VEX VIQRC National event in Palmerston North, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand Dec 11, 2026 – Dec 13, 2026.

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Details from events.vex.com. Tentative — subject to change by the event partner.

General Info

Save the date - the 2026/27 New Zealand VIQC National Championship for Elementary School will be held in the FLY PALMY ARENA, Manawatu.

Kiwibots are proud to bring this event for our tamariki, with the support of Central Robotics and Palmerston North City Council.

Check in and Inspection: 4 pm - 6 pm on Friday 11 December (except by prior arrangement)

Competion: Saturday 12 December, and Sunday 13 December 2026, 9am - 5pm

Please REGISTER as soon as possible. Limited spots available.

Volunteer, Mentor, Teacher Awards:

This is your chance to say THANK YOU for all the hard work that teachers, volunteers and mentors put into making it possible for you to participate in your VEX program.
Please take the time to recognise teachers, volunteers and mentors for their efforts in this season.

The link for nominations will be open soon.

Complete Digital Engineering Notebooks entry through the robotevents "My Account" page

Registration Fees

There is a registration fee of NZ$275 for this event.
Kiwibots will invoice you directly for this, and it will be due by 20th November 2026.
Please note that due to limited places and costings for this event, registration is NOT refundable.

If you can’t come to Nationals then a 50% admin cost is non-refundable and your team will receive 50% credit against their next kiwibots shop purchase.

This EVENT is for Elementary School Teams only

Students' age limits - these adjust each year in the game manual so please double check are the team members in the right division?

IQ - Level Up (page 83 / C8)

Student - Anyone born after May 1, 2011 (i.e., who will be 15 or younger at VEX Worlds 2027). Eligibility may also be granted based on a disability that has delayed education by at least one year. Students are the individuals who design, build, repair, and program the Robot with minimal Adult assistance.

● Elementary School Student – Any Student born after May 1, 2014 (i.e., who will be 12 or younger at VEX Worlds 2027). Elementary School Students may “play up” and compete as Middle School Students.

● Middle School Student - Any eligible Student that is not an Elementary School Student.

Live Stream:

The event will be livestreamed via the Kiwibots YouTube channel.

Venue: FLY PALMY ARENA
Address: 61 Pascal Street, Palmerston North, Manawatu-Wanganui 4410, New Zealand
Dates: December 11 – 13, 2026
Grade Level: Elementary
Skills Challenge: Yes
Judging Format: All In-Person Judging

Registration & Logistics

Event Type: Open Tournament
Event Format: In-Person
Field Control: N/A
Capacity: 70
Spots Open: 70
Event Region: New Zealand
Max Registrations per Org: 15
Standard Registration Opens: 10-Aug-2026 12:00 EDT
Registration Deadline: 3-Dec-2026 12:00 EST
Payment Deadline: 20/11/2026
Price: A$275.00

Agenda

PROPOSED AGENDA

Friday 11th December

4:00pm Check-In and Inspection Opens 6:00pm Check-In and Inspection Closes

Saturday 12th December

8:30am Venue Opens 9:30am Opening Ceremony 10:00am Drivers Meeting 10:30am Practice Matches 11:30am Teamwork Matches 12:30pm Lunch 1:30pm Teamwork Matches (cont.) 4:30pm End of matches for Saturday 4:45pm Venue Closes

Sunday13th December

8:30am Venue Opens 9:00am Teamwork Matches (cont.) 12:30pm Lunch 1:30pm Finals Matches 2:30pm Awards & Closing Ceremony 3:00pm Event Ends 3:30pm Venue Closes

Judging Format

Judging Format • All In-Person Judging - The Team Interviews and Engineering Notebooks will be judged in-person the day of the event. Teams should bring a physical copy of their notebook to submit to the judges. • Initial Interviews and Notebook submission deadlines may be scheduled ahead of the event date. • Digital Engineering Notebook Submissions / In Person Team Interviews: Team interviews will be conducted in-person at the event. Engineering notebooks will be submitted digitally for evaluation via a link found within the "My Account" panel of the team contact. A submission deadline that may be scheduled ahead of the event date.

Volunteer

Volunteer We love to have you volunteer: We would especially like to see Tech companies, who would like to volunteer one or more of their staff to come and help the teams with their design/engineering notebooks. Volunteer Jobs: referee, scorer, field resetting, judging If you can help on any day of the VIQRC 2026, please email contact@kiwibots.co.nz or complete this form: https://tinyurl.com/Kiwibots-IQ-Volunteer

Emergency/Bad-Weather Policy

Emergency/Bad Weather Policy We will endeavour to send registered teams an email if event is cancelled due to unforseen weather events.

Excellence Award - Elementary School (IQ)
Excellence Award (IQ)
Teamwork Champion Award (IQ)
Robot Skills Champion (IQ)
Teamwork 2nd Place Award (IQ)
Teamwork 3rd Place Award (IQ)
Amaze Award (IQ)
Build Award (IQ)
Create Award (IQ)
Design Award (IQ)
Energy Award (IQ)
Innovate Award (IQ)
Inspire Award (IQ)
Judges Award (IQ)
Mentor of the Year Award (IQ)
Partner of the Year Award
Sportsmanship Award (IQ)
Teacher of the Year Award (IQ)
Think Award (IQ)
Volunteer of the Year Award (IQ)