13 days to go: Past Pan Pacs Player Profile - Joe Kayes

The clock is ticking on the Pan Pacs 2016 countdown: the start of the largest-ever Pan Pacific Youth Water Polo Festival is now just 13 days away.

Last week, we caught up with Aussie Shark Joseph Kayes who is on his road to Rio, currently playing in the World League Super Final in Huizhou, China. Joe scored four goals in the Australians'  15-4 win over China, and will play Japan for 5th place later today. Kayes hails from Tauranga, New Zealand, and played in his first international tournament - the Pan Pacific Youth Water Polo Festival - as an under-14 player in 2004.

What years did you play at Pan Pacs? 

2004, 2006, 2008

What teams did you play for? 

Tauranga, NZ, Maranui, North Harbour. I played Under 14 club, Under 15 Trans-Tasman for New Zealand and I believe U16 at the same time, as well as Under 18s and Under 20s.

How did Pan Pacs help shape the player you are today? 

It was one of the tournaments that was huge to look forward to as it provided international competition, at a fantastic level, in our own backyard. The excitement and build up was always great, and the crowds were always good in the finals. I guess the taste of international competition gave me the hunger to be better and compete at a higher level and it was always awesome to be able to play in front of family and friends. Also playing the NZ U15 stuff was great as it was my first taste of international competition besides an Under 14 trip to Perth in 2005.

What was your favourite thing about playing at Pan Pacs?

My favourite thing was the hype and excitement of having two weeks of international polo against international teams that I didn't know much about. I was fortunate enough that I also played for many teams over the years when Tauranga didn't have teams, so I managed to play under different coaches and with different teams. I made lots of mates and got to spend my school holidays hanging with family and friends in Auckland and playing polo which was perfect for me!

I think something that NZ kids are unaware of is the input and work behind the scenes to make tournaments such as Pan Pacs work and for us to be able to play against such competitive international teams at such a young age is amazing and it's a great introduction to international level water polo.
Check out this video of Joe from way back in 2009, playing for Tauranga at the West Wave Aquatic Centre.

14 days to go: Draw Release

With two weeks left to go, we are very pleased to release the draw for the 14th Pan Pacific Youth Water Polo Festival to be held in Auckland, New Zealand, from July 9th - 19th, 2016!

The festival opening ceremony will take place at West Wave Aquatic Centre on Sunday July 10th at 7:15pm. The 2016 Pan Pacific Youth Water Polo is bigger than any of the thirteen editions of the festival that have gone before. 151 teams from four nations will compete in 570 games stretched over 10 days of competition at six venues across Auckland. 129 teams competed in 2014. 

The festival is divided into five sections:

• Under 20 competition - Saturday 9th - Tuesday 12th July
• Under 16 competition - Saturday 9th - Wednesday 13th July
• Festival Rest Day - Thursday 14th July
• Under 14 competition - Friday 15th - Monday 18th July
• Under 18 competition - Friday 15th - Tuesday 19th July

Please note, the above dates are confirmed and will not change. However, the game schedules are subject to change and should be treated as provisional until confirmation closer to the festival's start date. Please click the images below to go to the draws, subject to change.

Follow New Zealand Water Polo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube for updates throughout the 11-day festival. Visit the Pan Pacs 2016 website here.

15 days to go: Flashback Friday

15 days left on the calendar until game day! We're busy working behind the scenes to deliver you the largest water polo event in the Southern Hemisphere. 

This Friday, we've gone through the archives and found the six most recent Pan Pacs logos and banners! It's fair to say things have changed over the years...

But one thing has remained mostly consistent, the water polo fern ball. The fern ball is symbolic of the native New Zealand ponga tree. The ponga fronds unravel to produce silver ferns, the icon of New Zealand's sports teams, including water polo.

The differing colours of the Pan Pacs fern ball represent the clubs and nations from across New Zealand and the world who converge on Auckland for the festival.

