Canoe Racing New Zealand

22/10/2026

The 2026 Canoe Marathon World Championships begin overnight in Gualeguaychu, Argentina.

New Zealand has 2 athletes at this event, with Liam Lace racing in the senior men K1 short course and long course marathons, before teaming up with Marathon Masters silver medallist Garth Spencer for the senior men's K2 Marathon.
Check out the schedule of the boys in action in NZT and swipe to see photos from the opening ceremony.

Watch the racing live on the Planet Canoe YouTube channel (subscription required) and stay tuned to our channels for results and updates

Good luck to Liam and Garth for the next few days!.

20/10/2026

Canoe Racing New Zealand is pleased to announce the appointment of Kendra Tate, Carl Newman and Leigh Barker as part-time Pathway Coordinators, strengthening the support available to athletes, coaches and clubs across New Zealand.

Led by Chris Emmett, National Pathway Lead, the expanded pathway team will increase CRNZ’s presence within clubs and regions, strengthen support for athletes and coaches, and help create more opportunities for paddlers to develop and progress within the sport.

These appointments have been enabled through additional funding received specifically for pathway development and represent the next phase of CRNZ’s pathway strategy.

Kendra Tate will focus on the upper North Island, Carl Newman will focus on the Central and Lower North Island while Leigh Barker will look after the South Island.
Congratulations to Kendra, Carl and Leigh on their new roles and we look forward to having you as part of the CRNZ team.

Read full details here

Canoe Sprint, Surf Ski & Marathon. Canoe Sprint Racing is one of the best-known competitive canoeing disciplines in NZ.

12/10/2026

The 2026 New Zealand Canoe Marathon Championships also featuring the NZ 5km National Championships are coming up on Saturday 31 October/ Sunday 1st November in Auckland, proudly hosted by the Waitemata Canoe & Multisport Club.

The 2026 NZ Canoe Marathon Championships will include long course marathon races for single and double craft on the Henderson River in Auckland with distances ranging from 6km up to 25km, depending on age group/divisions. Age groups range from 12&Unders up to Masters (70year+) and is open to Kayaks, multisport kayaks/sea kayaks, ocean skis/surfskis, canoes and SUPS. There is also a recreational “half marathon” division for all craft.

This event will also include a 5km K1 event which will be the rescheduled NZ 5km National Championships, which was unable to occur earlier this year due to weather.

Single craft long marathon racing will be held on Saturday morning, followed a fun K4 Marathon on Saturday afternoon.
The 5km National Championship races will be on Sunday morning, followed by the K2 marathon races. There will be a prizegiving following all events, recognising New Zealand Champions and placegetters.

Whether you are racing for a national title, training for endurance events, looking for a challenge, out to beat your mates or just love paddling, this event has something for you.
Marathon paddling is the biggest challenge in the sport. Can you go the distance?

Full event info and online entry can be found on the Canoe Racing NZ Event Calendar https://canoeracing.org.nz/event-calendar/

09/10/2026

Incredible results in Spain overnight by the Kiwi paddlers at the 2026 Ocean Racing World Championships single ski event 🇳🇿

💫Rebecca Cole - 4th in the women's open SS1
💫Julia Padrutt - 5th in the women's U23 SS1
💫Gene Prato - 10th in men's open SS1
💫 Grace Richardson - 19th in women's U23 SS1
💫 Ron Cole - 19th in men's masters 60-64 SS1

Great effort by these athletes on a hot day in Spain! Rebecca and Gene will now team up for the mixed double ski race tomorrow.

09/10/2026

The new lifejacket law comes into effect across Aotearoa New Zealand today (9th October) requiring everyone on board recreational craft six metres or less in length to wear a properly fitted lifejacket while underway.

Under the new national requirement, everyone on board a recreational craft (including kayaks and canoes) measuring six metres or less must wear an appropriately sized lifejacket while the craft is underway.

The rule applies across all New Zealand waterways, including lakes, rivers, harbours and coastal waters. It is designed to establish a clear, consistent approach to lifejacket use and reduce preventable harm on the water.

A lifejacket must meet an approved standard, be in serviceable condition and fit the wearer properly. It is important to check that the lifejacket is suitable for the paddler's size and the activity being undertaken.

For craft longer than 6m in length, it remains a requirement to carry correctly fitting lifejackets for everyone on board, unless in times of heightened risk when they must be worn.

For full details:

Canoe Sprint, Surf Ski & Marathon. Canoe Sprint Racing is one of the best-known competitive canoeing disciplines in NZ.

01/10/2026

27/09/2026

🏆Congratulations to our 2026 New Zealand 10km National Champions! 🇳🇿
The national championship race was held yesterday at a drizzly Lake Karapiro, also the final race of this year's Paddler Winter Series. Great turn out and great event to wrap up the winter racing series.

Full results here: https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=449442

24/09/2026

Congratulations to Liam Lace and Garth Spencer, selected to represent Aotearoa New Zealand at the 2026 Canoe Marathon World Championships.

The 2026 ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships will take place from October 19 to 25 in Gualeguaychú, Argentina.
Both Garth and Liam will race K1 as well as teaming up for the open K2 Marathon.

All the best for the final month of preparation and stay tuned to follow the action from Argentina!

23/09/2026

The final race of the 2026 Paddler Winter Series and the Canoe Racing NZ 10km National Championships is coming up this Sunday!

After a winter of races at clubs around the motu, this bonus points race at Lake Karapiro will determine the series winners, plus national titles and medals are up for grabs for Sunday's winners. There are 5km and 2.5km races for junior paddlers or anyone else not keen for the full distance. Open to all type of paddle craft.

It is not too late to enter! All online entries will receive a FREE beanie thanks to Zhik, who proudly support this series. We will also accept on the day entries.

Check out race details, results and current series standing on the Paddler.nz website
https://www.paddler.nz/winterseries

21/09/2026

Canoe Racing New Zealand are pleased to announce the New Zealand representatives for the 2026 Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships, coming up in October in La Vila Joiosa, Spain. 🇪🇸 🇳🇿
Congratulations to the following athletes:

Grace Richardson, U23 Women SS1
Julia Padrutt, U23 Women SS1
Rebecca Cole, Open Women SS1 / Open Mixed SS2
Gene Prato, Open Men SS1 / Open Mixed SS2
Ron Cole, Masters (60+) Men SS1

The 2026 Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships, being held on 9-11 October at Club Nàutic La Vila Joiosa, will bring together the world’s best ocean racing paddlers, with athletes travelling from different countries to compete on the Mediterranean sea for the world titles. The world championships is also a celebration of ocean ski paddling for all paddlers, as it is an open event that any ocean ski paddler can attend.

Good luck to these paddlers and stay tuned to our channels as we follow these athletes on the world’s biggest ocean stage.

Event website – https://www.icfcanoeoceanracingspain.com/