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Gold, Grit and Photo Finishes Headline First Day of Finals at Lake Ruataniwha
Crowds braved scattered showers as championship racing delivered emotional victories, tight margins, and unforgettable moments across a full day of finals.
The first day of Maadi Regatta finals opened with calm water and scattered showers, but the weather did little to dampen the atmosphere. Packed banks of supporters made themselves heard, with school pride on full display as finals racing got underway.
An emotional tone was set early with Ted Rattray’s victory in the Boys Under 17 Single Sculls. Leading from start to finish, it was clear what the moment meant - not just for Ted, but for his school and those who have supported his journey.
Coach Theo Brown reflected on the achievement: “It’s four years of absolute hard work that Ted’s put in, and it’s paid off. When he started out, he didn’t even make his first Maadi, but he’s gone on to do great things. I’ve coached him for four years, and it’s the most unbelievable thing to watch him grow up and become the rower he is”.
The win adds to the school’s legacy at Lake Ruataniwha, with Ted earning a new Laszlo single scull as the event winner.
Ted Rattray wins the Boys Under 17 Single Sculls on day one of finals at Maadi Regatta. Photo: Rowing Picture Show
In the Girls Under 17 Coxed Four, Waikato Diocesan raced a calculated race plan to take their first Gold of the regatta, leading the race from start to finish. It was the battle for second and third that captured the attention of the rain-dampened crowd. The Ashburton College crew executed a meticulous race plan, responding to the challenge from Rangi Ruru Girls School, with Rangi fighting back but having to settle for fourth place. Whanganui Collegiate School took home silver.
Ashburton College cox Eve Marshall said: “I just told them to keep pushing. I asked them how much they wanted it, and they responded that they pushed through. I could feel how close Rangi Ruru were, at the 250 I asked them to push away, and they responded. This is the first time the school has won a medal in the four, so it’s pretty special”.
St Paul’s Collegiate School crew of Harry Booth and Jack Benjamin claimed gold in the Boys Under 15 Double Sculls, while Burnside High School’s Ben Smith and Sean Gillman put up a strong fight to secure silver - the school’s first boys’ Maadi medal in 30 years.
The Boys Under 18 Pair delivered a high-quality contest, with Christ’s College pushing title holders Westlake Boys’ High School through the middle stages. It was bow ball for bow ball before Westlake responded and took control of the race to secure gold, with King’s College taking silver and Christ’s College bronze.
Donovan Pivac from Westlake Boys reflected on the race: “It was a tough race from the get go, we were lucky enough to get our bow ball out in front first, and then we just tried to extend our margin as best we could, then as we got further on in the race the other boys keep pushing up on us pretty quick, and then Sam made a call to go another gear and go right to the end”.
Samuel Bird added: “We’re pretty confident with our race plan, and we’re comfortable racing with each other - we trust each other, so when we need to go we just put our heads down and trust the process. This is the accumulation of four years of hard work, it’s incredible to cross the line in first”.
In the Girls Under 18 Double Sculls, Emily Young and Zara Blackie from St Cuthbert’s College had the race of their life to take away gold. In just their second season of rowing, the duo backed up last year’s novice title with another impressive performance.
Zara reflected: “We got out from the start, which was our plan, we put in a lot of work at the start and then just held it from there. This year has felt like a big step up from our novie year but we’ve really enjoyed it”.
Columba College’s Lucy Earl made a fast start in the Girls Under 16 Single Sculls and continued her dominance down the course to take gold. The battle for second and third saw Lincoln High School’s Felicity Wright make a strong move in the final 500 metres to secure silver, marking a special result in the school’s first Maadi appearance since 2010. A photo finish played out for bronze, with Howick College holding on to take bronze.
Lucy Earl of Columbia College wins gold in the Girls Under 16 Single Photo: Sharron Bennett Photography
The Boys Under 18 Novice Double Sculls was won by a thrilled Isaac Coleman and Max Skehan from Marlborough Boys’ College in a time of 7:30.04. As novices, both athletes found their way into rowing from other sports.
Originally a swimmer, Max explained the encouragement he got to give rowing a try, “My cousin started rowing, and all my friends and family thought I should start, so I thought I would give it a go in my last year of school, and it’s worked out pretty well. For Isaac there was some encouragement coming from another sport he was involved with during the winter months, “My hockey manager, from last year, her son rowed and she thought I would be good at it, and here we are”.
