Christchurch Town Hall, July 2025. The world’s oldest national band championship returned to Christchurch for the first time since 2021, with 37 bands from both sides of the Tasman and the largest Australian contingent in 34 years. Brassbanned broadcast all five days live and free in 4K. Wellington Brass, under David Bremner, were a class apart, taking a seventh straight A Grade title and an 11th Gold Cup in 12 years before heading off to the 2026 World Championships in Kerkrade. The most emotional win of the week belonged to New Brighton Silver, D Grade champions after a 110-year wait.
This is the complete record: every grade, the full placings and points, with our broadcast replays so you can watch any performance again. Results sourced from the official championships and the reports at 4BarsRest and Brass Band Results.
Watch the full broadcast
Five days from the Christchurch Town Hall, streamed live in 4K with Radio New Zealand’s technical team. Watch any of it again.
Hall 1 (Auditorium) & Parade of Bands
Hall 2 (James Hay Theatre)
Junior Champion of Champions
A Grade
James Hay venue · Adjudicator: Frederic Theodoloz Set Work: A Tale as Yet Untold (Philip Sparke)
Total domination. Wellington swept the Gold Cup, best test piece and best own choice, the latter a contest premiere of Jack Bewley’s Apokalypsis. Woolston returned to form in second, with North Shore third.
| Pos | Band | Conductor | Sacred | Test | Own Choice | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wellington Brass | David Bremner | 48.5 | 96 | 98 | 242.5 |
| 2 | Woolston Brass | Phil Johnston | 49 | 95 | 96 | 240.0 |
| 3 | North Shore Brass | Harmen Vanhoorne | 47 | 94 | 96.5 | 237.5 |
| 4 | Brass Band Newcastle (Aus) | Conrad Curry | 47.5 | 92 | 97.5 | 237.0 |
| 5 | Darebin City Brass (Aus) | Andrew Snell | 48 | 93 | 95 | 236.0 |
| 6 | Hamilton City Brass | Todd Smith | 46 | 89 | 94 | 229.0 |
| 7 | Hutt City Brass | Matthew Stein | 45.25 | 90 | 92 | 227.25 |
| 8 | Ascot Park Hotel Brass | Joe Thomas | 45.5 | 88 | 90 | 223.5 |
| 9 | Auckland City Brass | Mark Close | 45 | 87 | 87 | 219.0 |
| 10 | Brass Whanganui | Bruce Jellyman | 44.5 | 85 | 88 | 217.5 |
Best Soloist (Test): Luke Giri-Spence, euphonium (Wellington). Best Principal Cornet (Own Choice): Kyle Lawson (Wellington).
B Grade
Adjudicator: Frederic Theodoloz Set Work: Sounds (John Golland)
One of NZ banding’s most famous names returned to the podium top step, as Dunedin’s St Kilda Brass took the B Grade in their first contest at the level, under Prof. Peter Adams.
| Pos | Band | Conductor | Sacred | Test | Own Choice | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Kilda Brass | Prof. Peter Adams | 43.5 | 93 | 94 | 230.5 |
| 2 | Eastern Bay of Plenty Brass | Andrew Leach | 46 | 88 | 93 | 227.0 |
| 3 | Windsor Excelsior (Aus) | Dale Hosking | 45 | 92 | 89 | 226.0 |
| 4 | Woolston Concert Brass | Matt Toomata | 44.5 | 89 | 88 | 221.5 |
| 5 | Porirua City Brass | Nicholas Garrett | 42.5 | 87 | 92 | 221.5 |
| 6 | Marlborough District Brass | Robin Randall | 43 | 86 | 91 | 220.0 |
| 7 | Addington Brass | Adrian Dalton | 44 | 85 | 89.5 | 218.5 |
C Grade
Adjudicator: Nick Johnson Set Work: The Lost Village of Imber (Christopher Bond)
Levin for the win. Levin & Districts claimed their first C Grade title since 2009 in the grade’s largest field for years, MD David Maas also taking the Invitation Slow Melody.
| Pos | Band | Conductor | Sacred | Test | Own Choice | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Levin & Districts Brass | David Maas | 48 | 95 | 97 | 240.0 |
| 2 | Rolleston Brass | Raynor Martin | 47.5 | 96 | 95 | 238.5 |
| 3 | Rangiora RSA Club Band | Dwayne Bloomfield | 48.5 | 93 | 96.5 | 238.0 |
| 4 | Whitehorse Brass (Aus) | Broden Ford | 47 | 90 | 96 | 233.0 |
| 5 | Matamata Brass | Glenn Richards | 46.5 | 89 | 95.5 | 231.0 |
| 6 | Timaru Brass | Catherine Anderson | 45.5 | 93 | 89 | 227.5 |
| 7= | Maamaloa Brass | Kalino Pongi | 44.5 | 89 | 93.5 | 227.0 |
| 7= | North Shore Brass Academy | Billy Middleton | 46 | 89 | 92 | 227.0 |
| 9 | Nor’west Brass | Nicholas Scott | 44 | 90 | 92 | 226.0 |
| 10 | Te Awamutu GoBus Brass | Sarah Carroll | 44.5 | 90 | 91 | 225.5 |
| 11 | Kaikorai Metropolitan Brass | Ben Rickerby | 42 | 86 | 90 | 218.0 |
| 12 | Westport Municipal | Nathan Keoghan | 43.5 | 86 | 88 | 217.5 |
D Grade
Adjudicator: Nick Johnson Set Work: Be Still (David J Evans, arr. Stephen Tighe)
The fairytale of the weekend. New Brighton Silver, formed in 1908, won their first national title in 110 years under Lachlan Grant, who also took Champion MD for the grade.
| Pos | Band | Conductor | Sacred | Test | Own Choice | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Brighton Silver | Lachlan Grant | 93 | 91 | 94 | 278 |
| 2 | Mosgiel Brass | Philip Craigie QSM | 90 | 92 | 92 | 274 |
| 3 | Addington Workshop Band | Matthew Harris | 90 | 89 | 92 | 271 |
The D Grade field also featured Nor’west Zephyrs, Ascot Park Hotel Development Brass, Sumner Silver and Buzzing Brass Wellington.
Youth, Parade & Champion of Champions
Box Hill Academy Brass (Lauren Innes) took the Youth Section. The Parade of Bands through Christchurch went to Woolston Brass in the A Grade. The Blue Riband Champion of Champions solo title went to Keina Rollinson of Woolston Brass, the first percussionist to win it since 2017, while the Junior Champion of Champions went to Eb tuba player Kilian Casey of Auckland City Brass.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the 2025 New Zealand Brass Band Championships? Wellington Brass, conducted by David Bremner, won the A Grade Gold Cup, their seventh A Grade title in a row.
Where were the 2025 NZ Nationals held? At the Christchurch Town Hall complex, from 2 to 6 July 2025, the first time the championships returned to Christchurch since 2021.
Who won the other grades? St Kilda Brass (B Grade), Levin & Districts Brass (C Grade) and New Brighton Silver (D Grade), the latter their first national title in 110 years.
Where can I watch the 2025 NZ Nationals? Brassbanned’s full 4K replays from both halls are embedded above, free to watch any time.
New to contesting? Read how brass band contests work, meet the instruments, and start at the very beginning with what is a brass band?
More championship replays
- 2026 Australian National Band Championships
- 2025 Australian National Band Championships
- 2024 Australian National Band Championships
- 2024 New Zealand Brass Band Championships
- 2023 New Zealand Brass Band Championships
Brassbanned streams the New Zealand Championships live and free in 4K, working alongside Radio New Zealand from the Christchurch Town Hall.
