ASB’s support spans the full athletics pathway, helping Athletics New Zealand grow participation at the grassroots, strengthen community programmes and events, equip coaches and teachers, and back New Zealand athletes on the international stage.

“ASB is passionate about giving Kiwi the opportunities to participate, progress and perform at every age and stage. Our partnership with Athletics New Zealand is an opportunity for us to support young people into sport and create environments where kids feel encouraged to give it a go,” says ASB’s Executive General Manager Business Banking Ben Speedy.

ASB is joining Athletics NZ as the naming partner of our two foundation programmes for Rangatahi and Tamariki, now ASB Get Set Go and ASB Run Jump Throw. These are the programmes many of our young members first meet athletics through.

ASB Get Set Go introduces movement skills through play for tamariki aged 3 to 8, and ASB Run Jump Throw builds on that for 6 to 11-year-olds. Both programmes have been delivered widely in schools and clubs around the country, reaching over 100,000 Kiwi kids, and ASB’s support means we can now put more behind them, including new equipment kits for clubs and skills-based video resources for clubs and teachers delivered through āhei. 

“This partnership is a significant one for our sport, and it comes at an important time,” says Athletics New Zealand Chief Executive Cam Mitchell. 

“Athletics New Zealand has spent recent years building the strength of our programmes, our people, our events, and our high performance environment, and it’s that work that made a partnership of this scale possible. ASB backing us across all of it, from a child’s first day at a club through to our national teams, tells us we’re heading in the right direction. We’re grateful to have them alongside us, and excited about what we can do together.”

The partnership also backs our national events, with ASB alongside our competitions you take part in through the season, including the soon-to-be-announced ASB George Street Mile. It also extends to our international teams, with ASB featuring on national team apparel. 

For the coaches, teachers, and clubs who deliver our programmes on the ground, the impact is a familiar one. “For a lot of Kiwi kids, ASB Run Jump Throw and ASB Get Set Go are their first experience of athletics, and what happens there really matters,” says Athletics New Zealand North Island Development Manager Kirsten Kilmister. 

“When children learn to run, jump, and throw in a way that’s fun, inclusive, and appropriate for their developmental age, they build confidence and fundamental skills that set them up for life. ASB’s support means we can get these programmes into more schools and clubs, reach more tamariki and rangatahi, and give more of them that positive start. That’s a great thing for the sport and for the kids who’ll come through it.”

From first steps to world bests. We’re excited to welcome ASB to the Athletics New Zealand partner family, and the impact our partnership will deliver right across our sport.

National Volunteer Week / Te Wiki Tūao ā-Motu runs from 14 to 20 June, and we want to use this as an opportunity to say something simple but heartfelt to the people who keep athletics going across the motu: thank you.

Our sport doesn’t happen without volunteers. Picture a typical winter Saturday at a cross country race. Event organisers have been out since early, marking the course. Someone is at the registration table handing out race numbers and sorting the entries that came in overnight. There are officials and timekeepers at the finish, marshals standing on cold corners so runners go the right way, and a coach who has shown up to training through every dark Tuesday evening since the season started. 

We’re grateful to the club committee and sub-committee members who keep clubs running, and to the centre board members and patrons who give their governance, their time and their long memory of the sport. Our coaches, officials, administrators and team managers carry so much of the load, often quietly. And none of it would come together without the people who set up courses and pack them down, look after equipment, hand out uniforms, and do the hundred small jobs that turn an empty field into a day of athletics.

This is mahi aroha: work done out of love for the sport and the people in it. To every volunteer across Aotearoa: thank you for your time, your patience, and your commitment to our athletes and to the sport of Athletics. We see it, and we don’t take it for granted.

This year’s theme of National Volunteer Week is Your Year to Volunteer – Tōu tau ki te tūao, chosen to mark the International Year of the Volunteer. It’s both a thank-you to everyone already giving their time, and an open invitation to anyone who’s been thinking about getting started. If you’ve ever thought about lending a hand, this is a good year to start. Clubs and centres around the country would welcome you.

If you want to get involved, there are endless opportunities to lend a hand. Click here to learn more.

Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa. Click here to learn more.

Beatrice Faumuina CNZM, ONZM, was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to sport and governance

Beatrice a former athlete, having won 21 New Zealand senior titles (17 discus throw and 4 shot put), and has held governance roles in sport and business, and has worked in international relations.