As they reflect on their race, there was a real sense of belief: “We had the race plan going into it, so we knew what we needed to do. We knew we could win if we did all the right things”.
Elation for Max Skehan and Isaac Coleman from Marlborough Boys College. Photo: Picture show Ltd
Rangi Ruru delivered a dominant performance in the Girls Novice Coxed Eight, leading from start to finish. Coxswain Charlie White said:
“We had such an epic race, I was there when they had their first row on the (Kerr’s) reach, and seeing how far they’ve come I’m just so proud. Every race they just go out there and give it everything, I couldn’t ask for more, it’s such a privilege to cox these ladies here at Maadi”.
“I just told them to trust the training, trust each other”.
The Rangi Ruru Girls Under 18 Novice crew tastes victory on Lake Ruataniwha Photo: Sharron Bennett Photography
In the Boys Under 17 Coxed Eight, St Bede’s College took control early and never relinquished their lead, winning in a time of 6:03.31. Coach Dale Maher spoke of the crew:
“I’m pretty proud, they are an awesome bunch of boys and they’ve worked really hard for the last couple of seasons. We train hard, we set a high standard in training, everything these boys do, they do with intensity”.
In a fast finish St Peters (Auckland) secured Silver, over Auckland Grammar who took home bronze.
Ashburton College stepped up to gold in the Girls Under 17 Coxed Quadruple Sculls after earlier success in the fours. Their coach Justin Wall relayed his happiness for the crews win: “I feel absolutely fantastic, you never say you expect it, because you don’t. As the saying goes, anything’s going to happen and it usually does. I said to them, this race plan is your race plan, you know what you need to do, you’ve just got to go out and do it”.
Gold for an elated Ashburton crew in the Girls Under 17 Coxed Quadruple Sculls Photo: Sharron Bennett Photography
One of the closest finishes of the day came in the Boys Under 18 Coxed Quadruple Sculls, with St Paul’s Collegiate taking gold, and St Peter’s School and Whanganui High School separated by just 0.13 seconds.
Waikato Diocesan School took gold in the Girls Under 18 Pair through Kate Slyfield and Amy Bryant, leading from start to finish. They reflected on the journey to winning this medal:
“Coming second to some of these crews all season has driven us in training, and driven us to want this race so much more”.
Coach Alice Denyer added: “They are such hard working girls and want to do the best they can, they’ve had so much fun with this boat, they want to go fast so seeing them take this win is really great”.
Waikato Diocesan crew of Kate Slyfield and Amy Bryant take gold in the Girls Under 18 Pair. Photo: Rowing Picture Show
The Boys Under 16 Coxed Four delivered another tight finish, with King’s College taking gold and just 0.18 seconds separating second and third.
More success followed for Waikato Diocesan in the Girls Under 16 Coxed Eight. Coxswain Amelia Settle said: “it was really exciting, it was really fun, the last 250 metres were epic. It means everything to cox my crew to a medal, they’re my best friends, they mean so much to me, and I love seeing them this happy.”
St Margaret’s College and Christchurch Girls High School made their first appearance on the podium of the regatta, taking Silver and bronze respectively.
Zara Blackie returned to the water in the Girls Under 17 Single Sculls to take gold in her final race at Lake Ruataniwha in a time of 8:15.73.
“It was the hardest race ever, I was really going for it, I just wanted it so badly” Zara explained.
Gold medalist Zara Blackie of St Cuthberts College with Bella Breen from Dunstan High School (silver) and Isla Moffat from Ashburton College (bronze) Photo: Picture Show Ltd
In an impressive double, the girls from Wakatipu High school matched their boys crew efforts earlier in the day, also taking gold in an Under 15 Coxed Octuple Sculls event. The win demonstrates the pedigree of the school's sculling programme.
Wakatipu showing their class in sculling winning both the Boys and Girls Under 15 Coxed Quadruple Sculls events. Photo: Sharron Bennett Photography
King’s College claimed the Springbok Shield in the Boys Under 18 Coxed Four after a composed race under pressure from Hamilton Boys’ High School.
