Creative Young Minds Shine At Tournament Of Minds National Final

On Saturday 13 September, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University, Wellington, hosted the Tournament of Minds (TOM) National Final, bringing together 39 teams from kura across the motu for a full day of creative, critical, and collaborative thinking.

Tournament of Minds is an international team problem-solving challenge that encourages young people to work together across four disciplines — STEM, The Arts, Social Sciences, and Language Literature — in two divisions: Primary (Years 5–8) and Secondary (Years 9–11). Teams of five to seven students are tasked with devising original solutions to broad, open-ended challenges, presenting their responses through a ten-minute dramatic performance for judges and audiences.

The teams had won their Regional Tournament a few weeks earlier. Regional Tournaments were held in Auckland, Palmerston North, Wellington and Christchurch. Tournament of Minds has been running in New Zealand since 2008 with many New Zealand teams being successful at the International Final.

At the National Final, teams were “locked in” for three hours and ten minutes — with no devices — to create and present their challenge solutions. They also faced a Spontaneous Challenge, requiring rapid, inventive collaboration under pressure. The standard of competition was exceptionally high, showcasing the talent and creativity of Aotearoa New Zealand’s young thinkers.

Special recognition was given to five kura for exemplifying the Spirit of TOM: Whanganui Intermediate School, Albany Junior High School, Cornerstone Christian School, Lincoln High School, and Maranatha Christian School.

The highlight of the day was the announcement of the eight teams who will represent Aotearoa New Zealand at the Tournament of Minds International Final in Sydney, Australia (31 October – 1 November 2025). Congratulations to: Hadlow School (Wairarapa), Wairarapa College (Wairarapa), Rathkeale College (Wairarapa), Maranatha Christian School (Wellington), Wellington High School, Papatoetoe High School (Auckland), Whanganui Intermediate School (Whanganui), and Royal Oak Intermediate (Auckland).

Tournament of Minds New Zealand Co-Director, Ruth Olds, praised the calibre of this year’s competition:

“TOM continues to challenge and inspire young people to think deeply, work collaboratively, and communicate creatively. This year’s National Final was a powerful showcase of ingenuity and teamwork, and we are thrilled to see such strong representation heading to Sydney.”

Tournament of Minds extends its thanks to Te Herenga Waka Victoria University, TOM’s premium sponsor, for hosting the National Final in the capital.

For more information about Tournament of Minds, or to learn how you can support the Aotearoa New Zealand delegation heading to the International Final, please contact: Ruth Olds, Co-Director, Tournament of Minds New Zealand, nz-codirector@tom.edu.

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