Tauranga Whai
New Zealand NBL | New Zealand
Team Info
Founded: 2024
Stadium: Mercury Baypark Arena
Manager: N/A
Upcoming Matches
| Date | Match | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 09 May 2026 | Tauranga Whai vs Canterbury Rams | 01:30:00 |
| 15 May 2026 | Tauranga Whai vs Manawatu Jets | 07:30:00 |
| 23 May 2026 | Auckland Tuatara vs Tauranga Whai | 07:30:00 |
| 30 May 2026 | Tauranga Whai vs Hawkes Bay Hawks | 04:00:00 |
| 06 Jun 2026 | Tauranga Whai vs Nelson Giants | 04:00:00 |
| 12 Jun 2026 | Taranaki Airs vs Tauranga Whai | 07:30:00 |
| 14 Jun 2026 | Manawatu Jets vs Tauranga Whai | 06:00:00 |
| 19 Jun 2026 | Canterbury Rams vs Tauranga Whai | 07:30:00 |
| 24 Jun 2026 | Tauranga Whai vs Southland Sharks | 07:00:00 |
| 27 Jun 2026 | Franklin Bulls vs Tauranga Whai | 07:30:00 |
Previous Results
| Date | Home | Score | Away | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
02 May 2026 01:30 |
Tauranga Whai |
88 - 103 |
Franklin Bulls 
|
New Zealand NBL Mercury Baypark Arena |
|
26 Apr 2026 02:00 |
Southland Sharks |
106 - 84 |
Tauranga Whai
|
New Zealand NBL ILT Stadium Southland |
|
24 Apr 2026 07:30 |
Otago Nuggets |
92 - 81 |
Tauranga Whai
|
New Zealand NBL Edgar Centre |
|
18 Apr 2026 04:00 |
Tauranga Whai |
87 - 65 |
Taranaki Airs 
|
New Zealand NBL Mercury Baypark Arena |
|
11 Apr 2026 04:00 |
Hawkes Bay Hawks |
95 - 101 |
Tauranga Whai
|
New Zealand NBL Pettigrew Green Arena |
|
13 Jul 2025 03:00 |
Wellington Saints |
93 - 68 |
Tauranga Whai
|
New Zealand NBL |
|
09 Jul 2025 07:00 |
Taranaki Airs |
67 - 83 |
Tauranga Whai
|
New Zealand NBL |
|
02 Jul 2025 07:00 |
Tauranga Whai |
103 - 93 |
Manawatu Jets 
|
New Zealand NBL |
|
29 Jun 2025 06:30 |
Southland Sharks |
98 - 88 |
Tauranga Whai
|
New Zealand NBL |
|
27 Jun 2025 07:30 |
Otago Nuggets |
82 - 88 |
Tauranga Whai
|
New Zealand NBL |
About Tauranga Whai
The Tauranga Whai are a New Zealand basketball team based in Tauranga, Bay of Plenty. The Whai compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Mercury Baypark.
Men's team
In December 2021, the Bay of Plenty Basketball Foundation were granted a license to enter a men's team into the National Basketball League (NBL) for the 2024 season. The team was initially named the Bay of Plenty Stingrays. The team was rebranded as Whai in the lead up to their first season and then later officially branded Tauranga Whai. The word whai as a noun means stingray in Māori. As a verb, whai means to chase or pursue.
In October 2023, Whai Basketball announced Matt Lacey as their inaugural men's coach. In their NBL debut on 28 March 2024, the Whai defeated the Hawke's Bay Hawks 91–70 at Mercury Baypark.