It was clear what this win meant to Kings College Cox Ayden Miller “It’s a pretty awesome moment for the boys. It’s been four seasons in the making, we’ve been together since under 15’s so it’s very special to us. We knew Hamilton Boys were going to be out fast at the start, and they were, so our goal was to stick with them, and we managed to do that and that brought us up ahead and got us in the right headspace to control the race”.
Ayden describes how sweet the moment is for the Kings College crew, “It’s our last year rowing for Kings, on and off water you’re always together, you’re always hanging out and this is just the icing on the cake”.
Sweet success for the Kings College crew lifting the Springbok Shield for the first time since 1992. Photo: Rowing Picture Show.
An epic battle for 2nd and 3rd unfolded between Westlake Boys High School and Hamilton Boys High School. In an all North Island affair, Hamilton Boys held on to take the silver medal, with Westlake Boys taking home bronze.
The final race of the day, the Girls Under 18 Coxed Four for the Dawn Cup, saw Rangi Ruru lead from the start and extend their advantage throughout.
Rangi Ruru coxswain Charlie Ward gave some insight into the race:
“We got out in front, we had a goal of getting onto an unmatchable rhythm, and that’s what we did right from the start. Before the race we were talking about how much it means to each of us, so it just makes you want to do it for each other, it’s a great feeling knowing that all your hard work as a squad, all the commitment as a squad, does end you in these great results, it shows that all the training counts”.
Behind them, Waikato Diocesan secured silver, while Cashmere High School surged late to take bronze in their first appearance competing for the Dawn Cup.
Triumphant Rangi Ruru claiming the Dawn Cup. Photo: Sharron Bennett Photography
As the final boats crossed the line, everyone was grateful that the predicted weather had largely stayed away. It closes out a day defined by resilience, intensity, and achievement for every crew competing.
With one final day remaining, Maadi 2026 is set for an exciting conclusion as crews prepare for their final opportunity to race for school pride and championship honours.
Full results are available at www.rowit.nz
Livestream coverage available at https://rowingnz.kiwi/livestream/ or https://www.youtube.com/@rowingnz/streams
Liz Inglis
Liz Inglis is a content creator and photographer based in Christchurch. As well as being a rowing parent, she is also a masters rower for the Avon Rowing Club.
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Gold, Grit and Photo Finishes Headline First Day of Finals at Lake Ruataniwha
Crowds braved scattered showers as championship racing delivered emotional victories, tight margins, and unforgettable moments across a full day of finals.
The first day of Maadi Regatta finals opened with calm water and scattered showers, but the weather did little to dampen the atmosphere. Packed banks of supporters made themselves heard, with school pride on full display as finals racing got underway.
An emotional tone was set early with Ted Rattray’s victory in the Boys Under 17 Single Sculls. Leading from start to finish, it was clear what the moment meant - not just for Ted, but for his school and those who have supported his journey.
Coach Theo Brown reflected on the achievement: “It’s four years of absolute hard work that Ted’s put in, and it’s paid off. When he started out, he didn’t even make his first Maadi, but he’s gone on to do great things. I’ve coached him for four years, and it’s the most unbelievable thing to watch him grow up and become the rower he is”.
The win adds to the school’s legacy at Lake Ruataniwha, with Ted earning a new Laszlo single scull as the event winner.
Ted Rattray wins the Boys Under 17 Single Sculls on day one of finals at Maadi Regatta. Photo: Rowing Picture Show
In the Girls Under 17 Coxed Four, Waikato Diocesan raced a calculated race plan to take their first Gold of the regatta, leading the race from start to finish. It was the battle for second and third that captured the attention of the rain-dampened crowd. The Ashburton College crew executed a meticulous race plan, responding to the challenge from Rangi Ruru Girls School, with Rangi fighting back but having to settle for fourth place. Whanganui Collegiate School took home silver.
Ashburton College cox Eve Marshall said: “I just told them to keep pushing. I asked them how much they wanted it, and they responded that they pushed through. I could feel how close Rangi Ruru were, at the 250 I asked them to push away, and they responded. This is the first time the school has won a medal in the four, so it’s pretty special”.
St Paul’s Collegiate School crew of Harry Booth and Jack Benjamin claimed gold in the Boys Under 15 Double Sculls, while Burnside High School’s Ben Smith and Sean Gillman put up a strong fight to secure silver - the school’s first boys’ Maadi medal in 30 years.
