A regatta second only to the fast-approaching Maadi Regatta, the North Island Schools regatta is the final hurdle before crews travel down to Twizel this year to test themselves against the best of the South Island schools. The Boys’ U18 category has been markedly similar to the events that unfolded last season in the U17 category, but some new faces have emerged into the fold, who were not in the discussion last season. King’s College, Westlake Boys’, and Hamilton Boys’ are the three leading schools for sweep rowing, while on the sculling side, St Paul’s are familiar faces and Hauraki Plains have made a return to strong sculling performances. This article will discuss the potential entries from the aforementioned schools in the strongest events they have participated in thus far.
King’s College – Boys’ U18 Pair, Four & Eight
Probably the school that many would pick to win the Maadi Cup this year, King’s has remained consistently within the top three positions of all regattas thus far when boating their first eight. A strong outing in the senior eight at the NZ Rowing Championships a few weeks ago saw King’s place fifth in a fast field, less than five seconds off a podium place. The crew combination looks slightly different to the victorious U17 eight from last season, with internal competition high due to the squad depth that has been built over the past few seasons. I would expect one more swap to come into the first eight, as King’s have made crew swaps late into the season before. The impressive performance of the second eight in placing fifth in the club eight A-final would have opened the door for more late-season seat racing, which many schools will be finishing up as the Maadi Regatta looms closer. Winners of the Junior Regatta two weekends ago, King’s have slowly been peaking throughout the season, as their run of first place finishes has been tighter towards the tail end of the season. It was a similar story in the U18 four, with an unchanged combination from their victorious U17 four last season, winning the event recently at the Junior Regatta. Less than a second separated King’s and Westlake Boys (two of the crew who won the U18 four last season) indicating that at this point, all bets are still off. An improvement of the results in the U18 pair have seen King’s shoot up to only two seconds behind Westlake Boys, following a slow start to the season in the pair.
At this point, I would expect King’s to win the U18 eight, and finish second in the U18 four and pair. With the Westlake first eight being somewhat off the pace this season, I would think that they will start to prioritise the four and the pair as their top focus.
Westlake Boys High School – Boys’ U18 Pair, Four & Eight
Winners of the sweep trifecta from the 2024/25 season, Westlake has shown some strong performances this year, but nothing like the sweep dominance from last year. Retaining three members from their Maadi Cup-winning eight, I would expect their best chance of winning to be in the four or the pair. An impressive performance in the pair saw Samuel Bird and Donovan Pivac hold off the King’s pair to extend their unbeaten streak in all heats and finals and position them strongly as the favourites for the U18 pair come this regatta, and potentially Maadi. This pair have been the top combination all season, and made up half of the Springbok Four-winning crew from last season; post-season racing in the pair saw Bird and Pivac win the U18 pair at the North vs South Regatta after their dominant U17 season. The pair have actually medaled in this event already: in the 2025 edition of the North Island Schools regatta, Bird and Pivac placed for a bronze medal, in front of several U18 pairs that would go on to success at Maadi. Consistent first-place finishes in the U18 four were disrupted two weekends ago by King’s College, winners of the U17 four from the previous season. I would expect their pedigree in the four to carry them straight back though, their consistency in the pair bodes well for the four, and two of the crew have already won the U18 four. Less than a second separated Westlake and King’s in the A-final, with Westlake actually posting a faster time in the heat. There is still certainly all to play for in the U18 four. The U18 eight, while there and thereabouts this season, has failed to make a mark as significant as the one made by the pair and the four.
Certainly nowhere near the success of the eight last season, Westlake will now turn their eyes to maximising their chance of winning the pair and the four come North Islands and Maadi. I would expect them to win the pair, and probably the four as well.
Hamilton Boys’ High School – Boys’ U18 Pair, Four & Eight
Probably the most famous rowing school in the country, Hamilton Boys’ has been a consistent pipeline school into sweep rowing for the national team. While their slight slip last season saw them take only a silver in the U18 four, the U18 eight project looks to be alive this season, with the school not far behind leaders King’s College. A little over a second back on King’s at the Junior Regatta, Hamilton Boys’ have remained faithful to a relatively unchanged first eight, which has seen them there and thereabouts in the A-final of senior eight events. This same eight have remained consistently in the top five spots in previous seasons, finishing second behind King’s in the U17 eight last Maadi. Hamilton’s U18 fours have been fairly consistent in the A-finals, with both first and second crews performing similarly to each other.
Even though they remain quite a while from the ferocious Hamilton Boys’ crews of the past, I would still back them for a minor medal in the U18 eight, though that may remain elusive in the four and the pair.
St Paul’s Collegiate – Boys’ U18 Double & Quad
St Paul’s continue the brilliant form which saw them emerge as one of, if not the top, sculling schools in the country last season. A first-place finish last weekend at the Junior Regatta saw them maintain a two second lead over second-placed Sacred Heart, who are similarly on resurgent form this season. The same St Paul’s squad have never failed to place in the top two boats in the quad, finishing second in 2023, and winning the U16 and U17 quads in 2024 and 2025 respectively. No doubt they will be looking to target the U18 quad this season as one of the primary boats come Maadi, to extend the sculling dominance that they have shown in the past seasons. While their quad has been entered somewhat sparsely this season, with crews chopped and changed, I would still personally back them to win the event; they have shown great speed in the double scull as well, and there is no doubt that the St Paul’s quad has remained the gold standard in the past few years. The recent form book provides a strong outlook for their doubles as well: finishing in first and third in the A-final, with their first crew being at least two-and-a-half seconds ahead of the rest of the field. St Paul’s are in a good position to consolidate and improve on their third-placed finish at last year’s Maadi regatta.
I would expect them to win both the double and the quad, as they have proved their speed over successive seasons, and put out a dominant performance last weekend at the Junior Regatta.
Hauraki Plains College – Boys’ U18 Double & Quad
One of the clubs that has been consistently on the fringes of schoolboy sculling in recent times has seen a massive uptick this season. Hauraki Plains have impressed me this season, pulling in some strong results at both the Junior Regatta and NZ Club Champs. This same squad have improved throughout their schoolboy careers, seeing a steady progression from a lack of junior results in U15/16 to really gunning for the podium in the season just gone. A gold medal at the North Island Club Champs over the summer break saw the crew battle it out in a tight field, where three crews failed to finish due to one of the wildest conditions on the racecourse that I have ever seen. An impressive third-place finish at the Junior Regatta was pleasing to see; Hauraki finished well ahead of a number of crews that have been real podium contenders in previous seasons. Racing coxless at the NZ Champs proved difficult, as the crew found themselves at the top end of the B-final, a while away from the top club crews in the country. Despite this, they would have placed in the top three schoolboy quads that were entered at this regatta. I am excited to see what they can produce in the U18 double. Heartbreak in the U17 double last season saw the margin between second and fourth being less than a second, with Hauraki finishing in fourth place. Hauraki have firmly placed themselves as one of the fastest U18 doubles in the North Island, finishing second behind St Paul’s at the Junior Regatta, and fifth in the club double at NZ Champs.
I would expect their first double to be firmly in a medal position, while the quad may see themselves on the fringes, fighting for a minor medal.
