The inaugural Women’s IHF Nations Trophy – Oceania will bring seven senior women’s national teams together in Wellington, New Zealand from 10 to 14 September, as New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Tahiti, Cook Islands, New Caledonia and Kiribati compete for the first title in the new regional competition.

The tournament opens with the preliminary round split across two groups. New Zealand, Cook Islands, New Caledonia and Kiribati make up Group A, while Australia, Fiji and Tahiti form Group B. The top two from each group will advance to the semi-finals, with the remaining teams entering the placement matches.

For the hosts, the opening assignment is against the Cook Islands, followed by meetings with Kiribati and New Caledonia. Group B begins with Australia facing Fiji, before Fiji meet Tahiti and Australia complete the group phase against Tahiti.

New Zealand are looking to make the most of a rare opportunity to play a senior international competition on home soil. “We are so excited to host this tournament and I really hope it becomes an important part of the women's pathway in Oceania,” says co-captain Rowan Moloughney.

“International opportunities can be pretty limited for us simply because of where we are in the world.”

There is also plenty of history behind the challenge from Australia. The Australians dominated the Oceania Handball Nations Cup, winning every edition from 1994 to 1996 and from 2002 through 2014, making up for eight titles in the period listed, conceding it only once, in 2008, against New Caledonia. That history gives Australia an obvious pedigree in the region as they enter a new era of Oceania competition.

The Cook Islands, meanwhile, arrive with a largely new-look indoor side after making the transition from beach handball. “The majority of our team are indoor first-timers,” says vice-captain Tina Kae. “We will really need to draw on the skills we've been developing and training for since returning from beach handball world championship.”

That makes their opening game against New Zealand particularly intriguing. The Cook Islands will then face New Caledonia and Kiribati, giving the team three matches in the group phase compared with two for each side in Group B.

There is also a significant prize at the end of the week: the winner will earn the opportunity to represent Oceania at the 2026 AHF Women’s Asian Championship. creating a pathway towards the 2027 IHF Women's World Championship.

For New Zealand, that pathway is a major part of the ambition. “As a team, we want to win it,” Moloughney says. “Winning it gives us the opportunity to go on and represent Oceania at the Asian Championship, so there's a massive incentive there for us.”

After the three-day preliminary round, the semi-finals will be played on 13 September, followed by the bronze-medal match and final on 14 September, all at the Ākau Tangi Sports Centre in Wellington.

All matches can be watched on the IHF Competitions YouTube channel.