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Pathway
How does the pathway work?
The NZ rowing pathway exists to develop promising athletes towards elite success. There are three main disciplines we develop athletes for: Classic, Beach Sprints, and Para Rowing.
The pathway typically starts with athletes who have finished their school rowing or have picked up the rowing after school.
The top end of the pathway is athletes who are pushing for a spot as an Elite rower. The pathway consists of three key areas – athlete level, training environment, and teams.
Classic and Para Rowing athletes based in NZ may earn a spot on our Domestic Pathway list, while athletes who choose to study abroad may be selected onto our International Pathway list. This page outlines how the pathway works and what athletes need to do to develop towards elite standard.
Athlete Levels
There are 3 levels on the domestic pathway.
Identification, Emerging and Pre-High Performance. The next level up is the Elite Squad. There are no levels on the International Pathway.
More information about each level is provided below. The Pathway Snapshot above also gives an overview of the different levels.
You can also see more information below about the selection process to get on the Domestic and International pathway lists.
Training Environments
Training environments are the places where our athletes train daily. A high-quality daily training environment is crucial for developing towards elite success.
Athletes on the pathway may train at a club, university, at the Performance Hub, or at the Rowing NZ Colgan High Performance centre as part of an Under 19 or Under 23 campaign.
Click below to learn more about training environments.
Team Opportunities
Representative teams on the pathway provide an opportunity for athletes to gain race experience and exposure to a higher standard of rowing. Pathway athletes make the shift to peaking for pinnacle events in winter.
See below for the different team opportunities available.
The pathway calendar below indicates where selection activities and tours fall in the year. See the Athlete Levels section above to view the selection guidelines.
Full Pathway Plans
View the full Rowing Classic and Para Rowing Pathway Plans.
Gaining qualifications on the pathway
For rowers seeking to gain tertiary qualifications, the guide below provides information about studying in NZ & overseas while on the pathway.
For further information around development opportunities and the RNZ Pathway, please contact the following people:
Will Maling, Domestic Pathway Lead -will.maling@rowingnz.kiwi
Michele Munro, International Pathway Lead -michele@rowingnz.kiwi
Janey Charlton, Athlete Development Manager -janey@rowingnz.kiwi
Pathway Stories
New Zealand’s Rising Rowers Ready for World Stage
NZ Universities Crew Named for 2026 Trans-Tasman Showdown
