As the sun sets over Lake Karapiro this weekend, the national championships drew to a conclusion, and so too did the 2025/2026 season for club athletes. For a lucky few, the season will have continued as they woke up to see they had made the list for elite or U23s trials. In contrast, our school-age athletes build up to their respective Island Championships before the big dance, the Maadi Regatta. There were red coats, gold medals, A-Finals and everything in between for this year’s National Championships, and one thing was certain: it was a historic year. The introduction of mixed events at the 2025 World Rowing Championships was followed by the same at the New Zealand Championships. Crews from Sacred Heart Rowing Club and Mercer Rowing Club etched their names into the history books with victories in the mixed club eight and mixed intermediate eight, respectively. Those crews will forever be known in the 130-year history of the championships as the inaugural winners of those events. Time to reflect further on the regatta that was, over four glorious days in the Waikato.
Premiers
As is tradition with the New Zealand Rowing National Championships, the high-performance athletes don their club colours for the week and prove their status as elites across both sweeping and sculling. That ability to be classed as elite scullers and sweepers ran true across both Premier men and Premier women at these championships. The winners of both single sculls crowns, Finn Hamill (Waikato Rowing Club) and Alana Sherman (Waikato Rowing Club), were both stroking their respective Premier eights as well. Showing the talent these two fine athletes have. Sherman won gold in the single, bronze in the pair and gold in the quad. Showcasing immense talent with one blade or two, leaving the Rowing New Zealand coaches with many options on what to do with her come this international season. Without a doubt, Finn Hamill was one of the best competitors across the week as he entered everything available to him apart from the Premier double, winning gold in both the aforementioned single and the Premier coxless quad as well as silver in the Premier coxless four and eight. He was joined by one of my favourite athletes from the regatta, Karl Manson, in the pair for a very respectable fourth place. Waikato premiers were in a tussle with Avon, as expected, in the majority of events for the men, with Waikato claiming bragging rights as they had a triple podium in the single. Waikato had it much more their own way on the women’s side of the draw as their athletes went on to win everything barring the draft quad. On this side of events, my pick for athletes of the regatta was the return of Olympic champions Brooke Francis and Lucy Spoors, who won the Premier double. These two, along with Karl Manson, proved that age is but a number in rowing, as they all won national titles. Manson capped off his week with selection for New Zealand elite trials, where he will be having a crack at returning to the black row suit for the first time since 2015. If you want more high-quality rowing at Lake Karapiro, watch out for the U23 and elite trials this week.
Senior Events
Across the Senior events at these championships, there was a beautiful spectacle of fine rowing from all athletes involved. From the men’s side of the draw, there were two athletes who stood out. Henry Clatworthy from Dunstan Arm sculled the house down, and Scott Shackleton from Avon Rowing Club won himself a red coat along with two Senior National Championships. Clatworthy, alongside doubles partner Matthew O’Meara, had a regatta to remember, winning the Senior double and Senior quad while also stepping up an event-class to seize a silver in the Premier quad. Shackleton, on the other hand, set the standard when it came to men’s Senior sweeping events at these championships. Shackleton won’t have to google for gold after winning both the Senior pair and Senior eight with Avon, while also obtaining the aforementioned red coat in the Premier eight and rounding out his week with a bronze in the race for the Boss Rooster (men’s Premier four). A former New Zealand Junior, Shackleton is unfortunate not to be back in contention for a black row suit after a stellar 2025/2026 season, which included a victory at the Queensland Championships.
Avon Rowing Club continued the theme with dominance in the women’s Senior sweeping events as well. Phoebe Collier and Coco Flood won the three Senior events on offer and capped it off with a bronze in the Premier eight. True brilliance from the Avon ladies. A club that had a great regatta, which was showcased through their Senior women’s sculling programme, was Dunstan Arm Rowing Club. Winners of both the Senior double and Senior quad, Dunstan had to settle for bagging bronze in the Senior single as West End’s Holly Chaafe claimed her crown here. The pick of the races in Senior events came through the women’s Senior quad, where Dunstan pipped Waikato by 0.03 of a second to claim their title. Karapiro was treated to some beautiful racing across the events this week.
Club Events
Club events at the New Zealand Rowing Championships always spark intrigue about who we will see take them out, school-age or not, and this year did not disappoint. This was proved true with the first athlete I want to showcase: a school-aged athlete from Wairau Rowing Club, Aidan Bennett. Bennett proved over this week that he can compete with the very best in New Zealand Club events. Gold came in both the club coxless quad, coxless pair and single, while he earned bronze in the Coxless Four. Bennett rounded out the week with an impressive showing in the Senior pair as well. Avon were, unsurprisingly, dominant in the Club four and had the pick of the races with a photo finish in the men’s Club coxed eight, going down to Waikato by less than a bowball. The finish of that race was why the sport of rowing can captivate anyone. Do yourself a favour and check it out on YouTube.
