The North Canterbury Junior Basketball Association was formed in 1981 with the mission to promote Junior Basketball in North Canterbury. In that first year there were 12 teams entered in the Friday night Primary school competition at the AMI centre in Rangiora. This has now grown to 80 teams involving over 750 primary children playing for 8 weeks in the first term and 10 weeks in the fourth term of each year, with games at the AMI centre, Southbrook, Kaiapoi High School, Oxford, Rangiora High School and Woodend.

In 1982 NCJBA initiated a Tri Tournament involving Canterbury and Mid Canterbury for Under 12 and Under 13 age groups, this tournament continues today and now also includes South Canterbury and will be extended to include Under 16 teams for the first time in 2008.

In 1990 the NCJBA started the first Primary School age tournament in New Zealand. This is an annual tournament (now called the NCJBA South Island Primary Tournament) run over a long weekend of the first school holidays each year with Teams enter from all over the South Island. In 2000 a Boys and girls Development grade was added to the Tournament to provide an opportunity for up and coming players to experience Tournament play for the first time. In 2015, a year 5&6 grade was added.

Every year our representative teams compete in Regional, South Island and National tournaments at Primary, under 12, under 13, under 14, under 15, under 16, under 17 and under 19 levels. Since 2006 we have entered club teams in the Canterbury Basketball Winter competition up to Premier Women's and Men's grades thereby providing our young players with the opportunity to continue their involvement in the game.

We have a comprehensive referee development programme in place with young local referees controlling all Primary competition games under the guidance of Basketball New Zealand qualified referees. As their skill level increases they are encouraged to gain BBNZ qualifications and officiate in Age Group tournaments at South Island and National levels.

In 2014 we dropped the 'junior' reference in our name, and became North Canterbury Basketball Association, due to the rise of players in the older youth, adult areas.

NCBA holds strong, and continues to grow with over 1300 participants each year in all their programmes.