Five Macleans College hockey players represent Auckland at national tournament
Posted on July 31, 2026
Five Macleans College students were selected to represent Auckland at the 2026 New Zealand Under-18 National Hockey Tournament, recognising them among the region's leading young hockey players.
The tournament was held in Palmerston North for the girls' competition and Tauranga for the boys' competition.
Congratulations to the following students:
U18 Auckland Blue (A Team)
- Kayla Thackwray (Hillary House)
U18 Auckland White (B Team)
- Ben Ellis (Rutherford)
- Tristan Addington - goalkeeper (Rutherford)
- Linda Meyburgh (Hillary)
- Lyala Addington - goalkeeper (Rutherford)
The Auckland U18 Blue Girls team finished fifth in New Zealand. The Auckland U18 White Girls team placed 12th out of 22 teams, while the Auckland U18 White Boys team finished 17th out of 21 teams.
Special congratulations go to Kayla and Ben, who each scored two goals for their respective teams during the tournament.
Selection for an Auckland representative team is a significant achievement and reflects each player's dedication, skill and commitment to the sport.
Kayla has also been selected for Hockey New Zealand's newly revised performance pathway programme. She has been named in the New Zealand Tridents Training Camp, to be held in September, recognising her as one of the country's most promising young hockey players.
Macleans College congratulates Kayla, Ben, Tristan, Linda and Lyala on their outstanding achievements and the way they represented both Auckland and the school on the national stage.