The Boys Under 18 Pair delivered a high-quality contest, with Christ’s College pushing title holders Westlake Boys’ High School through the middle stages. It was bow ball for bow ball before Westlake responded and took control of the race to secure gold, with King’s College taking silver and Christ’s College bronze.
Donovan Pivac from Westlake Boys reflected on the race: “It was a tough race from the get go, we were lucky enough to get our bow ball out in front first, and then we just tried to extend our margin as best we could, then as we got further on in the race the other boys keep pushing up on us pretty quick, and then Sam made a call to go another gear and go right to the end”.
Samuel Bird added: “We’re pretty confident with our race plan, and we’re comfortable racing with each other - we trust each other, so when we need to go we just put our heads down and trust the process. This is the accumulation of four years of hard work, it’s incredible to cross the line in first”.
In the Girls Under 18 Double Sculls, Emily Young and Zara Blackie from St Cuthbert’s College had the race of their life to take away gold. In just their second season of rowing, the duo backed up last year’s novice title with another impressive performance.
Zara reflected: “We got out from the start, which was our plan, we put in a lot of work at the start and then just held it from there. This year has felt like a big step up from our novie year but we’ve really enjoyed it”.
Columba College’s Lucy Earl made a fast start in the Girls Under 16 Single Sculls and continued her dominance down the course to take gold. The battle for second and third saw Lincoln High School’s Felicity Wright make a strong move in the final 500 metres to secure silver, marking a special result in the school’s first Maadi appearance since 2010. A photo finish played out for bronze, with Howick College holding on to take bronze.
Lucy Earl of Columbia College wins gold in the Girls Under 16 Single Photo: Sharron Bennett Photography
The Boys Under 18 Novice Double Sculls was won by a thrilled Isaac Coleman and Max Skehan from Marlborough Boys’ College in a time of 7:30.04. As novices, both athletes found their way into rowing from other sports.
Originally a swimmer, Max explained the encouragement he got to give rowing a try, “My cousin started rowing, and all my friends and family thought I should start, so I thought I would give it a go in my last year of school, and it’s worked out pretty well. For Isaac there was some encouragement coming from another sport he was involved with during the winter months, “My hockey manager, from last year, her son rowed and she thought I would be good at it, and here we are”.
As they reflect on their race, there was a real sense of belief: “We had the race plan going into it, so we knew what we needed to do. We knew we could win if we did all the right things”.
Elation for Max Skehan and Isaac Coleman from Marlborough Boys College. Photo: Picture show Ltd
Rangi Ruru delivered a dominant performance in the Girls Novice Coxed Eight, leading from start to finish. Coxswain Charlie White said:
“We had such an epic race, I was there when they had their first row on the (Kerr’s) reach, and seeing how far they’ve come I’m just so proud. Every race they just go out there and give it everything, I couldn’t ask for more, it’s such a privilege to cox these ladies here at Maadi”.
“I just told them to trust the training, trust each other”.
The Rangi Ruru Girls Under 18 Novice crew tastes victory on Lake Ruataniwha Photo: Sharron Bennett Photography
In the Boys Under 17 Coxed Eight, St Bede’s College took control early and never relinquished their lead, winning in a time of 6:03.31. Coach Dale Maher spoke of the crew:
“I’m pretty proud, they are an awesome bunch of boys and they’ve worked really hard for the last couple of seasons. We train hard, we set a high standard in training, everything these boys do, they do with intensity”.
In a fast finish St Peters (Auckland) secured Silver, over Auckland Grammar who took home bronze.
Ashburton College stepped up to gold in the Girls Under 17 Coxed Quadruple Sculls after earlier success in the fours. Their coach Justin Wall relayed his happiness for the crews win: “I feel absolutely fantastic, you never say you expect it, because you don’t. As the saying goes, anything’s going to happen and it usually does. I said to them, this race plan is your race plan, you know what you need to do, you’ve just got to go out and do it”.
Gold for an elated Ashburton crew in the Girls Under 17 Coxed Quadruple Sculls Photo: Sharron Bennett Photography
One of the closest finishes of the day came in the Boys Under 18 Coxed Quadruple Sculls, with St Paul’s Collegiate taking gold, and St Peter’s School and Whanganui High School separated by just 0.13 seconds.
