Jiu jitsu in New Zealand has a full competition calendar from Northland to Queenstown. Auckland hosts the most events by a distance, followed by Christchurch, Tauranga and Hamilton, with regular comps in Wellington, Feilding, Whangārei, Rotorua, New Plymouth and Palmerston North. Upcoming NZ BJJ competitions are often announced well ahead, so you can plan travel and making weight early.
The New Zealand Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation runs the NZ Nationals Gi and No-Gi along with regional opens such as the Auckland Open, Bay of Plenty Open, Northland Open and Taranaki Open, with NZBJJF Manawatu and NZBJJF South covering their regions. The BOP Grappling Series No-Gi Open, King of the South BJJ Festival and Oceania Kids Jiu-Jitsu Championship are other fixtures, and Stealth Grappling and NZ Grappler also run events.
Gi and No-Gi divisions are offered almost equally, while kids divisions feature at around a sixth of events and absolute brackets at a similar share. IBJJF rules are the standard at most federation events, with some submission only comps. Adult entry is usually around NZ$20 to NZ$60, which keeps a full 2026 calendar affordable. November and October are the busiest months, followed by August and September.
