The 2026 G.J. Gardner Homes Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa season tips off in Tauranga, where the back-to-back champion Whai host a completely rebuilt BNZ Northern Kāhu at Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre.
The Whai begin their pursuit of a third consecutive championship with a roster that still features Laina Snyder and Emme Shearer, but with significant changes around the key duo.
The Kāhu arrive from essentially the opposite starting point.
After a one-win 2025 season, new Head Coach Jo Wood has been tasked with steering a major rebuild featuring new imports, international experience and what she hopes will be more offensive firepower.
Opening Night will provide the first look at two teams entering 2026 with very different recent histories, but plenty of new questions to answer.
The Northern Group Tauranga Whai vs BNZ Northern Kāhu
When: Friday 25 September
Where: Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre, Tauranga
Rapid League: 6:30pm
Tauihi: 7:30pm
Watch Live: Sky Sport 4 and ThreeNow in New Zealand, ESPN+ in the United States and FIBA YouTube everywhere else internationally
Commentary: Nathan Limm and Casey Frank
Box Score Here
Buy Tickets Here
Whai have named Emme Shearer, Laina Snyder, Ashlee Strawbridge, Nici Gilday and Patricia Brossmann as their opening-night starting five.
Captain Shearer and Snyder are the two returning starters from last season’s championship group, while Gilday, Brossmann and Strawbridge will make their Whai Tauihi debuts.
Eva Langton, Carla Pitman, Shamar Broughton, Charis Broughton, Sophie Rogers, Emilee Tahata and Maya Taingahue are all available through the Rapid League group and can also feature in Tauihi. Carly Ohia is questionable with illness.
The Kāhu have named Talya Brugler, Olivia Williams, Megan Mullings, Tayla Dalton and Erin Bollmann as starters
Dalton captains the side at point guard, with Bollmann the only member of the starting group to have appeared for Kāhu in the 2025 Tauihi competition.
Kayla Manuirirangi, Emily Monaghan, Shanique Lucas, Azure Anderson, Ella Fotu, Imani Rasmussen and Sienna Maurice are available.
Whai finished the 2025 regular season with a 7-5 record before defeating the ANZCO Tokomanawa Queens in the semi-final before taking down the Mainland Pouākai 93-66 in the Grand Final to secure a second consecutive championship.
Their success was built around touch defence and excellent decision-making.
The Whai allowed a league-low 77.3 points per game, held opponents to 40 percent shooting, and owned the competition’s best scoring margin at +5.29 points per game.
They were also one of the league’s best facilitating teams, averaging 20.9 assists per game while leading Tauihi with a 1.69 assist-to-turnover ratio.
The majority of key contributors from that team have moved on, including Hannah Hank, Mikayla Cowling, Jessica McDowell-White, Jade Kirisome and Tayla Dalton.
But two of the biggest remain.
Snyder averaged 15.6 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists, earning selection to the 2025 Tauihi All-Star Five.
Shearer averaged 15.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists, shooting 45 percent from the field and 38 percent from three. Her 217 total points made her the highest-scoring New Zealand player in the competition.
The Kāhu finished 2025 at 1-11, missing the post-season for the first time in franchise history, prompting one of the biggest offseason rebuilds the league has seen.
They averaged a paltry 71.4 points while conceding 86.8 per game and struggled particularly with rebounding and offensive efficiency.
Only a small number of players from that group remain, and even Bollmann played just two games before departing for an Australian WNBL opportunity.
In those two appearances, Bollmann averaged 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting 50 percent from the field, but looked to be the missing connecting piece on a team that never quite found its rhythm.
This makes the 2026 Kāhu almost impossible to predict through last season’s results alone.
Brugler, Lucas, Mullings, Dalton, Williams, Monaghan, Manuirirangi and Fotu are among a substantial collection of new or returning faces, while Wood takes control for her first Tauihi season.
The teams met three times last season, with Whai taking the season series 2-1.
