What’s changed · 2026/27
What’s Changed – Kiwi, 2025/26 to 2026/27
Sources:
- 2025/26: CJCA Kiwi, Year 3-4 & Mini Mags “Outfield Cricket” grade conditions, “as at 26th September 2025”. This was one document for Kiwi, Year 3 & 4 and Mini Mags. See the Kiwi rules (2025/26).
- 2026/27: CJCA Kiwi “Outfield Cricket” grade conditions, a separate Kiwi-only document “as at 1st June 2026”. The date comes from the file name, because the cover has none. See the Kiwi rules (2026/27).
This compares the two documents clause by clause for Kiwi, and cross-checks the CJCA’s 2026/27 announcements and the 2026/27 Mixed Grade Summary. Because Kiwi now has its own document, most of the wording changes just remove the Year 3 & 4 parts. Those changes are listed as “effectively Same”.
How to read the table:
- Same means the 2026/27 rule means the same as the 2025/26 rule.
- Rows whose rule name is in bold are the ones coaches and umpires need to apply differently this season.
- ⚠ marks a rule where the 2026/27 rules and the 2026/27 announcements don’t agree, or where the rules contradict themselves.
Rules: Christchurch Junior Cricket Association (CJCA). Reformatted as coaching notes; see the source PDF for the official wording.
What’s changed – at a glance
- Ball: only the soft yellow ball is now listed. The 2025/26 alternative, the “Kookaburra Kiwi Ball” (a red PVC ball), has been removed, and the general conditions now ask each team to bring a “KIWI GRADE YELLOW SOFT BALL”.
- Scores to the convenor (new): “TEAMS SHOULD ADVISE THEIR CLUB OR SCHOOL CONVENOR OF A MATCH SCHORE”, to help create “like vs like” grades during the season. This is highlighted as new and is in addition to entering results on PlayHQ.
- Bails are optional: teams provide “3 stumps, 2 bails (optional in Outfield Cricket)”.
- Kiwi sections: Kiwi is now described as “two sections, KIWI(Years 0-2) and KIWI Novice”, for School Years 1–2.
- Free hits: a new highlighted line says catches off the tee don’t count and run-outs are the only dismissal. This only spells out the existing rule (“Free hits in these grades can only result in RUN OUTS”).
- Unchanged:
- Format: pairs cricket, 6 a side, 12 m pitch, 25 m boundary, plastic bats only, two small hitting tees.
- Innings: 12 overs per side, with 4 overs per pair.
- Bowling: 2 overs per bowler, 6-ball overs with no re-bowls, 5 m run-up.
- Scoring: no byes or overthrows, +3 runs per dismissal.
- Same pitch map and scoresheet.
- ⚠ Fielding restriction: the CJCA’s 2026/27 changes say “In all CJCA grades at least 3 players must be closer to the Batter than to the Boundary”, but the Kiwi rules don’t mention it.
- ⚠ 14 m markings: the new artificial-pitch sentence says school grounds have “RED indications of a 14m pitch length marked”, but the Kiwi pitch is 12 m.
Rules table
Format, players and ground
| Rule | 2025/26 | 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Document | Joint Kiwi, Year 3-4 & Mini Mags document | Kiwi-only document – effectively Same |
| Sections | Kiwi (Years 0-2), one of “three grades, Kiwi (Years 0-2) Year 3 and Year 4” for “School Years 1-4” | “two sections , KIWI(Years 0-2) and KIWI Novice” for “School Years 1-2” |
| Format | Pairs cricket (“All grades are pairs-based cricket”) | Same |
| Team size | 6 a side | Same |
| Maximum players on the field | “MAXIMUM OF 6 OR 8 PLAYERS ON THE FIELD” | “MAXIMUM OF 6 KIWI ON THE FIELD” – effectively Same |
| Fewer than 6 players | Ask the opposition for players; bowling limits can be extended to 3 overs each (“less than 6 or 8 players in Kiwi, Year 3 and 4”) | “less than 6 Kiwi players” – effectively Same |
| More than 6 players | Bat and bowl fewer overs, or extend by one partnership if the opposition agrees; scoring stops “at the 12 or 16 overs” | Scoring stops “at the 12” – effectively Same |
| Start time | 5.30 pm Friday or 9.30 am Saturday | Same |
| Grounds | Club grounds plus hubs “such as Bradford, Beckenham, Lancaster Park” | “Bradford, Beckenham, Walter” – effectively Same |
| Divisions | North and South divisions | Same |
| Pitch length | 12 m prepared outfield pitch | Same, plus a new sentence about school artificial pitches with “RED indications of a 14m pitch length marked” – ⚠ see notes |
