Thirty-eight bands competed at the championships in Dunedin on Friday and Saturday, in an event hosted and organised by the Otago Centre of the Royal New Zealand Pipe Bands' Association.
Twenty-six bands competed on Friday and eight grade two bands and the country's four grade one bands were in action on Saturday.
The tightly fought grade 1 section was won by the Canterbury Caledonian Society Pipe Band and City of Invercargill Pipe Band was grade 2 champion.
Dunedin resident Casey Jenkins watched the "fantastic" Saturday morning band marching contest in George St with twins Isabella and Sullivan and several hundred other people.
"It was great. The bagpipes can be quite emotive," she said.
"They were such a great mixture of young and old competing," she added.
Otago Centre president Dr Brian Coutts said there were 26 grade one pipe bands in the world, of which four were based in New Zealand.
Competition had been tight, both in the Saturday morning George St march and in other events at the University Oval on Friday and on Saturday afternoon.
There had been some "pretty incredible" highlights, and the latest championships "reflects the whole improvement that's been going on" in the country's pipe band movement.
Over the years, some bands had fallen by the wayside but he was "obviously, positively" optimistic about the future.
Some of the remaining bands had increased their membership, and importing "numerous" high-quality Scottish performers had strengthened the upper levels of quality.
He was also encouraged that "a lot of young people" were joining many of the country's bands.
Other champions: Grade 3, Scottish Society of NZ; Grade 4a, Scots College; Grade 4b, City of Rotorua; Juvenile, St Andrew's College A.