Whai controlled the first encounter in Auckland, with Hannah Hank scoring 20 points and Snyder grabbing 14 rebounds.
Whai backed up the first victory in Tauranga, with Shearer leading the scoring at 21 points.
It was also one of Whai’s best perimeter performances of the year, with the home side making 14 three-pointers at 45 percent.
Kāhu turned the tables in the final meeting which was the first on their home court, producing one of their best offensive performances of the season while holding Whai to their second-lowest scoring total.
Whai ultimately won the season series, but Kāhu’s November victory provides a reminder that the matchup was not entirely one-sided as the Northerners claimed their sole victory of the season against the eventual champs.
But these results will need to be digested with a grain of salt as almost every major contributor has changed.
Tauranga will want the game played at their pace on their terms in their home opener.
The champions’ strongest 2025 numbers came through defence and control. They ranked first in points allowed, defensive field-goal percentage, scoring margin and assist-to-turnover ratio.
Even with significant personnel turnover, those standards are unlikely to change under Head Coach Tane Bennett.
The addition of Brossmann could make them even stronger on the glass.
The German international comes directly from an NBL1 West season in which she averaged 19.3 points and 12.2 rebounds, while Snyder was already Tauihi’s second-leading rebounder last year.
That directly targets one of Kāhu’s biggest weaknesses from 2025, when they finished last in rebounding margin.
Kāhu, however, have considerably more scoring options this time around.
Brugler averaged 18.2 points and 8.8 rebounds in NBL1, while Lucas arrives after averaging 21.5 points per game for Rockhampton.
Bollmann can contribute across the statistical board while a this time healthy Mullings adds athleticism and another attacking option.
The talent has lifted but brings the key question of how quickly all those pieces will click together.
The Kāhu also have Lucas, Fotu, Monaghan, Manuirirangi and Anderson available outside the starting group. Giving Coach Wood plenty of weapons to select from.
Opening Night will tell us more about how she intends to use them.
Another fascinating area is point guard.
Whai lost McDowell-White after she averaged 6.9 assists per game last season.
Gilday now takes over the organisational role after averaging 18.3 points and 5.3 assists per game in Greece.
Across from her is ex-Whai Dalton.
The Tall Ferns captain scored only 3.7 points per game for Whai last season, but her influence was never based purely on scoring. She now moves into a larger role with the Kāhu and immediately faces the club with which she won last year’s championship.
Controlling Snyder will be one of Kāhu’s biggest defensive tasks.
The Whai forward was one of the most complete players in Tauihi last season, averaging 15.6 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists while ranking second in the competition in both rebounds and steals.
Her Grand Final performance summed up her big of an influence she could bring, with 14 points, six assists, three steals and a Tauihi Grand Final-record 20 rebounds.
Brugler gives the Kāhu size and rebounding power, while Mullings and Williams provide athleticism around her.
If Snyder establishes herself on the glass early, Whai will have a major advantage, but if the Kāhu get the upper hand the Tauranga attack will find difficulty initiating the break and getting second chances on the O-glass.
Two scoring guards capable of changing a game quickly.
Shearer enters the season after averaging 15.5 points on 45 percent shooting and 38 percent from three last year. She produced two 26-point performances during the campaign and has since continued her rise with the Tall Ferns and in NBL1.
Lucas makes her Tauihi debut after averaging more than 20 points per game in NBL1 North.
As of now she'll be coming off the bench, which will see her looking to impact the game off the bench, setting up a change of pace with fresh energy when she does meet Shearer on the court.
If Lucas provides immediate scoring from the bench, the Kāhu can change the tempo without relying entirely on their starters, but if not the defensive depth of the Whai will look to impose its will on the game.
Two very different point guards will be responsible for settling newly constructed teams.
Gilday brings scoring and more than a decade of professional experience.
Dalton provides control, defensive pressure and leadership.
Whichever player best establishes rhythm for the talent around her may have more influence on the result than her own scoring total suggests.