Avon remained one of the best clubs over on the women’s side of the draw, but the club deserving of their flowers is Auckland Rowing Club. Their Club eight of Diocesan athletes had a comprehensive victory over Hamilton Club, while an Epsom Girls’ crew demanded victory in the Club pair, and that is what they got. With North vs South athlete Jessica Walkinshaw in the crew, Auckland were always going to be hard to beat. These ladies’ season will continue, as these school-age crews now look to the challenge of the Maadi Regatta. The theme continued for sculling events in women’s races, with school-age athletes showing their class, scullers from Counties Manukau Rowing Club the pick of the bunch. Under the watchful eye of my favourite rowing coach in the country, Kirsty Dunhill, these St Cuthbert’s athletes picked up gold in the Club quad and silver in the Club double, whilst also being the female half of the Sacred Heart Rowing Club mixed Club eight previously mentioned. Watch out for them at the upcoming Maadi Regatta as the St Cuthbert’s programme grows from strength to strength.
Intermediate Events
We have moved into the intermediate events and, again, I could tell you about how well Avon Rowing Club did, but that seems like an easy out. Instead, I’ll take you to Clifton Rowing Club for their women’s Intermediate coxless quad, who took out gold and the sculling powerhouse out of the Waikato, which is Ayla Klein. Ayla has had a season for the ages, and I know she will be one to follow in a few weeks’ time down in Twizel. Clifton is a club that always seems to make itself known at sculling events, and it has done so again in the women’s Intermediate quad. Avon were, as I previously mentioned, dominant in the coxed four, but in the coxed eight, it was the time to shine for Cambridge Rowing Club. The St Peter’s Cambridge crew were unchallenged this week, and they will be wanting to continue this form as their season winds up toward Lake Ruataniwha. Lily Gundesen, in the seven seat of this crew, is who I would be watching when her crews compete at the Maadi Regatta in the coming weeks.
For the boys, it was the Aramoho Whanganui show in the sculling events. Quin Vivian was victorious in the Intermediate single while his crew blew the field apart in the quadruple sculls, where they spearheaded the arrow formation in the final. West End also had a strong regatta, taking out gold in the men’s Intermediate eight in what can only be described as a one-horse race. Harry Molloy, an ex St Peter’s Auckland coxswain, coached this crew and had them sweeping like a well-oiled machine. To round out the crews to watch after a strong New Zealand Championships, the Intermediate eight bronze medalists were Sacred Heart Club. A fine composition of coaches has taken this intermediate eight onto the podium, a position they will want to keep when they return to age-grade racing at the Maadi Regatta.
Novice Events
This is the end of these athletes’ first seasons in the sport, and some of them are now National Champions. Those who aren’t might yet have another crack at the Maadi Regatta in a few weeks’ time. So, who were my standout performers from these National Championships? Milo Weber and David Strobel, out of Aramoho, Whanganui, won both the Novice double and Novice coxless quad over the week. I love their chances at the Maadi Regatta. For sweeping novices, there have been two factories over the past few years, Hamilton Boys’ High and Sacred Heart College, and this seems to be continuing. Hamilton will be very hard to beat this year, and they proved that in Waikato colours, winning the Novice eight by over 20 seconds and the Novice four by almost ten. That is the dominance Hamilton under the guidance of Robin Clarke that you have come to expect. I don’t think there would be many coaches with a better record than that of Robin Clarke for the Waikato Club and Hamilton Boys.
For the ladies, the sister combination of Jade and Casey Paki out of Hamilton Club has to be one of the best performances out of any event, and they took out gold in the Novice double, silver in Novice eight, and bagged bronze in Novice coxed quad. The sisters’ biggest competition will come from Oamaru Rowing Club, which won gold in the Novice eight and Novice quad, and silver in the Novice four. Look out for many more finals at the Maadi Regatta featuring athletes from these clubs.
Wrap Up
That concludes the New Zealand Rowing Championships for another year. Where will the path take these athletes? The international scene, the Maadi Regatta or the University Championships? Rowing in New Zealand continues to be in great hands across the board, from Novices through to Premiers and among all of the coaches. Thank you, everyone, for another sensational regatta to round out the club season for 2025/2026 and good luck to all those trailing this week.
