Tee times filling up as players register for next year’s Māori golf open.

Interest is growing for participation at the 2024 New Zealand Māori Golf National Championship being played in the Wellington in the second week of January – with a quarter of the available spots already booked out.

Played over five days from January 8-12, the New Zealand Māori Golf National Championship embraces multiple matchplay and stableford competition formats across various age and gender groups – allowing participation by players of all abilities, from semi-social golfers through to professionals.

Caption: Phil Tautarangi who is a previous winner of the New Zealand Maori National Open.

Because of the sheer volume of participants who sign up annually to the New Zealand Māori Golf National Championship, the event’s youth and masters divisions next year are being held at the Te Marua Golf Club, while the competition’s men’s and women’s grades will take to the fairways of Shandon Golf Club.

Playing numbers are limited to the first 300 registrations, with entries closing on December 15. On offer to the winner of the men’s senior grade is an automatic entry to the New Zealand Open in Queenstown.

The New Zealand Māori Golf National Championship was first played in 1932. Previous winners of the Māori golf title include such high-profile players as Michael Campbell and Phil Tataurangi, who both went on to successfully play professional golf on the global stage after winning the New Zealand trophy.

Māori Golf National Championship facilitator and New Zealand Golf Māori development manager Aroha Tito said she confidently expected the event’s playing register to be fully booked out before Christmas – with the final remaining spots being forecast to be snapped up once players confirmed their holiday plans in the lead up to the event.

Caption: Michael Campell, another New Zealand Maori Open winner.

Said Tito: “The Māori Golf National Championship is not only a chance for New Zealand’s best Māori golfers to compete at a high standard amongst their peers, but also the opportunity for friends and whānau to catch up on the fairways for a spot of healthy fun-filled rivalry. And of course, the after match gatherings are a legendary part of the camaraderie that players come back for year after year.''

Entries for the 2024 New Zealand Māori Golf National Championship are $200 for rangatahi players, $285 for kaumatua playing at Te Marua, and $320 per person for those playing at Shandon. Registration can be completed through the Golf NZ Tournament page www.golf.co.nz/national-championships .