DP Darts Down Under: Edition #5
Featuring: A look at Hopes and the rest of his PDC season, Rig picks up another title, NZ JDC Junior team confirmed, NZ Masters Pro's confirmed, & Mā te wā, Damien 'The Coach' Unuka.
🎯 Hopes Makes a Run on the PDC Pro Tour
Haupai Puha added £1,500 to his PDC Order of Merit early June, highlighted by a blistering performance against Ricky Evans on his way to a Last 32 finish at Players Championship 20.
After squeaking past Niels Zonneveld in Round One, Puha decimated Evans 6-2 in Round Two, which included a 13 darter and two 14 darters, averaging just under 100. Unfortunately the run came to an end as Bunting dished out what Hopes did to Evans in Round Three, but more promising performances from Hopes, for sure.
If Puha can produce more matches like the one against ‘Rapid’ Ricky, then a deep run in one of these remaining events will happen. The winner of each Pro Tour event receives a healthy £15,000 cheque, the runner-up earns £10,000, and a semi-final finish pays £5,000, so a good run can change the course of any player's season.
The recent success of players like Bradley Brooks (who claimed Pro Tour 21), as well as Adam Lipscombe, Dominik Grüllich, and Jeffrey de Graaf making finals this season, shows just how open these tournaments can be. Anyone on the pro tour has the darts to make a run. Add a couple of qualifications for the remaining Euro Tour events, and Puha will really be in business.
What does Hopes need to do for the rest of the season?
Haupai currently sits around £52,000 behind 64th place on the Order of Merit, ranked #89. To retain a Tour Card after your second year, you must be inside the top 64, so there’s plenty of mahi to be done.
Realistically, for Haupai to retain his Tour Card, he must at least qualify for the 2026 PDC World Championship at the end of the year. Making it to the World Championship guarantees £15,000, and a run to the Last 16 is worth £60,000. After missing out last year, Puha will no doubt be hungry to get back onto the Ally Pally stage.
The Players Championship Finals is also within reach — with qualification alone paying a minimum of £3,000. Every bit helps. The World Grand Prix and European Championship qualification looks out of reach, but the Grand Slam of Darts also has qualifying paths available for PDC Tour Card holders and a minimum £3,000 prize money there too.
Still, there are 12 PDC Pro Tour events and five more European Tour qualifiers left in the season. Plenty of darts still to throw, so good luck to Hopes for the rest of the season.
If you want to support Hopes, then also check out TP Clothing and the Hopes darts shirts, which is probably the most recognised and most sold dart shirt in Aotearoa (The Ghost Pepper ‘Scott Menzies’ Shirts now a close second!? 🌶️), as well as the likes of Jonny Tata, Darren Herewini and Tukino Weko merch.
🎯 Pacific Darts Masters
Big Rig Picks Up Another Trophy Over The Pond
Big Rig Ben Robb was back over in Aussie, Birkdale (Basically Brisbane) in Queensland to be specific, to compete in the 2025 WDF Silver Ranked Pacific World Masters event.
Rig got the better of top Aussie star Raymond Smith in a convincing 6–1 victory, averaging 98 in the final to take home the trophy and $1,600 (Aussie) dolla' prize. Robb had to survive final-leg deciders in both the quarter-finals and semi-finals against Gordon Mathers and James Bailey respectively, but then ran through Australia’s in-form player Raymond Smith in the final. Rigg made a statement by winning the match with a 164 checkout. See the winning moment here.
Smith, the 2023 champion, had only dropped one leg on his way to the final, including a 107 average in a 4–0 last-16 win, before being taken apart by Robb.
Great to see the commitment and hard work really paying off. Rig is certainly racking up the air miles and it’s really starting to pay off. If he does ultimately end up competing in the ANZ Premier League later this year, then all this experience will certainly see him as one of the favorites.
Also, Shoutout to Aussie-based Kiwi and WDF NZ World Cup rep Tracy MacDonald, who made the semi-finals of the women’s tournament before falling to Tori Kewish.
🥝 PDC representatives announced for Australian Darts Masters & New Zealand Darts Masters 🦘
The final two PDC stars have been confirmed for the long flight across the world for the NSW and New Zealand Darts Masters next month. Reigning World Grand Prix Champion and current world number 20, Belgian Mike De Decker, will make his debut in the competition. Joining him is one half of Northern Ireland’s 2025 World Cup-winning team, Josh Rock, who is currently ranked world number 17. Rock will also be making his debut at both tournaments.
Haupai Puha, Jonny Tata, John Hurring, Mark Cleaver, Ben Robb, and Dean Reyland will be the Kiwi representatives aiming to cause an upset at the New Zealand Darts Masters. Jonny Tata will also head to the Aussie comp to represent Aotearoa and try to slay some darting giants.
The full list of PDC representatives is as follows:
Luke Humphries
Luke Littler
Stephen Bunting
Gerwyn Price
Josh Rock
Chris Dobey
Damon Heta
Mike De Decker
I’ll do a bit of a preview of the competition for next edition 👍
🎯 JDC Junior Team Announced for World Championships in Gibraltar – The Future 🤖
The Junior team for the Junior Darts Corporation (Which is part of the PDC) has recently been announced for the World Championships in November.
