New Zealand Darts Masters: Dates, location, history & how to watch

Many of the biggest names in darts are heading to Hamilton in August for the fourth running of the New Zealand Darts Masters.

Eight PDC superstars, headed by world champion Luke Humphries and eight Oceania qualifiers will do battle over two days in the final qualifying event for next month's World Series of Darts finals in Amsterdam.

New Zealand Darts Masters dates

The New Zealand Darts Masters will take place on the 16th and 17th of August, 2024.

New Zealand Darts Masters times

Play is expected to get underway at 19:00 local time, which is 08:00 (BST).

New Zealand Darts Masters venue

The New Zealand Darts Masters is being held at the Globox Arena, Hamilton in New Zealand.

It is a 6,000-capacity venue formerly known as the Claudelands Arena and has hosted the three previous runnings of the competition.

New Zealand Darts Masters how to watch

There will be delayed coverage of the New Zealand Darts Masters on ITV4, with an option to watch it live on ITVX. The tournament will also be screened on pdc.tv.

New Zealand Darts Masters who is playing

Sixteen players will take part in the New Zealand Darts Masters, which is the seventh and final counting event for the 2024 World Series of Darts finals to be held in Amsterdam next month.

Eight household names from the PDC will be up against eight Oceania qualifiers in round one over a best-of-11 legs.

Rob Cross is the defending champion while Gerwyn Price and Luke Littler arrive in Hamilton hot-foot from contesting the final of the Australian Darts Masters last week, the Welshman winning that match 8-1.

The other five PDC aces are world No.1 and world champion Luke Humphries, former world champions Peter Wright and Michael Smith, Belgium's Dimitri van den Bergh, plus Damon Heta, Australia's No.1.

The eight Oceania qualifiers are headed by former Premier League star Simon Whitlock, while there are six players from New Zealand.

The best-known of that sextet is Haupai Puha, the only New Zealander to ever win a PDC Tour card, while Ben Robb is known to UK audiences, having qualified four times for the World Championship.

Mark Cleaver and Kayden Milne are in the field as the top two in the DPNZ Order of Merit, while Jonny Tata lit up the tournament 12 months ago by stunning Peter Wright in his opener.

He gets a second shot at a PDC superstar, while Daniel Snookes prepares for his first invite to the tournament. Completing the field is DPA Order of Merit leader Jeremy Fagg.

How many times has the New Zealand Darts Masters taken place?

This will be the fourth staging of the New Zealand Darts Masters which made its debut, in Hamilton, in 2019.

Michael van Gerwen, not competing this year as he recovers from dental surgery, won back then, crushing Raymond van Barneveld 8-1 in the final.

Who are the previous winners of the New Zealand Darts Masters?

After Van Gerwen's success in 2019, the New Zealand Darts Masters returned to the calendar in 2022 when it produced an all-Welsh final, as Gerwyn Price beat Jonny Clayton 8-4.

Twelve months ago it was Rob Cross who prevailed in a dramatic last-leg shootout against Nathan Aspinall, claiming the £20,000 first prize with an 8-7 victory.