NEW ZEALAND The Dink Minor League Pickleball @ Rotorua
Registration closed
Ended March 21, 2026
Events
Format: The Dink Minor League Pickleball
Price: NZD65.00 / Player (must register and pay as a team)
Description
🏓 NZ Minor League Pickleball – Rotorua | 27–29 March 2026
Only a few days to go until New Zealand’s first Minor League Pickleball (MiLP) event for 2026 — the first of at least five events nationwide this year. This series provides a pathway to the Australian MiLP Nationals in Melbourne (18–20 September) and ultimately the US National Championships in Dallas (December).
🔑 Key Event Details
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Dates & Divisions:
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Friday 27 March: DUPR 12 & DUPR 16 (50+)
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Saturday 28 March: DUPR 14 & DUPR 16
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Sunday 29 March: DUPR 18 & DUPR 20
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Daily Schedule:
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Courts open & check-in: 7:30am
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Player briefing: 8:15am
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First matches: 8:30am sharp
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Medal ceremonies: By 6:30pm (subject to match timing)
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Swish App:
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Pools available by Thursday 26 March
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At least one player per team must claim their spot
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View draws, court allocations, and enter scores via the app
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Format (MLPlay™):
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Teams of 4 players (2 men, 2 women)
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4 games per match:
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Women’s Doubles
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Men’s Doubles
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2 x Mixed Doubles
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If tied 2–2 → Dreambreaker™ singles tiebreak to 21 (win by 2)
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Balls:
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Onix Fuse Yellow Indoor
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Food & Facilities:
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Café open daily 9:30am – 3:00pm
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Toasties, wraps, smoothies, and sports drinks available
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📈 The Bigger Picture
This is the start of an exciting MiLP season in New Zealand, with four more events planned for 2026.
Top teams from each event will progress to:
➡️ Australasia Championships – Melbourne (Sept 18–20)
➡️ US National Championships – Dallas (December)
⛔ Entries
All team spots are currently full.
To join the waitlist, email: [email protected]
🎉 About Minor League Pickleball
Minor League Pickleball is a fast-growing, team-based format that combines competitive play with a fun, social atmosphere. The innovative MLPlay™ format ensures exciting matches and equal participation across men’s and women’s play.
Looking forward to an outstanding opening event for 2026 — bring the energy, support your teammates, and enjoy the competition!
Rules
DUPR Divisions
DUPR 20 (The team’s aggregate DUPR must not exceed 20.99)
DUPR 18 (The team’s aggregate DUPR must not exceed 18.30)
**Maximum individual player DUPR cannot exceed 5.10 to play in DUPR 18
DUPR 16 (The team’s aggregate DUPR must not exceed 16.30)
**Maximum individual player DUPR cannot exceed 4.60 to play in DUPR 16
DUPR 14 (The team’s aggregate DUPR must not exceed 14.30)
**Maximum individual player DUPR cannot exceed 4.10 to play in DUPR 14
DUPR 12 (The team’s aggregate DUPR must not exceed 12.30)
**Maximum individual player DUPR cannot exceed 3.60 to play in DUPR 12
Once a team registers for a Minor League Pickleball event, their ratings are “locked” and their DUPR increasing or decreasing will not impact the team’s aggregate or division placement.
To sign up for any Minor League event, a DUPR account is required at the time of registration. Not rated players can play; however, their estimated rating will be verified by the tournament director.
Single Registrations
If you are registering as a single registration but are already part of a team, please notate Team Name AND the DUPR Division. For example, “Mad Drops – 18.”
If you want to play in the Minor League event but are unable to form a team, the tournament director will do their best to place you on a team. For players that are not placed, thus not playing the event, their registration fees will be refunded.
Substitute Players
A team that needs a player substitute can either edit their team by signing into Swish and making the edits themselves or a player may submit the player substitute information directly to the tournament organizer. Substitute player’s DUPR may not cause the established team’s aggregate to go over max event’s aggregate.
For the full Minor League Pickleball rules: https://www.dupr.com/minorleague/rules
Cancellation/Refund Policy
Cancellation Deadline:
To receive a refund minus the $5 technology fee and the 3% processing fee, cancellation must be received by the end of day 15 days prior to the Minor League Pickleball event start date.
Example: Event start date is June 15, 2024. Cancellation must be received by 11:59pm local time on Friday, June 1, 2024. After June 1, 2024, no refunds will be issued.
Individual Registration Refund Policy:
Individual Registrations are not guaranteed placement in a team. Players that sign up as a single player (Individual Registration) with no team and are not placed in a team, will receive a full refund minus the $5 technology fee and the 3% processing fee 3-5 business days after the event ends.