From 2015 to 2018 she was the New Zealand Trade Commissioner and Consul General in New York, and was a member of the New Zealand and Samoa Trade Investment Commission. She has held many national governance roles, including as a Trustee of the Spark Foundation, a member of the Women in Sport Aotearoa Steering Committee and a member of the Westpac Sustainability Expert Advisory Panel. She was Deputy Chair of The Trusts Area from 2021 to 2024, and helped coordinate assistance provided to families evacuated to the Arena during the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods. Over her athletics career, she represented New Zealand at four Olympics Games, five Commonwealth Games, and six World Athletics Championships, winning the gold medal in the discus at the 1997 Athens world championships. She was a member of the Athletes’ Commissions for the International Association of Athletics Federations, and the New Zealand Olympic Committee. She served two terms as Director of Sport New Zealand, where she helped shape High Performance Sport New Zealand’s design of wellbeing initiatives to manage athlete mental health. She was co-host of ‘Straight Up with Niva and Beatrice Faumuinā’, which was a finalist for best original podcast at the 2023 Voyager Awards. She was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2005 and was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.

Barbara Beable MNZM was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to athletics.

Barbara Beable (née Poulsen) has contributed more than 60 years to sport and athletics as an athlete, coach, and educator.

She won 17 senior individual New Zealand Championship titles between 1966 and 1978, including nine in the pentathlon and eight in shot put. She represented New Zealand at three Commonwealth Games, winning silver in the shot put in the 1970 Edinburgh Games. Her highest international ranking for pentathlon was fourth. She worked with her husband, Dr Michael Beable to create a unique training environment that saw many reach national and international success. As Head of Physical Education for 26 years at Queen Margaret College Wellington, she introduced modern fitness programmes that underpinned the sports and recreational programmes, and was a member of the pilot group that pioneered Physical Education as an academic subject. Alongside Dame Lois Muir and the Capital Shakers Netball team in the early 2000s, she worked as the strength and conditioning coach, introducing the players to techniques and processes that now form the basis of modern training programmes. Many of those players later became Silver Ferns, including some who still coach today. Since retiring to Wānaka in 2016, she has continued to coach at the Aspiring Athletics Club while endeavouring to raise funds to further develop facilities for the youth of Wānaka.

Dr Michael Beable MNZM was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to athletics.

Michael has contributed more than 50 years to athletics as an athlete and a coach.

As a self-taught athlete, he held the Wellington long jump record for 16 years and was selected twice for New Zealand international teams. He began formal coaching in 1974, in partnership with his wife, Mrs Barbara Beable. He has coached athletes to 133 national titles at New Zealand Open and Secondary School level. 55 have represented New Zealand, with some competing at Olympic and Commonwealth Games and World Championships. He held national coaching roles, including Head Coach for the 1981 New Zealand team to the Pre-Commonwealth Games International Meeting in Brisbane, and Auxiliary Coach at the 1990 Auckland Games. Between 1977 and 1983 he served on the Athletics New Zealand National Coaching Committee, where he helped shape coaching nationally with the production of the Athletics New Zealand Coaching Manual, from which the junior athletics’ Run-Jump-Throws programme was derived. He led development of the national coaching structure and Coaches Diploma. He continues to coach both school athletes with the Aspiring Athletics Club and high-performing senior athletes, including Shay Veitch, the current and four-time national New Zealand long jump champion. In 2022, Michael was awarded Athletics New Zealand’s highest coaching honour, the Arthur Eustace Award for Coaching.

Trevor Spittle MNZM was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to athletics.

Trevor has volunteered as an athletics official, administrator and educator for more than 40 years.

He initially volunteered at the former QEII Stadium in Christchurch in the early 1980s, quickly progressing from timekeeper to meeting manager. His commitment to athletics and its development locally, nationally and internationally has seen him volunteer thousands of hours in various key positions. He was President of the Canterbury Athletics Centre, President of Athletics New Zealand, and Committee Member of the ANZ Officials Association. He qualified as a World Athletics International Technical Official in 2005, and has supported five Commonwealth Games, eight World Athletics Championships, three Paralympic Games, six World Para Athletics Championships, the Sydney and Tokyo Olympics, and Singapore and Buenos Aires Youth Olympics. As a member of the World Athletics Competition Commission, he advised the World Athletics Council on the development of athletic events worldwide from 2015 to 2023. He played a crucial role in establishing an interim athletics facility at Rāwhiti Domain after the Canterbury earthquakes, as well as the development of the new track at Ngā Puna Wai. As a World Athletics technical official lecturer, he continues to support the development of aspiring technical officials across New Zealand and the Pacific. He has been a member of the Oceania Athletics Association Council since 2007.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Athletics New Zealand exists to deliver great athletics experiences. