Canoe Racing New Zealand

❄️🎤2026 Paddler Winter Series - Event dates 🎤❄️

We are pleased to announce the events that will make up the 2026 Paddler Winter Series. The Paddler Winter series is made up club-run paddling races around New Zealand to keep all paddlers active and connected over the winter months.
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With something to suit for all ages and abilities in a fun, relaxed club environment, events are held between August and September every year, culminating in the NZ 10km National Championships. A paddler’s best 3 races count towards series points. The final race is worth bonus points in the series.

This series is open to Kayaks (K1), Multi-craft boats (includes ocean ski, surf ski, multisport boats and sea kayaks) and team boats. Many events will also be open to SUP, Waka Ama or other paddling craft. Each event can choose their own event/race format. There will always be suitable/shorter distances for junior or more recreational paddlers.​

The 2026 Paddler Winter Series is being generously support by Zhik, with some awesome Zhik gear up for grabs at each series event.

For full series and event information, visit the series page on our website or check out our event calendar.
https://www.paddler.nz/winterseries

Canoe Racing New Zealand are excited to announce the NZ athletes selected for the 2026 ICF Canoe Sprint & Paracanoe World Cup in Montreal, Canada in July. 🇳🇿🇨🇦

Congratulations to the following athletes:

Aimee Fisher, Hawkes Bay Kayak Racing Club
James Scott, North Shore Canoe Club
Kacey Ngataki, North Shore Canoe Club
Kaiha Gilbertson, North Shore Canoe Club
Kalani Gilbertson, North Shore Canoe Club
Quaid Thompson, Poverty Bay Kayak Club
Scott Martlew, Arawa Canoe Club

The 2026 ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Cup is on 9-12 July and will take place at Parc Jean-Drapeau’s Olympic Basin in Montréal, Québec.

Stay tuned as the event approaches for all the latest information, updates and results as they happen.

The kiwi team saw all 4 seasons at the ICF Sprint World Cup in Brandenburg. Must've felt just like home!

The Tawhiti Rahi Ocean Challenge is back for 2026, and the iconic Poor Knights Crossing course is back on the cards.

This is an open ocean downwind paddling event for oceanski/surf ski, waka ama and paddlefoil competitors, and is regarded as one of the most challenging events on the ocean racing calendar in Aotearoa. The event is on Saturday 19th September and entries are now open.

For ocean ski paddlers, this race doubles as the 2026 NZ Ocean Ski National Championships and is the first event of the 2026/27 Darcy Price NZ Ocean Ski series.
For full details and online registration, head to our event calendar https://canoeracing.org.nz/event-calendar/

E kitea ai ngā taonga o te moana, me māku koe.
To see the treasures of the ocean, first you must get wet.

The ocean does a lot for us. Today - World Ocean Day - is a good reminder of our role to celebrate and protect it. You don’t need to be a scientist or politician to support ocean health. Small, simple and consistent behaviours by everyone make a real and meaningful impact.

Here are 5 simple things you can do to protect our moana:

🌊Be a voice for the ocean
Educate yourself and others about the issues and how to address them — and encourage people to take action. Get involved, engage with organisations and media, sign ocean conversation related petitions to make your voice heard.

🌊Support sustainable seafood
Currently, 93% of wild fish populations are considered fully-fished or overfished and the seafood industry is having a devastating impact. By choosing seafood that’s caught or farmed using sustainable practices, you help protect marine life, reduce bycatch, and support responsible fisheries and fishing communities.

🌊Avoid single use plastics
More than 80 million tonnes of plastic pieces are dumped into the ocean each year. Opt for alternative packaging and bring your own reusable containers.

🌊Take your rubbish with you (and pick up any that you see)
Rubbish near beaches, rivers or streams will eventually make its way to the ocean. Cut down on this pollution simply by picking it up and disposing of it correctly.

🌊Reduce energy consumption and your carbon footprint
Our ocean absorbs carbon dioxide and heat from global warming, increasing the water’s acidity and raising temperatures. Modest lifestyle changes—like switching to LED lights, turning off appliances and walking or biking where possible, reduce your carbon footprint.

Let's do our part to protect the awa we love.
One Ocean,
One Climate,
One Future,
Together

💙Happy World Ocean Day💙

The 2026 ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships are being held in La Vila Joiosa, Spain from the 9-11th October. The world's best Ocean Racing (Oceanski/Surfski) paddlers will be competing for World Championship titles in senior, U23, junior and masters age groups, while hundreds of other paddlers will be enjoying the superb surfski conditions off the Spanish coastline. There will be both single ski and double ski world championship races.

This is an open entry event but NZ paddlers must notify CRNZ of your intention to race so you can also be entered into the ICF system.
The event is open to all CRNZ Club members from Juniors through to Masters with no restriction on the number of entries that a National Federation can submit. This means there is no requirement to be selected by Canoe Racing NZ (CRNZ) to attend this event.

Full entry process information can be found here-
https://canoeracing.org.nz/2026-icf-canoe-ocean-racing-world-championships-entry-information/

Nàutic La Vila Joiosa

2026 ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships - Entry Information - CRNZ - Sprint, Surf Ski & Marathon Canoe Sprint, Surf Ski & Marathon. Canoe Sprint Racing is one of the best-known competitive canoeing disciplines in NZ.

The international paddling season is not just an opportunity for our athletes to perform on the world stage but also our New Zealand Officials. Congratulations to the following NZ officials performing key Official roles at ICF events for the 2026 international event season:

⭐️Toni Hoskin: Competition Manager, ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup, Hungary
⭐️Craig Hoskin: Course Umpire, ICF Canoe Sprint & Paracanoe World Cup, Germany
⭐️Aniwa McKenzie: Starter, ICF Canoe Sprint & Paracanoe World Cup, Canada
⭐️Karen Simpson-Warren: Deputy Chief Judge, ICF Junior & U23 World Championships, Canada
⭐️Matt Warren: Start Coordinator, ICF Canoe Sprint & Paracanoe World Championships, Poland

Being selected for these roles at these major events is a big accomplishment and an indication of the skill and commitment by these wonderful volunteers.
Canoe Racing NZ and the kayaking community is so grateful for the skills and dedication by all our officials to support and grow our sport not just in Aotearoa but globally.

A reminder that we want to hear from YOU regarding the CRNZ Canoe Sprint events in the 2025/26 summer season!

We value your input to help us enhance our events, systems, and support. Your feedback on the following events is appreciated:

Tikitapu Sprint Regatta 1: 6-7 December 2025, Lake Tikitapu
Tikitapu Sprint Regatta 2: 31 January–1 February 2026, Lake Tikitapu
NZ Secondary School Kayaking Championships: 20–21 March 2026, Lake Tikitapu
NZCT Canoe Sprint Championships: 10–12 April 2026, Lake Karapiro

Whether you were a paddler, parent, coach or volunteer, and whether you went to just one or all four, hearing about your experiences at these events is invaluable to us at CRNZ. By clicking the link below and completing this 10-15min survey, you’ll help us continue to develop and improve our events for future participants.

Complete the Canoe Sprint events Feedback form now - https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/eLRwaT0A5f
Submit your response by midnight Sunday 14 June 2026 to go into the draw to win a CRNZ prize pack.

Calendar of Canoe Racing NZ major events for 2026/2027.

Some slight adjustments to our regular annual schedule due to changes in other watersport event dates. We are excited that the 2027 NZ Canoe Sprint Championships will double as the Oceania Championships and an ICF continental qualifier event on the road to LA 2028.

Stay tuned for more details on these events and more!