Lineup for New Zealand Darts Masters complete: Van Veen, Price, Clayton lead field in Auckland
PDCFriday, 10 July 2026 at 15:30
The field for the New Zealand Darts Masters is complete. On August 14 and 15, eight PDC stars and eight Oceanic players will battle for the title in Auckland at the annual World Series event.
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The lineup is headed by the likes of Gian van Veen, Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton in New Zealand due to the absence of Luke Littler, Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen.
Gian Van Veen is the highest ranked player in the event and will be making his debut Down Under, while James Wade also returns to New Zealand. Josh Rock, Stephen Bunting, Ross Smith, and Damon Heta are the other four PDC players in Auckland.
Ben Robb and Jonny Tata lead the list of Oceanic entrants for the New Zealand Darts Masters. Robb and Tata qualified as the two highest-ranked players on this season’s DPNZ ranking. Robb tops the standings after claiming his fifth title of 2026 during Event Nine.
For Robb, it will be his fifth appearance at the New Zealand Darts Masters, while Tata makes his fourth. He also has fond memories of the tournament, having defeated Peter Wright on the Spark Arena stage in 2023.
Mark Cleaver, Kayden Milne, and Haupai Puha have also qualified via the DPNZ ranking for the tournament in Auckland. They completed the top five of the table and thereby secured their spots. Cleaver sealed his participation thanks to a quarterfinal at Event Nine and a final at Event Ten. The 26-year-old Milne qualified by winning two of the first three events on the DPNZ ProTour.
Puha clinched the final ticket via the DPNZ ProTour. He denied Jack Sheppard a debut at the New Zealand Darts Masters by reaching the quarterfinals at Event Nine. The five qualifiers from the DPNZ ProTour will be joined in Auckland by Tour Card holder Adam Leek and ANZ Premier League winner Simon Whitlock. The eighth and final place has been awarded to Raymond Smith, the highest-ranked player of the Australian Darts Association.
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Lineup New Zealand Darts Masters 2026
PDC players
| Gian van Veen |
| Jonny Clayton |
| James Wade |
| Josh Rock |
| Gerwyn Price |
| Stephen Bunting |
| Ross Smith |
| Damon Heta |
Oceanic players
| Adam Leek |
| Simon Whitlock |
| Ben Robb |
| Jonny Tata |
| Mark Cleaver |
| Kayden Milne |
| Haupai Puha |
| Raymond Smith |
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Lucas MichaelDarts Journalist
Lucas Michael is a darts journalist and reporter based in Cambridge, UK, and has been part of the DartsNews team since 2025. He covers professional darts through reports, analysis, round-ups, and live coverage, with a focus on clear context and accurate reporting across the PDC calendar.
A key part of his work is liveblogging major tournaments throughout the year, providing real-time updates, match coverage, and contextual reporting across the professional circuit. He also reports regularly from events on site and has covered the PDC World Darts Championship from the venue, delivering first-hand insight throughout the tournament.
Within the newsroom, Lucas works closely with the editorial team and supports coverage alongside Chief Content Officer Samuel Gill and reporter Kieran Wood.
Lucas holds a BA (Hons) in Sports Journalism. In his work, he places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating content promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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