Waikato Management School Case Competition
Objective
The competition gives Waikato Management School students the opportunity to apply strategic, marketing, accounting and finance skills to a real New Zealand business, showcasing the strategic thinking and innovation of top students in a live, public final.
Description
Overview
The Waikato Management School (WMS) Case Competition is New Zealand's longest-running business case competition, launched in 1996 as part of the capstone paper (STMGT303 Applied Strategy) within the Bachelor of Business strategic management major.
Who can participate
- Waikato Management School students enrolled in the capstone strategy paper, competing in teams.
Format
- Teams analyse a detailed case study of a real New Zealand company over a two-week period, acting as management consultants.
- Each team develops a strategy (commonly a five-year growth strategy) and writes an in-depth business report.
- On 'Super Friday', all teams present to an internal panel of WMS lecturers and tutors.
- The top four teams advance to a live grand final, giving a 10-minute presentation to an external panel of industry judges in front of a public audience, followed by Q&A.
- Winners are chosen on a 50:50 weighting of the written report and the final presentation.
Notable details
- Past case companies have included Fonterra, Ozone Coffee, and Pic's Peanut Butter.
- The grand final is free and open to students, alumni, and the public.
August 06, 2026
Private
Consulting
WAIKATO UNIVERSITY (NEW ZEALAND)
PriceWaterhouseCoopers
Waikato Management School, University of Waikato, PwC (sponsor)
1st place: $2,500 NZD (sponsored by PwC), plus trophy and certificate