Halfway through 2026, canoe racing in New Zealand is carrying real momentum, with a strong domestic season behind it and an international campaign now in full swing.
Chief executive Graham Oberlin-Brown described the 2025/26 domestic season as a standout despite some weather disruptions. It was bookended by the Asia Pacific Sprint Cup, hosted here in Aotearoa, where the young New Zealand team secured the Cup for the first time.
The early international results have been encouraging. Finn Murphy claimed a silver medal at the Paracanoe World Cup in Brandenburg, his first international medal. He only began kayaking through the PaddleAble programme in 2022, making the result all the more striking.
The Junior and Under 23 World Championship team is set to compete in Halifax, Canada, with racing beginning Thursday NZT. From there, attention shifts to a Canoe Sprint World Cup in Montreal before the World Championships, both critical milestones in the Olympic qualification pathway.
Winter is no excuse to leave the paddle in the shed. The 2026 Paddler Winter Series kicks off in August at clubs across the motu, with details available through the online event calendar.
Participation numbers are trending upward, with more people entering the sport through club activity, though Oberlin-Brown acknowledged the growth has been uneven across the network. "We encourage clubs looking to grow participation or strengthen delivery to reach out," he said. "We are committed to working alongside you, and continuing to support environments to grow our club membership and offer high quality experiences."
Many clubs have already moved across to the Paddler Portal for membership management, and others are being encouraged to make the switch over winter ahead of the next summer season. Work is also continuing on an updated affiliation model described as simpler, fairer, and better aligned to participation.
Oberlin-Brown also noted increasing interest from new partners and stakeholders, reflecting broader confidence in where the sport is heading.
