This article was written before the release of the entry draw due to the late release of supplementary entries.
The men’s open category remains one of the most exciting categories to watch in any early-season regatta. With potential U18 combinations, senior men’s crews, and performance hub crews, the open category is always a mixing pot of talent.
Waikato Rowing Club
One of the country’s most reputable rowing clubs returns to the mix within the Open category, with multiple crews likely entered in the pairs, fours, and eights. If the club were to lose some rowers to Hamilton Boys due to the school/club difference, there likely wouldn’t be too much of an impact. A sufficiently deep talent pool exists for Waikato to draw upon, including returning rowers and those who finished their school rowing in the 2024/2025 season. At the Karapiro Memorial Regatta, the club placed first in the open eights on Day one, albeit with some rowers from Hamilton Boys. A strong third-place finish in the coxless fours with a crew of full Waikato members seems to hold some promise coming into the Club Regatta, with what seem like mixed crews at this point. Waikato’s Alex Fletcher will no doubt be looking to help get his club back into winning ways; the New Zealand U23 representative placed in the B-final at the U23 World Rowing Championships with young crewmate Dylan McConnell. A strong showing on the first day of the Memorial Regatta indicates that all is well within the Waikato camp, as crews begin to solidify their position coming into 2026. Waikato men’s sweep will no doubt be one to watch.
Backing up their performance in men’s sweep were the scullers out of Waikato who placed in respectable positions at the earlier Karapiro Memorial Regatta. A double podium in the open single saw New Zealand U23 bronze medallist Ben Olifiers take first place with a 12-second margin over fellow Waikato sculler Karl Manson. A strong performance in the open double saw Waikato take second, not too far behind the fast St George’s double, consisting of U18 single sculls champion Nathan Strachan and bronze medallist in the U18 Double, Ash Schutz. Waikato entries into the open quad saw the club finish both first and fifth, with the winning crew having a margin of over a boat length over second-placed St George’s. I would back Waikato to have a successful season in both sweep and scull, with combinations looking sharp at this early stage across the small and big boats.
King’s College Rowing Club
While it is unknown whether King’s will be making a feature in the open category, I thought it would be worth a write-up, seeing as they seem to be headed into a new golden era for King’s rowing. The club has been slowly gaining traction over the past three seasons; the installation of Mark Clemo as head coach in the 23/24 season saw the club reach a high not seen since the days of Nick Lloyd. An entry into the open category would likely only be in the sweep discipline, as the club seems to be focusing on the ‘big boats’. With a deep squad, King’s showed out in force at the Karapiro Memorial Regatta, entering two competitive mixed crews into the open eight and three mixed eights into the club eight. The fourth and sixth-place finishes in the open eight are not exceptional, but incredibly promising. With crews traditionally not formalised until late into the season, the eights contained a mixture of rowers from U16/17/18. Entries into the open four seem unlikely, but it will be exciting to see what crews appear for King’s, as they now have several rowers jostling for the first four. Similarly, while the open pair remains a question, King’s will likely keep experimenting with different combinations throughout the season. Entries into open sweep would likely see more than two boats entered into each category, with the club now intensely competitive within its own squad.
North Shore Rowing Club
Although North Shore doesn’t appear to be making the trip to Karapiro for this regatta, the club does look to be making a comeback this season, with several rowers joining the club after finishing their U18 seasons across the Auckland schools. Strengthened by the addition of triple Maadi gold medallists and New Zealand U19 Jack Buckley and George Langley, the club looks to be in a good place to solidify its position as a top New Zealand club. At the Karapiro Memorial Regatta, North Shore finished second in the men’s open eight, albeit with a composite crew consisting of rowers from St George’s and West End. While their second eight was slightly off the pace, there will no doubt be numerous seat swaps at this stage of the season, and looking down the list of rowers in the second eight, there are indeed some names who established themselves as strong U18 rowers in the 24/25 season. The club established a fast coxless four at the Memorial Regatta, finishing second only to the North Island Performance Hub crew. A similarly strong performance followed in the open pairs, with last year’s Westlake pairing of Buckley and Langley placing third behind two Performance Hub crews. I would expect North Shore to be a strong contender for the four and pair this season, and possibly the eight, given the considerable talent they appear to have acquired.
Prediction
The open category remains unpredictable as ever, but potential entries from clubs hold promise for what will be an exciting regatta, offering more lineups to test the waters. Early-season U18 racing against established club rowers is always interesting, with crews often taking the chance to see if they can hold their own against fast crews up and down the North Island. This weekend’s Club Regatta will be no different; there will undoubtedly be some real fireworks up and down the course as crews take to the water in what many consider to be the official start to the racing calendar.
