The New Zealand Women's Ice Hockey League (NZWIHL) is New Zealand's top-tier women's ice hockey league. Established in 2014 as New Zealand's first women's national league, the NZWIHL has amateur status and is sanctioned by the New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation (a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation). The NZWIHL is currently contested by four teams from both the North and South Islands. The league champion is awarded the Championship Trophy and gold medals and the league premier is awarded the Premiership Trophy. The most successful team in NZWIHL history is Auckland Steel, who have claimed four championship titles. The current champion, from 2022, is the Wakatipu Wild, who claimed their first title. History The New Zealand Women's Ice Hockey League (NZWIHL) was established in 2014 as New Zealand's top level women's national league. The newly formed league was setup to support the National Women's team, the Ice Fernz, for their IIHF World Championship seasons. The league would provide opportunity for female players of all ages to develop their skills and play together in a competitive environment. The league was founded with three teams, including: Auckland Steel, Canterbury Devilettes and Southern Storm. The Auckland Steel topped the league standings in the first season to claim the first league premiership before they won the inaugural 2014 NZWIHL season grand final, to become the league's first championship team. The NZWIHL remained a three team league between 2014 and 2019, with Auckland establishing itself as a dominant force in the league, with four championship titles during this time. Canterbury were crowned champions in the second NZWIHL season and Southern Storm won the 2018 season. In 2020, a league decision saw the disbanding of the combined Southern Storm team and the establishment of two separate teams for the NZWIHL. The Dunedin Thunder and Wakatipu Wild were formed and based in Dunedin and Queenstown in the Otago region respectively. They joined the league and first competed in the 2020 NZWIHL season. Before the 2021 season, in July 2021, the Canterbury Devilettes changed their name to the Canterbury Inferno to create a separate identity from the Red Devils men's team. In August 2021, the league had to be cancelled midway through the season due to the New Zealand Government lock-downs to help minimise the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally the league still hoped to play finals at a later date, but that too got cancelled in November