NZ North Island Championship 2024
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Winners
All results- 3x3x3 CubeChris Mills6.24
- 2x2x2 CubeJack Maddigan1.60
- 4x4x4 CubeAlexander Vujcich26.72
- 5x5x5 CubeAlexander Vujcich48.46
- 6x6x6 CubeRichard Yiheng Tao1:49.37
- 7x7x7 CubeRichard Yiheng Tao2:43.31
- 3x3x3 BlindfoldedJames Macdiarmid20.57
- 3x3x3 One-HandedRichard Yiheng Tao12.25
- ClockBrandon Harris4.72
- MegaminxAlexander Vujcich29.59
- PyraminxAdrien Auvray Matyn1.86
- SkewbAdrien Auvray Matyn3.51
- Square-1Adrien Auvray Matyn5.65
- 4x4x4 BlindfoldedTom Nelson2:45.56
- 5x5x5 BlindfoldedJack McDougall14:20.00
- 3x3x3 Multi-BlindJames Macdiarmid39/49 in 1:00:00
Photos, videos & posts from NZ North Island Championship 2024
Competition recap
A written summary of NZ North Island Championship 2024, generated from the official results on this page.
Mills and Vujcich Shine at NZ North Island Championship 2024English
Chris Mills set the benchmark for the regional calendar in Taupō, New Zealand, capturing the premier 3x3x3 Cube title with a blistering 6.24 winning average and a round-best 5.07 single. Across three days of intense speedcubing from July 19 to July 21, the Great Lake Centre staged the NZ North Island Championship 2024, serving as a vital mid-year proving ground for domestic talent. The tournament gathered 63 competitors across 16 official events and 33 rounds of action, framing the current state of national form in the 2024 season.
The 3x3 results at the NZ North Island Championship 2024 featured an elite three-round battle at the very top of the standings. Mills maintained control in the final to claim gold over Alexander Vujcich, who secured second place with a 7.69 average. Richard Yiheng Tao rounded out the podium with a 7.74 average. The classic Rubik's Cube drew a field of 62 competitors, testing endurance and precision through every stage of progression.
Alexander Vujcich assembled an extraordinary multi-discipline campaign over the weekend, claiming victories across big cubes and side puzzles alike. Vujcich swept the intermediate cubes by capturing the 4x4x4 Cube with a 26.72 average and the 5x5x5 Cube with a 48.46 mark, topping Tao in both finals. He added a third gold in Megaminx, notching a winning average of 29.59 with a 28.34 single, demonstrating exceptional consistency across higher-order hardware.
Adrien Auvray Matyn proved equally dominant across the specialty rotation, taking three championship titles of his own. Matyn won the Pyraminx with an average of 1.86, edged out the Skewb final with a 3.51 average, and finished atop Square-1 with a winning mark of 5.65. His technical execution in short-format solving provided some of the most dynamic moments of the entire cubing competition.
Richard Yiheng Tao mirrored that versatility by collecting multiple golds alongside his podium finishes in 3x3x3 Cube, 2x2x2 Cube, 4x4x4 Cube, and 5x5x5 Cube. Tao won 3x3x3 One-Handed with a 12.25 average, holding off Mills who logged 12.32. Tao also proved unmatched on the largest nxn puzzles, winning the 6x6x6 Cube with a 1:49.37 average and taking the 7x7x7 Cube title in 2:43.31. In the 2x2x2 Cube final, Jack Maddigan delivered gold with a crisp 1.60 average ahead of Tao and Levi Hetherington.
Beyond the championship tier, the open floor provided a massive stage for personal breakthroughs and ambitious debuts. Taiga Kitamura delivered huge gains across the board, dropping personal bests by 48.9 percent on 4x4x4 Cube to 1:29.59, 41.9 percent on Skewb to 9.76, and 29.6 percent on 3x3x3 One-Handed to 1:00.58. Theo Barton showed sharp form across nine events, improving his Skewb mark by 32.7 percent to 4.60, Square-1 by 28.6 percent to 21.13, and 2x2x2 Cube by 28.3 percent to 2.03. Andrea Cochrane cut her 3x3x3 Cube personal best by 32.2 percent to 1:03.74 while tackling her first official attempts in Pyraminx with 21.32 and 2x2x2 Cube with 23.20. Marius Tsui took on five events, shaving 32 percent off his 2x2x2 Cube best to 6.07 and posting first-time marks in 4x4x4 Cube with 1:39.11 and One-Handed with 52.42.
First-time event registrations were widespread across the roster as solvers expanded their competitive range. Benjamin Gardner stepped onto the stage for 11 separate events, logging maiden attempts in 5x5x5 Cube at 3:08.07, 6x6x6 Cube at 5:36.00, and Megaminx at 2:03.74. Adam Chen contested seven events, registering first-ever marks in Square-1 at 39.80, Megaminx at 2:39.87, and Skewb at 5.96. Paula Maddigan completed six events, entering 4x4x4 Cube for the first time at 3:17.29, Skewb at 39.95, and slicing 36.3 percent off her 2x2x2 Cube personal best to hit 15.44. James Gore tackled five events, making his debut in 5x5x5 Cube at 1:45.91 and Skewb at 5.05 while lowering his 4x4x4 Cube mark by 20.3 percent to 48.65.
The blindfolded categories demanded absolute concentration from start to finish at the Great Lake Centre. James Macdiarmid delivered a landmark blindfolded double, winning 3x3x3 Blindfolded with a 20.57 single and 3x3x3 Multi-Blind with an impressive 39 out of 49 cubes solved within the 1:00:00 time limit. Tom Nelson captured the 4x4x4 Blindfolded crown with a 2:45.56 single, while Jack McDougall secured the 5x5x5 Blindfolded victory with a 14:20.00 result. Brandon Harris rounded out the event winners by taking Clock with a 4.72 average.
With 49 podium finishes earned by New Zealand solvers, the NZ North Island Championship 2024 established high standards for regional speed cubing as the campaign heads deeper into the year. Every round reinforced the depth of the regional scene, leaving the field well prepared for the next wave of WCA competition.