From 2026, if ten or fewer teams enter the Qualifier, this competition will automatically become the Championship event, and no additional Championship event will be held later in the year.  With ten or fewer teams, the competition can be run in the allocated time.

2025 Entry Notes

• Entries open Friday,  25th April 2025.
• Entries close  Friday, 16th May 2025.
• Teams must be available to play from 8.30 a.m. on Thursday, June 12th, and the Playoffs will be held on Sunday, June 16th.
• The start times and draw will be confirmed after entries are received.  
• Teams are advised NOT to book any flights until the draw is confirmed.
• Player eligibility and playing conditions are set down in the New Zealand Curling Association Tournaments Procedures and the WCF Rules of Curling.
• The tournament draw will be confirmed a week after entries close or as advised.
• A point system for pool ranking will potentially be implemented in 2025, and the results of the teams from the past two national tournaments will be used.  More information will be communicated by the entry open date.  
• Team Uniforms: NZCA encourages teams to wear match tops and/or uniforms in tournaments so team members are easily identifiable.
• To allow time for ice preparation, no team is allowed to practice on the ice later than 3 hours before the commencement of an NZCA National Curling Championship or as advised in the tournament rules accompanying the draw.
• No competitors can use MAP sponsorship ice a week leading up to the NZMD Qualifier.
• The team entry fee is $300. There is no entry fee for the Championship held in August.
• One team member is responsible for promptly paying the entry fee to NZCA.
• Teams can pay online at the time of entry or directly to NZCA: 03-1733-0116697-00. Use your team name and 'Doubles' as reference details.
• Invoices are available on request.
• Teams are to pay their entry fee by tournament commencement; otherwise, they may be unable to take the ice.
• All entrants must be affiliated directly with a Club or NZCA. Please contact the NZCA Administration Officer for more details. This does not apply to Secondary School Students.
• The top teams from this event will qualify for the NZ Championship, held from Thursday, August 17th, to Sunday, August 20th, 2025. 
• To enter, click here.

Tournament Communications: 

For all tournament queries, please email NZCA Administration Officer Lauren Becker at nzca.secretary@curling.org.nz and CC Tournaments Chairperson, Sean Becker at tournaments@curling.org.nz. 

2025 Team Information

Game Information and Timing

• A team m

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  eeting will be held at 1.30 pm for the teams in the first round.  With a subsequent team meeting for those teams in the second round at 5.30 pm on Friday, 13^th June. 
• 10 teams are entered, split into two pools of five.
• All games will be played under WC rules.
• First practice will commence at the scheduled start time stated on the draw.
• Teams listed first have first practice and play with dark handle (red).
• Over the round robin, each team will have two first practices and two, second practices. 
• Each team will have a six-minute pregame practice, followed by Last Stone Draws (LSDs)
• Time clocks will be used to keep the flow of the games with the timer counting down.
• Teams are unable to commence another end once the time clock has reached zero.
• All games have eight ends, with a minimum of six ends to be played.
• Extra ends will be played if scores are tied after the eighth end.
• A four-minute break will be held after the 4^th end.
• Electronic devices such as phones, smartwatches, and AirPods/headphones are not permitted in the field of play.

Last Stone Draws (LSD) and Draw Shot Challenge (DSC)

• Each team is to deliver draw shots, the first clockwise and the second counter-clockwise.   
• The LSD’s will determine which team has hammer and will assist with team rankings.
• Teams who deliver the draw shots incorrectly e.g., the wrong handle delivering, then they will receive 199.6 for that particular draw.

Pre-Tournament Practice Ice

• In the week of an NZCA Tournament, no NZ Representative will have sponsored ice hire from Maniototo Adventure Park (MAP) during business hours.
• Pre-tournament practice is to be booked and paid for directly with MAP.  The entry fee does not cover practice ice.

• No ice bookings can be made after 5 pm on Thursday, 12th June, to allow for ice preparation. With the exception of the ice-maker requesting a player to throw stones to assist with ice preparation.

• No team is allowed to practice with the NZCA Competition Stones prior to a tournament as per NZCA Competition Stone Guidelines.  

Team Ranking Procedure

• After the round-robin(s), teams will be ranked for the semi-finals with the WC ranking procedure (C9) used to separate teams on the same win-loss record.
  1. The following criteria (in order) will be used to rank the teams at the completion of the round-robin (one group):
     1. Teams will be ranked according to their win/loss record.
     2. If two teams are tied, the team that won their round-robin game will be ranked higher.
     3. Where three or more teams are tied, the record of the games between the tied teams shall provide the ranking (should this procedure provide a ranking for some teams but not all, then the record of the games between the remaining teams that are still tied shall determine the ranking).

Semi-Finals:  

• The top teams from each pool will qualify for the NZMD Championship held from 14^th to 17^th August 2025.
• 2^nd and 3^rd from each pool play off across pools.
• Semi-Final #1: A2 vs. B2. The winning team will advance to the championship.  The Looser team will play off in Semi-Final 3.  
• Semi Final #2:  A3 v B3.  The winning team will play off against the loser of Semi Final #1.  The loser will be eliminated 
• Semi Final #3:  Loser of Semi Final #1 and Winner of Semi Final #2.
• The two winning teams from SF1 and SF3  will go through to make up the four qualifying teams for the NZMD Championship.
• With only ten teams entered, only the top four teams will qualify for the Championship.
• Courtney and Anton have automatic entry into the Championship through a medical dispensation from previous results.  This is an extra team in the Championship and does not alter the four teams qualifying from this tournament.

Marker Stones

• The marker stones will be rotated after every second draw,
• 1 & 2 on first and second draws
• 3 & 4 on third and fourth draws
• 5 & 6 on fifth draw
• The teams can practice with the remaining six stones and after their practice notify the umpires of the stone, they wish to not use. During the game, teams can change the spare stone for one of their allotted stones after notifying an umpire.
• In playoff games, teams can choose the stones they wish to use from all eight, notify the umpire at completion of their practice, and those stones that are not being used.

Round Robin

Round Robin Standings

Qualifier Playoffs