16 days to go: 2014 Under 16 girls' final - North Harbour vs. Marist

With only 16 days left on the Pan Pacs 2016 countdown, we're throwing it back this Thursday to the 2014 Pan Pacific Youth Water Polo Festival Under 16 Girls' final between Auckland clubs North Harbour and Marist.

A video posted by New Zealand Water Polo (@nzwaterpolo) on Jun 22, 2016 at 4:33pm PDT

North Harbour took the lead 3-1 at halftime, but blew it out to 7-2 at the three-quarter break with a hat-trick from current New Zealand women's player Liana Dance. North Harbour's centre forward duo of Dance and Emily Nicholson was too much for Marist - the pair scored 7 of the team's 8 goals in the final. Nicholson was named the Most Valuable Player - final score 8-3.

17 days to go: North Harbour under 14s win Pre-Pan Pacs tournament

We are celebrating 17 days to go by congratulating North Harbour Water Polo Club who took out their own Pre-Pan Pacs Under 14 tournament over the weekend. The tournament was hosted at the Sir Owen G Glenn National Aquatic Centre -  Auckland city’s newest aquatic facility and one of the core venues of the 14th Pan Pacific Youth Water Polo Festival.

A photo posted by New Zealand Water Polo (@nzwaterpolo) on Jun 21, 2016 at 6:56pm PDT

Thirteen teams from Auckland, Hamilton, and Tauranga took part in the three-day tournament, which was all about getting some good games under tow before Pan Pacs, said North Harbour’s Julie Ellis.

“The Pan Pacific Festival is a big event on the water polo calendar. Invites were sent out to all Auckland based clubs and we were fortunate to also have teams from Tauranga and Waikato attend the Pre-Pan Pacs tournament.”

North Harbour won both under 14 boys and girls divisions, beating Hibiscus Coast boys 9-5 and Waikato girls 12-1.

“The weekend was a great success as it has enabled coaches and players to have an understanding as to how their preparation is going and what needs to be worked on leading up to Pan Pacs” said Ellis.

North Harbour have fourteen teams entered in the festival across the age groups. The club has four titles to defend – under 20 men’s, under 18 men’s, under 16 girls’, and under 14 girls’: all who won gold in 2014.

“All our teams are excited about the international flavour this competition offers. It is a fantastic opportunity for our club and players to profile the sport of water polo.” said Ellis.

Check out the full results from the North Harbour Pre-Pan Pacs Under 14 Tournament here.

North Harbour will do it all again this weekend for the Pre-Pan Pacs Under 16Tournament - check out this weekend's draw here.

18 days to go: #ThrowbackTuesday 2014 Under 18 men's final

This Tuesday we are throwing it back to the 2014 Under 18 men's final for 18 days to go!

A video posted by New Zealand Water Polo (@nzwaterpolo) on Jun 20, 2016 at 2:42pm PDT

Auckland's North Harbour claimed their fourth title of the festival, after beating Canberra Water Polo Academy 10-5 in the final. North Harbour's Daniel Marsden was named MVP after scoring an influential 3 consecutive goals.

19 days to go: celebrating National Volunteer Week

19 days to go until Pan Pacs 2016! This Monday we are celebrating National Volunteer Week. Without volunteers, New Zealand Water Polo and the Pan Pacific Youth Water Polo Festival would struggle to exist.

This year, National Volunteer Week started yesterday and will run through until Saturday 25th June. Events will be held to recognise and celebrate the vital contribution of New Zealand's approximately 1.2 million volunteers to social development, the economy, and the environment. The year, National Volunteer Week focuses on time through the following two sayings: Make time - Whai whā, and Thanks for making time - Kia ora mō tāu whai whā.

Through this campaign, Volunteering New Zealand hopes volunteers will be recognised for making time for their communities. 

We would like to thank all of our volunteers, from flippa ball through to high performance, for what you do for water polo in New Zealand. We often take for granted the work that most deserves our gratitude. To all the volunteers who will be in Auckland in 19 days' time, and to all those volunteers who helped them on their journey - volunteering is the backbone of this sport - thank you!