Tonga was next on their hit list — 11-0 — followed by a 10-0 whitewash of Papua New Guinea.
They continued their charge with a 12-1 win over Vanuatu but on Day 5 their skills were put to test when they faced Australia.
The Aussies won 6-2 but the Kiwis bounced back later in the day with a 7-2 defeat of Fiji.
They met Fiji again in the semifinals on the final day and a 6-3 win set up another meeting with Australia in the final.
New Zealand put up a stronger fight than their previous encounter but Australia came through to win 3-1.
The New Zealand men followed a similar pattern to the women with wins over Papua New Guinea 9-2, Vanuatu 9-2, Tonga 12-0 and Solomon Islands 7-0.
They drew 5-all with Fiji and were narrowly beaten 4-3 by Australia.
It set up a semifinal with Fiji, which they won 6-2.
Australia beat the Kiwi men 6-4 in the final.
Kahu Ripia said they were “all proud to be representing Aotearoa, our rohe, iwi, hapū and whānau”.
“And to qualify for the World Cup, we’re all ecstatic and over the moon.”
They had three months to prepare for the tournament.
Trials were held in Auckland/Counties Manukau, with 30 men and women vying for selection.
The squads comprised players from Auckland, Hamilton, Rotorua and the South Island.
Hayley Cox was the standout, scoring 21 goals over the tournament.
Hockey5s is a shortened and faster variant of the standard game.
It features five players per team and is played on a “court” about half the size of a regular hockey field.
The court is surrounded by boundary boards and the game continues if the ball rebounds off a board and back into play.
Scoring is not restricted to inside the attacking “D”. Players can shoot from anywhere.
Games comprise 10-minute halves.
