Tauranga is set to play a vital role in the Tall Ferns' quest for a spot at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, with the ASB Arena hosting a crucial trans-Tasman clash with Australia.

Basketball New Zealand have announced the Bay of Plenty venue, along with Wellington, will host arguably the most important games in the four year Olympic cycle, with the Tall Ferns set to play the Australian Opals in Tauranga on August 17.

Photo: Basketball NZ.

On the men's side of the draw the Tall Blacks take on the NBA-laden Australian Boomers in Wellington on August 18.

For both national sides it is the return leg after the opener in Melbourne on August 15 in the best-of-two Oceania Championships that also serves as the qualifier for the Olympics.

The Tall Ferns are currently ranked 16th in the world, while the Opals remain second behind Spain.

The Boomers also sit above their Kiwi counterparts in 11^th, compared to 21st in the world.

Basketball NZ chief executive Iain Potter says in choosing the two venues, the organisation has taken into account many variables.

One such aspect is the ability to sell out a venue with passionate, basketball-mad Kiwis who will do all they can to create a memorable atmosphere to give the home teams the all-important edge in the deciding games.

Iain says: 'For both the Tall Ferns and the Tall Blacks, we are very much focused on Rio 2016 and these games will present the first opportunity to qualify as champions of Oceania.

The first games for both series will be played in Melbourne on August 15, with Basketball NZ opting to give the Tall Ferns their own space away from the men on the return match.

'We are serious about improving the profile and performances of our Tall Ferns team,” adds Iain.

'This will be a chance for Tauranga and the wider Bay of Plenty region to get in behind a very talented bunch of players as they go head-to-head with one of the premier women's sports teams on the planet.”

They won't be alone, however, with the final of the FIBA Oceania U17 Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament played as a curtain raiser, giving fans the possibility of a double dose of the best women basketballers in both countries if New Zealand and Australia make it to the final.

The dust will hardly have settled on the women's series when the Tall Blacks and Boomers clash in the deciding game of the men's Oceania Championships in Wellington on August 18 - a game that will similarly feature the U-17 Oceania Men's World Cup Qualifying Final as an appetiser.