Due to the late release of supplementary entries, this article was written prior to the release of the entry draw.
It is a new year, and that means clubs and schools alike are back into their training regimes after the Christmas and New Year break. Following most club’s summer training camps, we are back at Lake Karapiro for the next major regatta of the season: the North Island Club Championships. Following too many Christmas ham sandwiches, the work has been done over an intensive training week, and it is time to see how everyone is faring at the start of 2026.
We are back to work both on and off the water, and it is time to see how the Men’s Open Eight is shaping up. The makeup of the field is always interesting at this stage of the season; we will likely see a mix of school-age and club crews contesting this event. So, who will show off their credentials as we lead towards the 2026 New Zealand Rowing Championships?
Waikato Rowing Club
Men’s sweeping events in the North Island — who do you think of? There can only be one: the traffic-light rowing suits of Waikato, of course. A home crew from the Waikato, synonymous with some of the finest oarsmen in the country in recent history, will undoubtedly be throwing down some watts in the Men’s Open Eight.
With at least eighteen oarsmen to choose from, as they did at the Christmas Regatta, Waikato will likely field two seriously competitive Eights. At the aforementioned Christmas Regatta, Waikato finished both fourth and seventh in the A-final of this event. It seems likely they may field a similar combination this time around, too.
Many of the Waikato Club athletes vying for the number-one crew will have a hectic racing schedule, with strong showings in Premier and Open events across both sculling and sweeping before the Christmas break. The oarsmen donning this tri-coloured rowing suit I would keep my eye on are the stroke of the #2 coxed eight at the Christmas Regatta, Benjamin Poulton, and the five-seat of the #1 coxed eight, Callum Tutbury.
Tutbury put in a strong showing in the Premier Double and Pair in December, alongside demonstrating his proficiency in the powerhouse seat of the coxed eight. Poulton showed his finesse during the lead-up to Christmas, stroking the Open Coxless Four, Coxed Eight, and one of the Premier Coxless Pair combinations coming out of the Waikato Club boatshed. These gentlemen, alongside their crewmates, will ensure Waikato has at least one crew near the front of the race when the final of the Men’s Eight comes down the track.
North Shore Club
Another club with the potential to field two very fast Men’s Open Coxed Eights is North Shore Club. One of these is a schoolboy crew targeting the Maadi Cup in the coming months, so this article will focus on the true club crew — coming down the lake with navy rowing suits on their backs and white swans on their spines.
A mixture of elite-level experience and youthful exuberance forms this mighty crew from over the bridge in Auckland. As the fastest true New Zealand club entry at the Christmas Regatta, they have form and speed to uphold in the new year.
Two oarsmen to watch from this North Shore eight are Blake Bradshaw and Blake Cooper. Bradshaw has previous experience representing the navy blue of North Shore exceptionally well during his time as an RPC athlete, which led to higher honours, and he has shown the same form again this season. Alongside former collegiate and New Zealand Junior athlete Ethan Blight, Bradshaw performed admirably in the Premier Pair after swapping sides for the Christmas Regatta. These two will be looking to shake up the waters for North Shore this weekend and beyond.
Hailing from the other side of the Harbour Bridge, Cooper is coming off his own New Zealand Juniors campaign and has shown that same speed back on home waters. An impressive showing in the coxed eight was accompanied by two strong performances in the Senior Men’s Double and the Open Men’s Quad at the final regatta of 2025. Cooper will back Bradshaw and the rest of the North Shore eight up beautifully, and they will be looking to secure another victory. I expect to see them right near the front of the final come Sunday.
Auckland Rowing Club
Coming down from the Tāmaki Estuary with black and red on their backs is the eight from Auckland Rowing Club. Peter Mills and John McDermott are true legends of coaching on the Tāmaki — they know that estuary like the back of an oar. They have assembled a fine crew of technicians who know precisely how to move a coxed eight.
Auckland competed in a very fast final at the Christmas Regatta, and I would be surprised not to see them battling it out again on this side of the New Year. Alex King epitomises what it means to be an Auckland Rowing Club oarsman. He will be an integral part of the club’s setup this season, and if the Open Eight is to perform well, he will need to stand up.
King showed his value at the Christmas Regatta not only in the eight, but also with finals appearances in the Open Coxless Four and Open Coxless Pair. Having King in the six-seat will be invaluable on finals day.
Outside of King, keep an eye on Logan Turrall, another Auckland oarsman who could have a standout regatta. Sitting in the five-seat, Turrall also performed strongly at the Christmas Regatta in the same sweep events as King. Known primarily as a sculler during his time at Macleans College, Turrall is now performing crisply with one blade. Auckland Rowing Club could be a real threat in the Open Men’s Eight — look out for the red and black rowing suits as potential outsiders capable of causing an upset.
Rowing New Zealand Composite
With this being an Open event as opposed to Senior, there is every chance we could see a RNZ crew showing up to remind their club competitors what real speed is in the form of a black blur of their Kiwi rowsuits. At Christmas Regatta, we saw an impressive RNZ composite comfortably take the win in the final by a ten-second margin, so if they line up on the start come finals day, it seems the win will be essentially guaranteed.
Predictions
Beyond the crews mentioned above, there is every chance a schoolboy crew could upset the established contenders and storm home in this event. Westlake Boys High School and King’s College could both field very strong U18 crews who may also target this prestigious race.
That said, I would put my money on Waikato Club to be crowned North Island Club Champions, followed closely by the North Shore Club. This might end up being my favourite race of the weekend. Hold on to your hats, ladies and gentlemen — the Men’s Senior Eight will be a doozy, no matter who enters.
