When Henley Royal Regatta and The Boat Race are two of the biggest events in the sport’s calendar, it is hard for rowing not to be perceived as a sport for wealthy elites. In some ways, this is true.
Finances are often the biggest hurdle preventing underrepresented communities from accessing the sport. However, schools across New Zealand have begun to take action to make rowing more inclusive to students who would have never considered the sport a possibility.
Ōtāhuhu College
Ōtāhuhu is a subdivision of South Auckland and sits at the heart of one of the most diverse areas of the country. 72% of the area’s population is of Māori or Pasifika descent, two demographics that are hardly recognised within the sport of rowing.
Thanks to an eager principal, willing coaches, and ambitious students, in 2024 Ōtāhuhu College was able to establish its first rowing team in almost 50 years. But to those involved, having a chance to row was more than just participating in a sport. It was a chance for them to represent their culture and communities.
Lanea Tuiasosopo took on the role of head coach at Ōtāhuhu, bringing her experience and knowledge from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with her. It was at UCLA where she learnt to row and realised there was almost nobody who looked like her in the sport. This left her asking, “How can I make this sport more accessible to my community?”
To welcome Ōtāhuhu students into the sport of rowing, Tuiasosopo has encouraged them to bring their culture into the boathouse.
“If you want to be a more inviting team, you need to create an environment where people who are not from the majority culture can trust you and feel welcome,” she said. “Sometimes it’s about being a little louder. Maybe the music playlist changes. Maybe the uniform changes to be more modest to reflect some cultures.”
Other practices Tuiasosopo has welcomed into the sport include encouraging athletes to speak their native languages at practices and starting and finishing every session with a Lotu, a form of prayer used to bless the team, as faith is a crucial part of the students’ cultures.
Family is a big part of Māori and Pasifka culture. The team is family-oriented, and coaches ensure they have a strong relationship with parents and caregivers. The team hosts big family-style dinners that help strengthen the friendships and community that has been built around the sport.
Wainuiomata High School
In 2024, first-year teacher Gordon Milne set himself the challenge of establishing a rowing programme at Wainuiomata High School, a small school in the Lower Hutt region.
“I felt like it’d be really cool to introduce this kind of sport to this school because they hadn’t had it before, and to see what kind of relationships I could build with the kids through it,” he said.
“It was more about giving them the chance to do something that they otherwise wouldn’t have.”
Currently, Milne focuses on keeping the programme casual and fun to maintain student interest.
“I don’t want it to take over their lives,” he said. “I know a lot of schools will do like a dozen trainings a week, and that’s good for them if they want to get those medals. But, I just want them to enjoy the sport.”
To Milne and the athletes at Wainuiomata, rowing is about much more than winning races. For some, it has been a way to overcome fears.
One student, Kauea, admitted he was nervous when he first joined, saying: “Just the thought of being in the middle of the ocean scared me.” But, over time, rowing has helped him overcome that fear.
For others, rowing has created opportunities they never expected.
Dominic, a football player, uses rowing as off-season training and said that the sport has allowed him to build connections with teachers and classmates.
“I’d never have been able to do that if it wasn’t for the opportunity I’ve been given through rowing,” he said.
As both their teacher and coach, Milne has been lucky enough to witness how the sport has changed students at school. He says the students have become more social, and he has witnessed direct improvement in the classroom.
“I just feel they’re a bit more respectful now that they’ve seen me outside of school and seen how much I’m putting into it as well. So in terms of their learning, at least in my class, it’s a lot better.”
Introducing rowing to students at Wainuiomata has done much more than allow them to become athletes. It has helped them grow and develop as people.
The hurdles
Rowing is an expensive sport, and it’s the financials that have made rowing inaccessible to many.
Wainuiomata was fortunate enough to receive the 2024 Aon Emerging School Rowing Scholarship. A partnership between Rowing NZ and Aon, the scholarship provided Wainuiomata with enough funds to cover the athlete’s rowing club fees. This meant athletes and their families would only need to finance transportation and uniform costs.
Ōtāhuhu has not been as lucky. They were among the schools that applied for the 2025 Milford Emerging School Rowing Scholarship (formerly Aon) and missed out. During the 2024 season, the team received financial support from community organisations, but the ongoing cost-of-living crisis in New Zealand has made that support harder to sustain.
During the previous season, Ōtāhuhu athletes were transported to practice by school van. Now, petrol costs are too high. Many students rely on the school lunches provided, but government policy changes have made accessing nutritious and sufficient meals difficult. Some athletes have been showing up to practices faint and hungry.
The fact that Rowing NZ and its partners have recognised the need for a scholarship to improve access demonstrates genuine interest within underrepresented communities to participate in the sport. Unfortunately, these scholarships and funding initiatives can only do so much to help make getting in a boat cheaper.
The reality is that rowing expenses extend far beyond fees. Transportation, food, and other living expenses continue to weigh heavily on underrepresented communities, highlighting that financial barriers to the sport are multifaceted and ongoing.
The path forward
For rowing to grow, it needs to become more accessible to underrepresented communities – not to save the sport from its outdated elitist image, but to give more young people the chance to experience something fun and transformative.
Diversity brings fresh perspectives, new talent, and stronger competition. The goal should not be to celebrate the rare teams of colour that make it into the sport as exceptions, but to ensure that participation itself is normalised.
Something as small as one workout could change a student’s life, as it could open the door to confidence, community, and opportunity. Rowing clubs have the opportunity to reach out to underrepresented communities and offer pathways into the sport, such as ‘give-it-a-go’ programmes or reduced fees for those who just want to row and not race. Governing bodies such as Sport New Zealand also have a role to play by providing more resources for start-up programmes.
Rowing is New Zealand’s most successful Olympic sport, but its long-term strength depends on who gets to take part. Making the sport accessible to the whole population of the country is not just about winning more medals. It’s about ensuring every person has the chance to get in a boat and experience what the sport can offer.
Photo credit: Gordon Milne
