The Tournament shall be called "The National Māori Tournament" and shall be held between the week of Wellington and Auckland anniversary days.

The object of Poitūkohu Māori Aotearoa (NZMBA) National Māori Basketball Tournament (herein after called "the Tournament") is to promote basketball, Te Reo Māori, friendship, goodwill, mutual understanding and to enjoy healthy competition among te iwi Māori.

The name of a sponsor or its products may as circumstances require be added to the official name of the Tournament but NZMBA reserves the right to refuse consent to a name which is not in keeping with the aims and objectives of the Tournament.

In these rules, the terms listed below are defined as follows:

All players must be a Māori descent to participate in all grades, except for Pakeke Mixed, Whaikaha and Koeke divisions. In these two divisions, non-Māori who are the spouses or de facto partner of a Māori person are also elegible to play.

Players may only play for one team in the tournament.

A person is eligble if they are

• A Māori person; or
• The spouse of a Māori person (Pakeke Mixed and Koeke Divisions only); or
• The adopted or whāngai child of a Māori person, or the child of the spouse of a Māori person; or
• The De Facto partner of a Māori person; or
• A non-Māori athlete with disabilities, participating only in the Whaikaha division 

• A birth parent of a Māori person, or the parent of an adopted Māori person.

Below is the complete eligibility criteria for all age competitions at all NZMBA tournaments:

1. For Under 8 Mixed competition, players must be aged either 7 or younger as at 31 December in the year in which the competition is held.
2. For Under 10 competitions, players must be aged either 8 or 9 as at 31 December in the year in which the competition is held.
3. For Under 12 competitions, players must be aged either 10 or 11 as at 31 December in the year in which the competition is held.
4. For Under 14 competitions, players must be aged either 12 or 13 years as at 31 December in the year in which the competition is held;
5. For Under 16 competitions, players must be aged either 14 or 15 years as at 31 December in the year in which the competition is held;
6. For Under 18 competitions, players must be aged either 16 or 17 years as at 31 December in the year in which the competition is held;
7. For Under 20 competitions, players must be aged either 18 or 19 years as at 31 December in the year in which the competition is held;
8. For the Tāne and Wāhine and Pakeke competitions, players must be at least 16 years on the first day that the competition commences;
9. For the Whaikaha (Special Olympic) competitions, players must be at least 12 years on the first day that the competition commences;
10. For Koeke (Masters) 40+ competition, players must be 40 years or older at 1January in the year in which the competition is held;
11. For Koeke (Masters) 50+ competition, players must be 50 years or older at 1January in the year in which the competition is held;

The Tournament shall be held at a venue that can cater for 7 – 10 courts. Any other Iwi may apply to host the Tournament and such application shall be determined by the NZMBA Board at its discretion

NZMBA may seek assistance with the running of the tournament – these will be known as the “Kaiawhina” who will wear the official mawhero polo shirt for the duration of the tournament.

The NZMBA Hui-ā-tau will be held at each Tournament. This is open meeting allows certain Iwi Representatives to vote. The hui-a-tau is held to:

• Approve the minutes of previous AGM
• Receive the annual accounts
• Hear the Annual Presentation from the NZMBA General Manager
• Appoin an Auditor for the coming year; and
• Elect trustees, if neccesary 
• Discuss notified items of business
  
  ​​​​​​​Iwi are allocated votes at the AGM based on the number of teams they entered in the previous year's tournament. Each iwi receives one vote for every eight teams entered.

​​​​​​​The Host shall prepare a report of the tournament results no later than 60 days after the event. The results will be shared on Facebook, our website and may also be emailed to Iwi Representatives.

NZMBA will be responsible for submitting funding applications to help cover the costs of hosting the tournament. This may include, but is not limited to, funding for the venue hire, officials’ accommodation and travel, uniforms, awards and equipment.

Iwi are entitled to enter a maximum of one team per division. To be eligible to participate in the National Maori Tournament, each iwi must register a minimum of eight teams in the tournament - Iwi that do not meet this minimum will not be eligible to participate. Additional teams may be entered if spaces are available. In cases where spots need to be filled due to last-minute withdraws or to complete the draw matrix, two teams from the same iwi may be permitted to compete in the same division.

• Each iwi is required to supply one referee to officiate the game immediately following their own iwi's game. This applies to all grades except for the U8 Mixed and U10 divisions, which will be refereed by the coach. However, if the game following an U8 Mixed or U10 match is not another U8 or U10 game, the iwi that played in the U8 or U10 match is responsible for providing a referee for that next game
• All Premier grade games will be refereed by NZMBA. If the game following a Premier match is not another Premier game, the iwi that played in the Premier game is responsible for supplying a referee for the next match.

There are three main divisions at the National Māori Tournament, as well as one optional Pakeke social division:

• Kauri (previosuly know as the premier grade): For teams with experienced players competing at a high level. The Kauri division will have a maximum of 8 teams.
• Kahikatea (previosuly know as the A grade): For teams who may not be at the elite level but demonstate a high to moderate level of competence. The Kahikatea division will have a maximum of 16 teams.
• Kōwhai (previosuly know as the A grade): Aimed at developing teams and players who are relatively new to the sport or in the early stages of skill development. The Kōwhai grade will have a maximum of 8 teams.
• Pakeke Social: A casual grade for whānau memebers who may not play competitively but would like to participate and ejoy a run around. This division is only available in the Pakeke grade, and its inclusion in the Tournament is decided annually. The Pakeke Social division will have a maximum of 8 teams.

The Host shall have discretion to adjust grade numbers based on court availability.

If, in the view of the Host, the number of entries in any grade is insufficient to hold a satisfactory competition, the Host may refuse entries and remove that grade from the Tournament for that year.

• ​​​​​​​Upon acceptance into the tournament, each iwi must confirm their logo and iwi colours with NZMBA
• Where funding and sponsorship allow, new iwi participating the tournament for the first time will receive eight sets of the official tournament uniform.
• Iwi who have participated in previous tournament may also receive additional uniforms for any extra teams entered. Priority will be given to iwi that consistently bring more teams to the tourament.

As part of the NZMBA promotion of Te Reo, the use of “Te Reo in games” will be encouraged by coaches & referees in the first instance. To assist non-speakers of Te Reo, the Board will provide terms and phrases to be used at the tournament with the information pack. Upon entering the tournament each team agrees to promote Te Reo in games – especially the basic terms provided.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​All Iwi must be represented at the Awards & Presentation Ceremony held on Wednesday and Saturday night following the final games. Each rōpu will be called onto the stage to present their performance between the awards.

The Host shall be entitled to receive recompense from NZMBA to assist in the conduct of the Tournament. The amount of the recompense shall be determined by agreement with the NZMBA General Manager. Notwithstanding the foregoing the Host shall be entitled to seek other grants and donations for the purposes of conducting the Tournament