Kids from across the upper North Island are making the most of the final days of the school holidays in Tauranga.

They're part of the U13 Northern Regional Championship, a basketball tournament involving players from Taupo up to North Auckland.

Around 400 players in 39 teams from 12 associations are playing at ASB Arena, with finals on this Saturday.

Tauranga City Basketball general manager Mark Rogers says they have three boys' teams and two girls' teams playing.

'We've had some wins and losses. We've got two teams in the A grade – boys and girls – and they've both had a win and a loss. It's a pretty tough competition.”

Among the associations taking part are Waikato, Te Tai Tokerau, Hibiscus Coast, North Harbour, Auckland, Counties Manukau, Waitakere, Thames Valley, Tauranga (covering Waihi to Opotiki) and Rotorua.

Mark says there a plenty of scouts from Basketball New Zealand present, and 40 boys and 40 girls will be selected for a national camp to be held in January, based on their performance at the tournament.

It's the first time the championship has been hosted by Tauranga, which is another boon for Tauranga City Basketball and the district.

'We're pleased with the number of events we bring to town. We like to think we're contributing to the city. We have great facilities people love coming too, so we're pretty lucky.”

All games are open to the public, and are free to watch. The Saturday games commence at 9am, with the boys' and girls' grand finals being played from 3pm.

For more information, contact Tauranga City Basketball on 07 578 0405, or visit the website.