Five students started it. Now Ngaruawahia High School is expecting around 30 rowers on the water this season, backed by a $10,000 scholarship that should help keep that growth going.
The Waikato school has been named the North Island recipient of the 2026/27 Emerging School Rowing Scholarship, funded by the Milford Foundation in partnership with Rowing New Zealand. The money is designed to chip away at the practical costs that hold smaller programmes back: equipment, regatta fees, travel, coaching.
It arrives at a good moment. The programme has been building steadily for five years, with real momentum in the last three, and a three-year plan is already in place to grow numbers further, strengthen coaching and improve equipment.
Rowing New Zealand Sport Development Manager Jared Cummings says it was the depth of Ngaruawahia's application that set it apart.
"It was a really strong application. There was a lot of detail that went into it. It wasn't just that they wanted financial assistance, there was a lot around the growth of the programme, the support for the club, strong coaching and the background support to move the programme ahead over time."
Winning, he says, is not really the point.
"Winning races matters, but it's not as important as growing the programme, developing our people and fostering a lifelong enjoyment of the sport."
That philosophy plays out clearly at Ngaruawahia. Coach Tamsin Coburn says the biggest changes have often happened away from the water entirely, with students who once struggled at school finding discipline and confidence through rowing.
"We've had a lot of mischievous kids at school, and once they joined us and came down and tried rowing, there's been a major impact at school with better grades and overall attendance."
One student, previously known for skipping class and getting into trouble, joined the programme and later completed a three-week Outward Bound course. The experience changed him, Tamsin says simply: "Overall, he just became a much nicer kid."
Jared sees that as the real value of school rowing. "What makes school rowing about more than what happens on the water is it's a life programme almost. The things people learn from rowing are the work ethic, the friendships, the connection to the community. The things that are off the water are actually the majority of it."
The team describes itself as a family. One student who moved to New Zealand from Germany says he was welcomed straight away.
"It taught me about myself that I'm way more resilient and way stronger than I thought I was. I can really stick through things and not give up just when it gets hard."
Another student points to the teamwork rowing demands. "Everybody needs to work together. Everybody needs to be synchronised, and you need to trust the other teammates."
The Milford Foundation has doubled its commitment to the scholarship this year, splitting $20,000 between a North Island and a South Island school, with the southern recipient to be named next month. General Manager Lucy Doyle says the goal is straightforward.
"The impact that we hope that we can have with the scholarship is more confident and capable young people. We know that sport builds resilience, leadership, teamwork and commitment to long-term goals."
"Talent is everywhere, but we know that opportunity isn't. We don't believe that cost should be a factor in stopping young people from being able to participate in a sport."
For Ngaruawahia, the funding will help with ageing equipment and the cost of getting to regattas, opening doors students might not otherwise have.
Growth from one quad to a squad of around 30 is no small thing for a small community.
"It means everything," says Tamsin. "We started off as just a quad, and expecting 30 kids is a major impact to us. It means we're growing, and it means our culture at our school is becoming a big part, rowing."
"I'm excited to see all these kids grow. I'm excited to see the changes to our shed, and not only just to see how happy they are, whether they win or they lose."
"We are super grateful to the Milford Foundation for this opportunity and we're going to make the most of it."