With both rosters changing significantly, these are the leading 2025 Tauihi numbers among players returning to their respective clubs.
Laina Snyder: 15.6 pts, 10.1 reb, 3.5 ast, 2.1 stl
Emme Shearer: 15.5 pts, 4.6 reb, 2.1 ast
Sophie Rogers: 5.4 pts in Rapid League
Erin Bollmann: 10.0 pts, 5.0 reb, 3.0 ast in two games
Azure Anderson: 3.5 pts, 2.7 reb in Tauihi; 6.5 pts and 3.1 reb in Rapid League
Sienna Maurice: 2.5 pts, 2.0 reb and 2.0 ast in two Tauihi appearances
Bollmann’s sample was brief, but she shot 50 percent from the field during her two games.
Anderson was a Rapid League All-Star Five selection after averaging 6.5 points and 3.1 rebounds across 12 games.
| Category | Whai | Kāhu |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 9-5, 1st | 1-11, 5th |
| Points per game | 82.6, 3rd | 71.4, 5th |
| Points allowed | 77.3, 1st | 86.8, 5th |
| Scoring margin | +5.29, 1st | -15.33, 5th |
| Field-goal percentage | 42%, 4th | 39%, 5th |
| Defensive FG% | 40%, 1st | 45%, 5th |
| Three-point percentage | 33%, 3rd | 28%, 5th |
| Free-throw percentage | 81%, 1st | 72%, 4th |
| Rebounding margin | +0.07, 4th | -10.50, 5th |
| Assists | 20.86, 2nd | 17.25, 5th |
| Turnovers | 12.36 per game | 14.75 per game |
| Assist-to-turnover ratio | 1.69, 1st | 1.17, 5th |
| Steals | 8.50, 2nd | 7.67, 4th |
| Blocks | 3.57, 3rd | 3.17, 5th |
The Whai 2025 statistical profile was built around defence and ball security, while Kāhu finished at or near the bottom of most major team categories.
The important caveat is an obvious one, these are not the same teams that finished the 2025 season.
Key changes come to the Rapid League 2026, with a maximum of two FIBA Asia players now eligible to take the court with eligible New Zealanders. This opens options for coaches and infuses a bit of top end talent into this years Rapid offering.
Along with the new rule, there will be plenty of new faces before the main event even tips off.
Whai have named Langton, Pitman, the Broughton twins, Rogers, Tahata and Taingahue in their seven-player Rapid group.
Kāhu counter with Manuirirangi, Monaghan, Lucas, Anderson, Fotu, Rasmussen and Maurice, although Rasmussen remains questionable.
Last season Whai finished 4-8 in Rapid League, while Kāhu were 3-9.
Whai averaged 33.3 points per game compared with Kāhu’s 28.6, although Kāhu were the stronger defensive team, allowing 33.9 compared with Whai’s 37.1.
Of the returning Rapid players, Anderson was a 2025 All-Star Five selection, while Charis and Shamar Broughton both showed promising shooting in limited appearances.
With Lucas, Fotu, Monaghan and Pitman also eligible, the opening Rapid League game should provide an early indication of how deep these two senior rotations really are.
The champions begin their title defence on their home court against the league’s biggest unknown.
Tauranga have lost major contributors, but Snyder and Shearer remain, and the new arrivals have been recruited with clear roles.
Gilday replaces much of the playmaking lost with McDowell-White. Brossmann adds elite rebounding. Pitman provides versatility. Strawbridge brings shooting and athleticism.
Kāhu have taken the opposite offseason approach.
After finishing 1-11, they changed almost everything. Wood now has a roster with scoring, size, Tall Ferns experience and far greater depth, but the first challenge is turning those individual pieces into a connected team.
For the Whai, Opening Night is the first step in an attempt to achieve something no Tauihi team has done before.
For Kāhu, it is the first chance to show that 2026 really is a new beginning.
But only one team will get off to an unblemished start to their 2026 Tauihi season.
