National First XV Championship (New Zealand)
The National First XV Championship (or the Top 4) is the Premier Rugby Union competition for Secondary Schools/Colleges in New Zealand. Since 2016, the Top 4 tournament has been based at the Massey University Sport and Rugby Institute in Palmerston North. The New Zealand Schools' and New Zealand Barbarians Schools' teams are generally announced at the conclusion of the tournament, whereby a development camp will take place the following week at the Institute.
The winning school of the Top 4 tournament is awarded the National Championship title and recognised as the top NZ 1st XV school in the nation. Additionally, they are nominated as the representative team for New Zealand at the SANIX World Rugby Tournament. If the scores are tied at fulltime, the title is shared and the SANIX nomination is decided as-per the semi-final tiebreaker process.