"We have teams from as far away as Kaitaia and Whangarei all the way down to Wellington," Pene said. "We are trying to get Ngai Tahu to enter from the South Island, but it is a long way to come."
Pene said the home teams, representing Te Arawa, had been performing well heading into the semifinals which began last night.
The Te Arawa men's and women's teams were on track to make the playoffs as well as some of the age group teams, Pene said. All the finals are being played today.
Matches are being played across eight courts this year to cater for the increase in numbers. The defending champions in the major competitions are Ngati Toa in the men's grade and Waikato Tainui in the women's grade. Waikato are not entered in the competition this year.
Along with the basketball side of things, all the regions attending the tournament performed an item last night during a social event.
An AGM was also being held last night to determine where the big event will be hosted next year.
