ABOUT THE
TARANAKI AIRS
The Taranaki Airs are a New Zealand basketball team based in New Plymouth, Taranaki.
The Airs compete in the Sal’s NBL (National Basketball League) and play their home games at TSB Stadium.
We aspire to develop programs for athletes of all ages and abilities to reach their full potential, to always compete to the extent of our abilities, and to provide fantastic entertainment for everyone we share our experiences with.
Team History
A New Plymouth team played in the inaugural season of the Conference Basketball League (CBL) in 1981 and earned runners-up honours. The team went on to finish as runners-up in the CBL Northern Conference in 1983, before winning the CBL championship in 1984.
The team was promoted to the NBL for the 1985 season and In 1992, New Plymouth were crowned regular season winners for the first time. In 1994, the team was rebranded as Taranaki. Following the 1999 season, the franchise withdrew from the NBL.
In 2001, a Taranaki team known as the Stormers were the winners of the CBL Central Conference and in the following year, the Stormers were once again winners of the CBL Central Conference, earning an 18–0 season record before going on to win the CBL championship with an 85–81 victory over the Kaikoura Whale Riders in the final led by point guard Willie Banks and import forward Link Abrams.
In 2003, Taranaki's bid for renewed NBL status was successful, re-entering the top-flight league as the Mountainairs. In 2021, the name was shortened to Airs and the following year, the Airs finished on top of the regular-season standings with a 12–6 record to be crowned minor premiers for just the second time in franchise history and first since 1992.
