Arawa Canoe Club

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!

Arawa AGM 21 May 2026 - at the clubrooms, upstairs.

Fish and chips at 6:30pm - get there before the committee scoff them all. The meeting will start at 7pm.

The President's report and the reviewed Annual Report are in the link here - we won't go into them at the meeting unless you have some burning questions - if you do, then please raise them with Bruce or Ken before the meeting and we can answer them directly or build them into the agenda.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1m1geAKUJvXKXyWtaJ1Z5bM8LWMW7zH3T?usp=drive_link

Our very own Scott Martlew has been nominated as a finalist at the Canterbury Sport and Recreation Awards!

📣 Arawa Canoe Club AGM – Save the Date 📣

The Arawa Canoe Club Annual General Meeting will be held on
🗓 Thursday 21 May
🕖 7.00pm
This is a great chance to reflect on the season, hear what’s been happening around the club, and help shape what’s ahead.

We are also inviting nominations for club officer roles. If you’ve ever thought about getting more involved and supporting the club behind the scenes, this is your opportunity. Check out the newsletter for a link to the nomination form.

AGM 21 May - CRNZ Sprint Nationals 2026 Looking for a fun, well‑run race series to build skills, confidence and fitness over winter? The Topsport Pro‑Am Series is a great option for paddlers of all levels, from first‑time racers through to experienced river paddlers. The series is designed to be welcoming and inclusive, while still ...

This past weekend, Arawa Canoe Club competed at the 2026 NZCT New Zealand Canoe Sprint Championships at Lake Karapiro.

Despite only having 1.5 days of racing due to Cyclone Vaianu, Arawa delivered an outstanding performance, with athletes pushing themselves and competing strongly at the highest level of our sport.

Some standout results included:
• 1st – Open Men K1 200m – Thomas MacGibbon
• 1st – Open Men K4 200m – Thomas MacGibbon, Tiago Chamberlain, Dylan Monk and James Munro
• 1st – Junior Women Unlimited 200m & 500m – Grace Brooking
• 1st – Senior Men Unlimited 500m – Ben Matthews
• 1st – Masters Women K1 500m – Katherine Reardon
• 1st – U23 Women K1 1000m – Natasha McGibbon
• 1st – U23 Men K1 200m & 500m – Dylan Monk

Full results can be found here:
https://www.liveresults.co.nz/competition/514

A special thank you to the Pirnea family for all their work behind the scenes, helping with team boat entries, K1 trailer allocation, club accommodation, and so much more.

A huge shoutout also to the MacGibbon family for towing the trailer more than 1,800km to Lake Karapiro and back. Without your support, we would not have been able to compete so successfully on the national stage.

Photos by Challis Captured It Photography NZ

Sprint Nationals Trailer Unloading

Trailer will arrive at the club at 11am. If you are in Christchurch can you please get down there and help unload the trailer. We understand many of us are still in the North Island.

Multisport paddlers! For some off-season sharpening up, have a go at the kayak Sprint Nationals!

CRNZ have created an 'Unlimited' class to cater for multisport boats, surfskis, and sea kayaks so you can get some hard and fast racing in whatever boat you have, for 200m, 500m and a 5km (with optional portages) longer stretch.

The Sprint Nationals will be at Lake Karapiro on 10-12 April.

Enter here: https://crnz.justgo.com/Workbench/i/r/EventsAndBookings/booking-details/C6B485F26522D5B375F82517E245DB35B6446E39

Entries close on the 22nd of March (this Sunday!), get in quick.

(Photo of some dodgy multisporter trying to keep a K1 upright. Credit: Karlene Rogers).

The 2026 NZCT New Zealand Canoe Sprint Championships are now less than five weeks away.

If you are planning to attend, please confirm your availability by completing the Google Form below:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdvLcyC3Ghiv_ZGD_3A6f7FRiKIN9Zw1sP28UnROgHd0mOInw/viewform

Event Entry

All athletes must also enter the event through the CRNZ website:
https://crnz.justgo.com/Workbench/i/r/public/EventsAndBookingsPublic/details/A27BF1C265228AEBEAA16B42EE86026D9D6F03EC/

Team Boat Entries

If you would like to race in a team boat (K2 or K4) and are not currently part of a sprint squad, please contact Florina so she can organise the entry: [email protected]

Club Boats

If you need to borrow a club K1 for the event, please contact Dylan and it can be arranged: [email protected]

It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Ian Huntsman this week

Ian was a huge part of the community at Arawa Canoe Club and will be deeply missed by so many paddlers, athletes and friends. For years he was at the heart of the Thursday night Weedies sessions, helping keep paddlers fit, motivated and honest on the water. He was also a member of the Club Committee for many years, a great coach and volunteer. His presence there was constant, and many athletes are stronger because they trained alongside him.

Ian was a formidable competitor. Quiet and understated, but fiercely competitive, he pushed himself and those around him to be better. Ian was also generous with his time and knowledge. He was always willing to help others with boats, technique, training or river skills, and many paddlers benefited from his guidance over the years.

Ian leaves a huge gap in our club and in the wider paddling community. He will be remembered not only for his strength as an athlete, but for the presence he had around the club and the encouragement he gave to so many others.

Our thoughts and condolences go out to Wendy and family. He will be hugely missed.

A celebration of lan's life will take place at Oaklands Chapel (Lamb and Hayward, 500 Wigram Road) on Wednesday 11th March, service commencing 2.30pm.

You are invited to bring a paddle to take part in lan's final journey with a guard of honour.

Congratulations to our Arawa Sprint Kayak athletes who have been selected to represent New Zealand at the Asia Pacific Cup this May at Lake Tikitapu, Rotorua.

They will compete in K1, K2 and K4 events with top paddlers from around the country and compete internationally, including Australia, Japan and Singapore.

Selected Athletes

U16 Women
Nicole Pirnea
Zara Rose

U18 Women
Lena Norton
Stella Crossan

U18 Men
Lewis Monk

U21 Women
Leah McCallum

U21 Men
Tiago Chamberlain
Dylan Monk

A huge achievement — well done and good luck representing New Zealand! 🇳🇿🚣‍♂️