| Boundary | 25 m or natural boundaries | Same |
| Ball | “Soft (Yellow) Ball” or “Kookaburra Kiwi Ball” (a red PVC ball) | “Soft (Yellow) Ball” only; Gear: “a KIWI GRADE YELLOW SOFT BALL” |
| Bats | “only plastic bats” | Same |
| Hitting tees | Two small hitting tees | Same |
| Bails | Teams provide “3 stumps, 2 bails and an appropriate ball” | “2 bails (optional in Outfield Cricket)” |
Match structure
| Rule | 2025/26 | 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Innings | One innings each, 12 overs per side, “around 40-45 minutes”; coin toss for who starts | “around 40-45 minutes each innings” – effectively Same |
| Bowling end | All bowling from the same end | Same |
| Exclusion zone | 10 m zone (not the wicketkeeper), extended to 10 m from the bowler’s-end stumps; fielders need not stand on the markers | Same |
| Pitch map | Appendix 1 Kiwi map (May 2024): 12 m pitch, 10 m exclusion zone, tees 1.2 m either side of the batter | Same (the same image) |
Batting and dismissals
| Rule | 2025/26 | 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Batting pairs | “Six or Eight batters are placed into pairs numbered 1-4” | “Six batters are placed into pairs numbered 1-3” – effectively Same (corrected for Kiwi) |
| Batting time | Each pair bats 4 overs (24 balls); aim for 12 balls each, changing ends mid-over after dot balls if needed | Same |
| Switching ends and run-outs | Dismissed batter doesn’t face the next ball; batters change ends each over; on a run-out the batting side keeps the runs attempted if the batters crossed | Same (the run-out wording is now highlighted) |
| Ways of being out | Bowled, caught, stumped, hit wicket, run out; no LBW; also out if bails don’t fall after the ball hits the base of the stumps | Same (the bails sentence is now highlighted) |
| What happens when a batter is out | Batter stays in; X recorded; batters swap ends; bowling side +3 runs | Same |
| Free hits | Every wide or no-ball gives a free hit off a tee; batter stays on strike; run-out only; either tee; hit forward of the wicket | Same – the free-hit sentence now names Kiwi only, and a new highlighted line says “CATCHES FROM BALLS HIT OFF THE TEE DO NOT COUNT” |
| Hitting off either tee | “All players may hit of either tee, bringing the entire field into play” | “… bringing the entire field (forward of the wicket into play” – effectively Same (still labelled “Change in 2024/25 Season”) |
Fielding
| Rule | 2025/26 | 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Byes and overthrows | “THERE SHOULD BE NO BYES OR OVERTHROWS IN KIWI GRADE” | Same |
| Fielders closer than the boundary | ⚠ Not stated | ⚠ Not stated – the 2026/27 announcement says at least 3 in all grades (see below) |
| Recording catches | Against the catcher on the scoresheet | Same |
| Rotating positions | Rotate fielders, including wicketkeeper | Same |
Bowling and scoring
| Rule | 2025/26 | 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Overs per bowler | Every bowler bowls 2 overs; everyone bowls 1 before anyone bowls a 2nd; no consecutive overs | Same |
| Balls per over | No re-bowls: maximum 6 deliveries | Same |
| Run-up | Maximum 5 m | Same |
| Wides and no-balls | Wide outside the off-side cone or halfway to the leg side; four no-ball conditions | Same |
| Throwing | No penalty for a thrown delivery; a batter shouldn’t be given out off an obvious throw | Same |
| Runs for dismissals | +3 for each dismissal | Same |
| Runs for wides and no-balls | None, other than runs from hitting off the cone | Same |
| Results on PlayHQ | Enter the net score (runs plus 3 per wicket) | Same |
| Scores to the club or school convenor | Not stated | “TEAMS SHOULD ADVISE THEIR CLUB OR SCHOOL CONVENOR OF A MATCH SCHORE” to help grading (highlighted as new) |
| Scoresheet | Kiwi or Year 3/4 scoresheet (Appendix 2) | Same (the same image) |
Cross-check with the 2026/27 announcements
The CJCA’s Grade and Playing Conditions changes document and four posters name Kiwi or “all grades”: Grace Period Settings, New Batting Retirement Settings, Retired and Additional Batters and Fielding Restrictions. The Mixed Grade Summary (as at 1 August 2026) is checked too.
