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Photo by Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media.
AIMS Games won a top award at the NZEA Event Awards in Hamilton last night, claiming the best non-profit or community event (over 3000) for the 2024 edition.
The celebration comes halfway through the 2025 tournament, which has attracted more than 14,000 athletes from around New Zealand and the South Pacific.
The Zespri AIMS Games is Australasia’s largest junior sporting event, held annually in Tauranga.
“It’s a little overwhelming to try and digest this in the middle of tournament week and we might wait a few more days until we truly find space to celebrate this,” tournament director Kelly Schischka said in a statement today.
“The incredible thing is that our 2025 Games has already surpassed last year’s winning tournament, both in what we’ve been able to deliver for our athletes, and the vibe that’s been created in Tauranga this week. We’re beyond stoked and will be fiercely proud when this sinks in after Friday.”
AIMS headed off several iconic events in the non-profit/community sector, including the Big Gay Out, the LUMA Light Festival, the New Zealand Junior Rugby Festival, Waikato Museum’s Waitangi Day Festival 2025 and the Kiwi Art Trail.
Judges noted that the 2024 AIMS tournament, which drew 12,600 entries, had once again set an impressive benchmark.
“This event is all about inclusiveness, it’s about diversity and so much camaraderie… it’s flawlessly delivered year-on-year and constantly evolving. The AIMS Games has become a true right of passage for our rangitahi, and for grassroots sport.”
Zespri has recently committed to another three years as naming rights partner of the tournament and Zespri’s head of global public affairs Michael Fox was delighted with the success of AIMS.
“It’s such a professional, well-run event but the aspect that resonates so much with us is the heart and soul behind it and the commitment to helping young people live happy, healthy lives,” he says.
“It’s an event that promotes healthy habits, personal connections and so many amazing memories but the team behind it are the ones that help make that magic happen.”
The awards comprise 17 categories, with AIMS also making the final of the sports event of the year, won by Auckland’s round of the New Zealand Sail Grand Prix.
An economic impact study last year showed that visiting athletes, supporters and officials helped inject more than $8.78 million into Tauranga’s economy.
It’s the second time AIMS has won that particular award; the tournament did the double in 2020, winning both non-profit and sporting event prizes for the 2019 event.
