The men’s final provided an entertaining spectacle where athleticism and aerial skills were a highlight throughout.
After trailing by six at the first break, Howick Pakuranga came back strongly to make it a riveting and closely fought contest. Waitākere took an 18-16 lead into halftime before Howick Pakuranga levelled up at 23-all in a low-scoring third quarter.
With five minutes to go, it was anyone’s game but the home side finished with a flourish to retain their title.
"Their (Howick Pakuranga) challenge caught us right off guard. We had a plan but it didn’t go how we thought it was going to," Waitākere 1 men’s coach Tony Ah Chee said.
"So what I’m most proud about is the boys getting tested but fixing things before the end of the game, it was a really good test for them.
"The development we’re trying to achieve here just means if we keep winning, we need to keep raising that bar every year. The tournament is getting stronger, we just have to do more work and make sure we’re maintaining the development and balance throughout.
"But it’s also exciting to have more teams in this division. Invercargill and Taranaki have been here this year and the good thing is we get to see new faces, new talent and completely different styles."