 4:30pm – 6:30pm.
Teams will play through a Swiss bracket over the course of 9 weeks with the top 8 teams entering a single elimination playoff bracket for the first 3 weeks of Term 3.
Teams will be expected to show up on time to play 1 match per week.