Waikato Diocesan School took gold in the Girls Under 18 Pair through Kate Slyfield and Amy Bryant, leading from start to finish. They reflected on the journey to winning this medal:
“Coming second to some of these crews all season has driven us in training, and driven us to want this race so much more”.
Coach Alice Denyer added: “They are such hard working girls and want to do the best they can, they’ve had so much fun with this boat, they want to go fast so seeing them take this win is really great”.
Waikato Diocesan crew of Kate Slyfield and Amy Bryant take gold in the Girls Under 18 Pair. Photo: Rowing Picture Show
The Boys Under 16 Coxed Four delivered another tight finish, with King’s College taking gold and just 0.18 seconds separating second and third.
More success followed for Waikato Diocesan in the Girls Under 16 Coxed Eight. Coxswain Amelia Settle said: “it was really exciting, it was really fun, the last 250 metres were epic. It means everything to cox my crew to a medal, they’re my best friends, they mean so much to me, and I love seeing them this happy.”
St Margaret’s College and Christchurch Girls High School made their first appearance on the podium of the regatta, taking Silver and bronze respectively.
Zara Blackie returned to the water in the Girls Under 17 Single Sculls to take gold in her final race at Lake Ruataniwha in a time of 8:15.73.
“It was the hardest race ever, I was really going for it, I just wanted it so badly” Zara explained.
Gold medalist Zara Blackie of St Cuthberts College with Bella Breen from Dunstan High School (silver) and Isla Moffat from Ashburton College (bronze) Photo: Picture Show Ltd
In an impressive double, the girls from Wakatipu High school matched their boys crew efforts earlier in the day, also taking gold in an Under 15 Coxed Octuple Sculls event. The win demonstrates the pedigree of the school's sculling programme.
Wakatipu showing their class in sculling winning both the Boys and Girls Under 15 Coxed Quadruple Sculls events. Photo: Sharron Bennett Photography
King’s College claimed the Springbok Shield in the Boys Under 18 Coxed Four after a composed race under pressure from Hamilton Boys’ High School.
It was clear what this win meant to Kings College Cox Ayden Miller “It’s a pretty awesome moment for the boys. It’s been four seasons in the making, we’ve been together since under 15’s so it’s very special to us. We knew Hamilton Boys were going to be out fast at the start, and they were, so our goal was to stick with them, and we managed to do that and that brought us up ahead and got us in the right headspace to control the race”.
Ayden describes how sweet the moment is for the Kings College crew, “It’s our last year rowing for Kings, on and off water you’re always together, you’re always hanging out and this is just the icing on the cake”.
Sweet success for the Kings College crew lifting the Springbok Shield for the first time since 1992. Photo: Rowing Picture Show.
An epic battle for 2nd and 3rd unfolded between Westlake Boys High School and Hamilton Boys High School. In an all North Island affair, Hamilton Boys held on to take the silver medal, with Westlake Boys taking home bronze.
The final race of the day, the Girls Under 18 Coxed Four for the Dawn Cup, saw Rangi Ruru lead from the start and extend their advantage throughout.
Rangi Ruru coxswain Charlie Ward gave some insight into the race:
“We got out in front, we had a goal of getting onto an unmatchable rhythm, and that’s what we did right from the start. Before the race we were talking about how much it means to each of us, so it just makes you want to do it for each other, it’s a great feeling knowing that all your hard work as a squad, all the commitment as a squad, does end you in these great results, it shows that all the training counts”.
Behind them, Waikato Diocesan secured silver, while Cashmere High School surged late to take bronze in their first appearance competing for the Dawn Cup.
Triumphant Rangi Ruru claiming the Dawn Cup. Photo: Sharron Bennett Photography
As the final boats crossed the line, everyone was grateful that the predicted weather had largely stayed away. It closes out a day defined by resilience, intensity, and achievement for every crew competing.
With one final day remaining, Maadi 2026 is set for an exciting conclusion as crews prepare for their final opportunity to race for school pride and championship honours.
Full results are available at www.rowit.nz
Livestream coverage available at https://rowingnz.kiwi/livestream/ or https://www.youtube.com/@rowingnz/streams
Liz Inglis
Liz Inglis is a content creator and photographer based in Christchurch. As well as being a rowing parent, she is also a masters rower for the Avon Rowing Club.
