KEY POINTS:
The national netball championships will be played under a new format this year and include an extended five-week round-robin competition from September 6.
The home and away games will culminate with a finals tournament from September 29 to October 4 in Rotorua, the second division games starting on September 29 and the first division from October 1.
There will be six teams in each division, ranked from last year's championships.
