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New Zealand Rowing Teams
The main international competitions for the Rowing NZ High Performance programme are the Olympic Games (held every four years, with the next Olympic Games scheduled for Paris), the World Rowing Cup series, and the annual World Rowing Championships.
The World Rowing Cup series comprises three regattas held annually, with overall winners determined by points awarded to the top-finish boats at each event. New Zealand routinely attends World Rowing Cup II and III.
On occasion, the New Zealand Elite Team also attends events such as the Henley Royal Regatta.
With the inclusion of the Beach Sprint Championships in the 2028 LA Olympics, each year a NZ Team will be selected to race at the World Rowing Beach Sprint Championships.
Rowing NZ also select teams each year to contest the World Rowing Junior Championships, Trans-Tasman U21 Series, World Rowing U23 Championships, University Trans-Tasman Series and the World Rowing University Championships (held every second year), and athletes also race at Universiade (Summer University Games).
Under 19
The purpose of the U19 campaign is to guide and support our people to achieve repeatable and sustainable medal winning performances on the world stage, which inspire New Zealand.
From a Rowing NZ perspective, the aim of the campaign is twofold. Over the course of the campaign, we would like to see you develop and thrive in the high-performance environment, working together with your teammates, coaches and the support staff to achieve your optimal results at the U19 World Championships. However, the U19 campaign is also about preparing you for the next step in your pathway, so that when you leave the campaign you have the knowledge and tools that you need to continue your development into the new season.
In 2025 we will have two Under 19 teams; one will represent New Zealand at the World Rowing U19 World Championships and one will represent New Zealand at the Continental Challenge Cup in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Information on both teams can be found in the attachments below.
Development
The Rowing New Zealand Development Teams are the World University Team, the Under 22 North Island and South Island teams, and the U19 Development team.
World University Team
Rowing NZ works with University and Tertiary Sport New Zealand to send a team to the FISU World University Rowing Championship Regatta (held in even years) or the FISU World University Games (held in odd years when rowing is included). This team is an option for promising university athletes that does not involve relocating to the Colgan High Performance Centre. It can also be valuable for athletes rowing at a high level who have aged out of the U23 team. Athletes must be aged between 19 and 25. Recent graduates are eligible, including athletes returning from an overseas College.
Under 22 Team (North Island/South Island)
These teams compete against Australian state teams. The U22 Team can help bridge the gap for athletes too old for U19 but not yet in the U23 team, and also provides a team opportunity for those not studying. The Under 22 team is split into two - one team to represent the North Island and one team to represent the South Island. Participants must be older 18 but not older than 22 in the year of competition.
In 2026, this regatta will be held from the 22-24 May 2026 in Queensland, Australia.
The World University Team information can be found below and a trial will be held on the 20th April 2025 at Lake Ruataniwha following the New Zealand University Championships.
University & Tertiary Sport New Zealand Eligibility and Participation in Internation Events
Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games Competition Schedule
Under 18
The purpose of the U18 North vs South Regatta is to give the best Under 18 athletes from throughout New Zealand the opportunity to train and race together. It also gives these athletes the opportunity to view the New Zealand U19 Trials, enabling them to understand the process and the requirements in preparation for subsequent U19 Trials, and allows the U19 Selection Panel the opportunity to view the athletes likely to be in contention for National U19 selection in future years.
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