He was selected to the all-tournament team, and was chosen to play as one of the top ten high school players in the country against the country's top ten second division players; his team lost the match but he was awarded the game MVP.

The mission also meant that he missed out on the chance to represent New Zealand at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

[1] In 2002, Winitana was selected to the Tall Blacks squad, making his international basketball debut for New Zealand.

He played for the Tall Blacks in the 2002 FIBA World Championships where they came fourth – New Zealand's highest ever placing.

[6][7] Coming into the 2017 season, Winitana decided not to return to the Hawks but chose to focus his time and energy into his Academy that he founded in 2011.