I got the lowdown from Bianca Ormsby (The Mother of half of the team!) on the history of JDC in NZ and how it all works!
Understanding the Junior Darts Corporation
(JDC) The Junior Darts Corporation (JDC) is a prominent UK-based organization dedicated to providing opportunities for youth aged 8 to 18 to engage in and enhance their skills in darts. With a steadily expanding network of over 50 academies globally, the JDC creates a safe and encouraging environment for all affiliated academies, ensuring that young players receive the best support and opportunities in the sport.
The JDC and New Zealand
JDC's Presence in New Zealand New Zealand officially became affiliated with the Junior Darts Corporation in 2019, following efforts initiated by Tao Matarau in Gisborne, and has since been overseen by Matiu and Kiri Hawea, affectionately called Aunty and Uncle by the youth involved. In 2024, Te Aro Pūtahi was established in Tokoroa, also joining the ranks as an affiliated academy, founded by Kani Numanga and Bianca Ormsby under the mentorship of Matiu and Kiri. At its core, the JDC believes that the future of darts begins at the grassroots level. This philosophy is why the organization has developed the academy system—creating structured opportunities for children of all ages to play darts in a safe and supportive environment.
The academies not only nurture talent but also instill a sense of community and camaraderie among young players. In collaboration with these academies and through the committed efforts of young dart players, JDC training sessions are conducted weekly from January through July. These sessions are documented using an online platform, allowing for the compilation of the JDC New Zealand Order of Merit.
Who Made the Team?
The top four players in this ranking system earn their place on the New Zealand Team, representing the country at the prestigious JDC World Championships in Gibraltar. This year, Apanui Kaiwai and Joel Horua from the Tao Matarau academy qualified for the championships, showcasing their skills under the guidance of Matiu and Kiri. Apanui achieved the top ranking, closely followed by Joel, while brothers Preston and Tipene Wheeler, founding members of Te Aro Pūtahi, secured third and fourth positions, respectively. The community's support for young players across New Zealand has been exceptional, highlighting their potential as the future of the sport. Nurturing their talent is essential for the continued growth of darts.
The competition format in Gibraltar differs significantly from that in New Zealand, consisting of straight knockouts. Despite this challenge, high hopes are placed on the four boys. Additionally, the 10-hour time difference means that while the young players compete, many supporters back home may be asleep.
If you are interested in learning more or getting involved then you can contact:
Matiu Hawea taomatarau@gmail.com or
Kani Numanga Kani.Numanga@jarussell.co.nz
Haere rā, Coach 🚌
Our good mate and brother to many across the NZ darts scene, Damien "The Coach" Unuka, is heading over to Brizzy, Austraaaaaaaylia maaaaaaate, with his partner Jamie, at the end of the month.
Coach has been a familiar face to many of us on the DPNZ Pro Tour, NZDC and darts in New Zealand in general for a long long time. He recently took out the prestigious NZDC Mixed Pairs title at the 2025 Nationals, leaving Aotearoa on a high note.
So long bro, we'll miss the laughs, the singalongs, the smokes and the Mana waves on our many road trips. Thanks for all your help and support with DP Darts and for being such an awesome ambassador, and for often being our late night soba driver! We’ll see you again soon.
Coach is hungry to get involved in the Aussie Darts Competitions, flying that Cook Islands/Kiwi flag high. Go smash it up in Aussie, bro!
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What’s Next?
Aug 15 - Aug 16 2025 SkyCity New Zealand Darts Masters, Spark Arena, Auckland
23rd & 24th August DPNZ Pro Tour 9 & 10: Howick Club, Auckland
🎯 Get Your Tickets for the ANZ Premier League in Wellington, November 8th!
DP Darts are excited to be co-promoting the ANZ Premier League Wellington Night with TEG Sport - and you won’t want to miss it.
Let’s sell this one out, show the Aussies up, and make sure the event returns for years to come, and across more venues in the country!
Also, a small % of revenue also goes towards SplashSave and growing the game of darts in NZ.
🎟️ Scan the QR code, click here or contact us on FB if you’d like VIP and we’ll sort you out. Grab your tickets now!
Let me know your feedback or any ideas for content.
This is just the beginning — it will come into its own as it grows and gains readership, I would love to have some suggestions.
Although I have been following darts since I was a child in mid 90’s I am relatively new to the national darts scene in Aotearoa, so I’m still learning who’s who and the history of the sport here. But, I have a passion for the sport, I enjoy writing and telling people’s stories.
With your help and contributions as the reader, I would love to be the platform that can help tell those stories.
So….send me your stories, tell me about your tournaments, your darts clubs, show me your darts set-ups, darts practice routines, Anything dart related :) !
Send it to me at sam@splashsave.org
The Aim of this Newsletter: to be informative, grow the game of darts in Aotearoa, raise awareness for Drowning Prevention, and to have a laugh!
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