GENERAL INFORMATION

Date

Sunday 31st August 2025

Venue

Waipuna Park, 25 Kaitemako Road, Welcome Bay, Tauranga

Cost

$45.00 per individual runner (NZ$)
Schools are required to pay the entry fee of $45.00 for the 12km School Relay OR the 6km School Relay (NZ$).

Entries Open

Online registrations open on Friday March 14th 2025, at 9:00 AM

Entries Close

Online registrations close on Wednesday May 28th 2025, at 7:59 PM

CONTACT

Email: info@nzaimsgames.co.nz​​​​​​​

PLANNING INFORMATION

Costs

• Schools are required to pay the entry fee of $45.00 per runner (NZ$).

• Schools are required to pay the entry fee of $45.00 for the 12km School Relay OR the 6km School Relay (NZ$).

• Strictly non-refundable.

• Payment MUST be made within seven days of receipt of invoice.

• Invoices will be sent to the school accounts manager after the entry closing date, Wednesday 28th May 2025.

Entries Close

• Wednesday, 28th May 2025 at 7:59 PM.

• Entries to the 2025 Zespri AIMS Games must be submitted online through the online registration system. 

• Registrations will only be accepted from the school's designated Zespri AIMS Games Coordinator.

• Schools are allocated a unique Zespri AIMS Games registration log in code to complete their entries.

Competitor's Age

Competitors must be over 10 years of age and under 13 years of age, as at 31st December the year before the tournament year. Competitor’s birthdates will be required on school registration documentation. For the 2025 Zespri AIMS Games, the eligible birth years are 2012, 2013, and 2014.

Divisions

Individuals

• Year 7 Girls (maximum of five runners per school)

• Year 7 Boys (maximum of five runners per school)

• Year 8 Girls (maximum of five runners per school)

• Year 8 Boys (maximum of five runners per school)

• Athletes with a Disability Girls and Athletes with a Disability Boys (no limit of runners per school)

School Relays

• 6km School Relay (schools with 8 or less runners competing in the individual events may enter either the 12km School Relay OR the 6km School Relay, not both).

• 12km School Relay (schools with 9 or more runners competing in the individual events can enter the 12km relay but not the 6km relay).
  

Team Honours

• This is a category awarded from results of placings of your first three runner’s home, within the individual races (this is separate to the team relays).
• Schools with less than three runners in a division are ineligible. 
• All individual runners must finish their races to be eligible to be included in team honours.
• For division team honours, the placings of your first three runners home will be accumulated, and placings awarded from the lowest aggregate (should teams be tied the placing of the third-place runner will be the deciding factor). For example, the lowest team total is the winner i.e., Year 7 Girls 6th, 23rd, 29th = 58 points (1st), 5th, 22nd, 35th = 62 points (2nd).

Multiple Sporting Codes

• Students may compete in more than one sporting code, provided they are in line with the permitted code crossovers. 

• Timetable allowances will not be made for any competitors, and it is the sole responsibility of the school to check for programming conflicts. 

Athlete Transfers/Changes and/or Withdrawals

• Athlete changes/transfers will be accepted up to midnight on Wednesday 27th August. Changes after this date will be declined.

• Athlete withdrawals will be accepted up to race day (entry fees are non-refundable). Please use email to notify us of withdrawals up to Friday 29th August, then; please notify us in person at the venue of any withdrawals needing to be processed on the 30th or 31st August.

PROGRAMME

Saturday

Sunday

ALL RACE DISTANCES, TIMES AND RECORDS

EVENT RULES

Individual Races

1. Schools may enter a maximum of five runners only in each of the age/gender divisions.

2. Runners cannot run for other divisions.

3. Running barefoot is permitted.

4. Spikes are allowed to be worn for all races. Runners must keep these to a maximum length of 9mm.

5. Runners wearing no spikes will be positioned on the outside of the starting line.

6. Runners will have two hurdles on the course. The height of the hurdles is 0.762m (30 inches).

7. At the start, teams will be able to have two runners positioned on the start line with the other two runners directly behind them and then one runner directly behind them (two/two/one).

Athletes with Disabilites

1. The event will be run as an Athletes with Disabilities 800m track event – and will be a 2 lap course.

2. Whilst there is no qualifying or eligibility criteria, the athlete’s disability must disadvantage them to participate or compete against their non-disabled peers in the open event.

3. Place getters will be allocated based on who crosses the finish first regardless of disability type or extent.

4. Although there are no qualifying times for disabled runners, runners must be capable of completing the 800m course (grass track).

School Relays

1. If a school has entered the 12km relay and they drop to 8 or less individuals who start and finish their races on race day, they can be changed to the 6km relay (at the school’s request to the code co-ordinator, by 12:30 PM on race day).

2. We will not accept entries to the 6km relay from schools with 9 or more individuals who start and finish their individual event on race day.  They will be changed to the 12km if the 6km category is entered when registration close. 

3. Schools are required to pay the entry fee of $45.00 for the 12km School Relay OR the 6km School Relay (NZ$).

4. Only runners who have run in an individual race for their school are permitted to run in a relay team.  We will be checking the eligibility of ALL runners – via the sighting of the coloured wrist band prior to the relays starting (that will be issued to all individual runners in managers packs)

12km Relay

1. The team must have a minimum of six and a maximum of 12 runners.

2. Consists of 12 consecutive laps of a 1km course.

3. The team can be made up of any year group ratio e.g., the team can be all year 8 students.

4. The team must be mixed gender.

5. The team must have a minimum of three girls/boys.

6km Relay

1. The team must have a minimum of four and a maximum of six runners.

2. Consists of 6 consecutive laps of a 1km course.

3. The team can be made up of any year group or gender ratio.  There is no required minimum of year/gender, e.g., the team can be boys only

Relay Rules 

1. All schools will be provided with a Relay sheet in their managers pack.

2. Schools are required to list/confirm their starting order and present it to the Event Team at the pavilion/clubrooms by 12:30 PM on race day.

3. Only runners who have run in an individual race for their school are permitted to run in a relay team. Under no circumstances can team members be replaced with runners who have not completed an individual event for the school that is entered or with runners from another school. 

4. Remove all bibs worn by individual team members in previous races and ensure these are kept clear of the timing equipment.

5. All teams are required to list their starting order by 12:30 PM on race day (an official form is supplied in your relay race number bag).

6. In all scenarios a runner must complete a minimum of one full lap. If for some reason the runner cannot complete his/her lap, the runner listed on the next lap must run back and tag them. They then proceed to complete the injured runners lap before commencing their own lap(s).

7. Runners can complete more than one lap consecutively.

8. Runners can run in any order in terms of year and gender.

9. It is the responsibility of the student running the final lap to know to run into the finish chute.  To assist with this, they will need to wear a green or orange coloured wrist scrunchie - which is in the managers packs, so that marshals know to direct them if needed. 

10. Each relay team will be issued with a baton (27.5cm).

11. Pacing during the relay is strictly not permitted.

12. There will be NO hurdle in the relay course.​​​​​​​