The sixth and final weekend of action on the 2026 DPNZ Tour took place last weekend in Auckland, with spots still to play for at some of the biggest darts tournaments Oceania has to offer.
Ben Robb led the way at the top of the rankings, with the number one qualifying for the World Championships. Going into the weekend, “Big Rig” needed just one Quarter-Final, or Jonny Tata to not win both events, and he would confirm his return to Alexandra Palace.
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Meanwhile, the race for the ANZ Premier League continued below. Ben Robb had already qualified, but the second spot was still up for grabs. Jonny Tata had a 1,450-point lead over Mark Cleaver in third, meaning a run to the final would be enough for Tata to go out of reach.
ProTour 11 – Shocks and a Welcome Return to Form
The first event of the weekend took place on Saturday, kicking off with the group stage of 101 entries, followed by the knockouts of the top 64.
The first shock came very early, with Ben Robb losing out in the Last 32 to Josh Roberts, despite having a 9-point higher average. This opened the door for Tata to put the pressure on him in the World Championship race but would need to claim the title to do so.
Josh Roberts went all the way to the Semi-Finals, doing so for the first time in three years, before losing out to Haupai Puha. Jonny Tata also reached the final, wrapping up the final spot for the ANZ Premier League in New Zealand.
“Hopes” Haupai Puha managed to claim the title with a deciding leg 14-darter, claiming his 21st DPNZ Title, but first of 2026. This victory also meant that Ben Robb had now qualified for the 2027 World Championships.
The performance of the event came from Brian Bullen, averaging 93.94 in his Group Stage win over Craig Morris.
Quarter-Finals
Josh Roberts (75.6) 5-3 Craig Pullen (83.5)
Haupai Puha (80.0) 5-3 Haunui Hira (77.5)
Jonny Tata (84.2) 5-3 Dean Reyland (76.5)
Mark Cleaver (91.7) 5-0 Jaymie Hilton-Jones (80.7)
Semi-Finals
Haupai Puha (92.0) 6-0 Josh Roberts (80.2)
Jonny Tata (93.3) 6-1 Mark Cleaver (92.7)
Final
Haupai Puha (85.7) 7-6 Jonny Tata (87.7)
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ProTour 12 – High Hopes as Puha Doubles Down
The final event of the year came with less jeopardy, with the World Championship and ANZ Premier League spots now wrapped up. However, the final two events of the 2026 season do count towards the 2027 Order of Merit, meaning there was still importance to getting good results.
The Semi-Final lineup consisted of possibly the best four players New Zealand has to offer, Puha, Robb, Tata and Cleaver. Despite the competitiveness, the final ended up being a repeat of the previous day, with Haupai Puha claiming it in a deciding leg over Jonny Tata.
This meant a 22nd title on the DPNZ for Puha, who finishes 2026 ranked third in New Zealand, but gives himself a very welcome boost for the start of the 2027 season.
The performance of the final event of the year came from Jonny Tata, averaging 100.2 in his group stage win over Callum McManus.
Quarter-Finals
Ben Robb (86.4) 5-0 Josh Roberts (77.0)
Haupai Puha (87.2) 5-3 Clinton Julies (69.7)
Jonny Tata (92.0) 5-1 John Hurring (85.4)
Mark Cleaver (88.3) 5-2 Dean Reyland (76.5)
Semi-Finals
Haupai Puha (86.4) 6-5 Ben Robb (95.9)
Jonny Tata (78.0) 6-2 Mark Cleaver (75.5)
Final
Haupai Puha (91.6) 7-6 Jonny Tata (88.1)
Dart Player New Zealand ProTour Darts – Final 2026 standings:
Since qualifying for his debut in 2020, Ben Robb missed out on the World Championships for the first time last year but makes it right by ensuring his return to that stage in December. Having lost to Meulenkamp, Rusty-Jake Rodriguez, Mansell, Veenstra and Scutt, Robb will be looking to secure his first win at the World Championships.
The same pair of Kiwi’s will also return to the ANZ Premier League at the end of the month – Ben Robb and Jonny Tata. In last year’s inaugural event, Ben Robb went out in the group stage finishing sixth, while Jonny Tata came second, before losing to Simon Whitlock in the Semi-Finals of the play-offs.
Reminder that the winner of the ANZ Premier League qualifies for both the World Championships and the Grand Slam. The show begins on the 26th September, with five league phase nights before the play-offs in Brisbane on Halloween.
The top eight of the DPNZ Order of Merit also qualify for the preliminary rounds of the 2027 Winmau World Masters, that being Ben Robb, Jonny Tata, Haupai Puha, Mark Cleaver, Kayden Milne, Jack Sheppard, Jaymie Hilton-Jones and Jordan Bennett-Davies. However, with the prize money being only £750 for the first round, none of the DPNZ qualifiers attended the event this year.
Haupai Puha leads the way after the first two events in the race to the 2028 World Championships. The DPNZ Tour will return in February/March next year. Check back in DartsWorld Dedicated Numbers Game Area for regular updates.
Images: PDC