| Announcement says | 2026/27 Kiwi rules |
|---|---|
| “Bonus runs for wickets in ALL PAIRS CRICKET will remain at 3 bonus runs. (Kiwi, …)”; the Grace Period poster gives 3 runs in pairs cricket. | Matches (+3 per dismissal). Kiwi has no grace period: batters stay in when out. |
| Retirement poster: “Pairs Cricket – No Change”, Kiwi bats in “4-over blocks per pair”, “Legitimate balls shared”. | Matches (4 overs per pair, aiming for 12 balls each). |
| Retired and Additional Batters poster (“All grades”): pairs teams with odd numbers should “rotate batters into the vacant position throughout the season”. | Not stated as such. The rules ask coaches to give all players “an equal opportunity to bat twice … throughout the season”, which fits. |
| “In grades with HITS OFF TEES … the only form of dismissal remains RUN OUTS – CATCHES DO NOT COUNT”. | Matches the new highlighted line. |
| “THERE SHOULD BE NO BYES OR OVERTHROWS IN KIWI GRADE”. | Matches. |
| ⚠ “In all CJCA grades at least 3 players must be closer to the Batter than to the Boundary.” | Not in the Kiwi rules. The Fielding Restrictions poster lists only “All hardball grades”, “Super 8” and “Girls Division 4”, and the Mixed summary leaves its highlighted “Boundary Limits” row blank for Kiwi. |
| Fielding Restrictions poster: no fielder closer than 10 m to the batter. | Matches the 10 m exclusion zone. |
| ⚠ Mixed summary: Kiwi ball “Soft Yellow/Red ball”. | The rules now list only the “Soft (Yellow) Ball” (the red Kookaburra Kiwi Ball was removed). |
| Mixed summary: 6 a side, 12 overs, 12 m, 25 m, “Bats Plastic Only + TWO SMALL TEES”, 2 overs per bowler, 5 m run-up, no byes or overthrows. | Matches. |
Possible errors or inconsistencies
Affecting how the game is played
- Fielding restriction: the 2026/27 changes document says “In all CJCA grades at least 3 players must be closer to the Batter than to the Boundary”, but the Kiwi rules don’t include it and the poster doesn’t list Kiwi. Worth asking the CJCA whether it applies to Kiwi.
- 12 m or 14 m: the Kiwi-only document says “Occasionally games may be allocated to School artificial pitches – in this instance these Smaller size grounds have RED indications of a 14m pitch length marked.” Its pitch-length line still also reads “Kiwi Grade: 12 metres (prepared outfield pitch) Year 3 & 4 & Mini Mags: 14 metres (prepared outfield pitch)”. It doesn’t say whether Kiwi plays 12 m or 14 m on those grounds.
- Ball: the 2026/27 Mixed summary says “Soft Yellow/Red ball”. The rules now give only the “Soft (Yellow) Ball”, and the general conditions ask for “a KIWI GRADE YELLOW SOFT BALL”.
- “6 or 8” left over: the Kiwi-only rules still say “Where possible opposition players should be asked to field to ensure there are 6 or 8 players in the fielding team” and “All bowlers should bowl 2 overs, unless you are playing with less than 6 or 8 players”. Kiwi is 6 a side. In 2025/26 the joint document also said “Six or Eight batters are placed into pairs numbered 1-4”; 2026/27 corrects this to “Six batters … pairs numbered 1-3”.
Document and wording issues
- Year 3 & 4 wording left in the Kiwi-only document:
- “In Kiwi and Year 3 and 4 grades teams are split into North and South divisions”
- “SMALL Hitting tees should be used in KIWI and Years 3 &4”
- “Cones should be used to indicate the fielding exclusion zone in grades up to Year 4”
- the table of contents entry “Kiwi Year 3 & Year 4 Grade Format” (the heading itself is now “Kiwi Grade Format”)
- on page 2, “All other grades will play the same Playing Conditions for the complete season”, although the Year 6 sentence it followed has been removed.
- Kiwi Novice is new (“two sections , KIWI(Years 0-2) and KIWI Novice”), but the document doesn’t say who plays in it or whether its rules differ. The sentence also says “School Years 1-2” but “(Years 0-2)”.
- No date on the cover: the 2026/27 document has no “as at” date; only the file name says “as at 1st June 2026”.
- Email links: in both years, the gm@cjca.org.nz email address links to a file path on the author’s computer (“/C:/Users/gm/Documents/CJCA%20COMPETITIONS/Grade%20conditions/2024/gm@cjca.org.nz”) rather than an email link. In 2025/26, the Girls Convenor’s girls@cjca.org.nz address also linked to a OneDrive path (“https://d.docs.live.net/…/Grade%20conditions/2025/girls@cjca.org.nz”). The Kiwi-only document no longer lists the Girls Convenor.
- Out-of-date label: the box “Change in 2024/25 Season. All players may hit of either tee …” is still there. In 2026/27 it reads “bringing the entire field (forward of the wicket into play”, with the closing bracket missing.
- Typos:
- new in 2026/27: “MATCH SCHORE” (score), “ENSURE THATY GRADES” (that) and “THE ONLY DISMISSALS … IS A RUN OUT” (are)
- carried over: “Hagley Oval” spelt “Haglgey”, “hit of either tee” (off), “so it important”, “4 and 6’s”, “LBW’s”, and the missing closing bracket after “(Bowlers can bowl from a shorter distance if needed”.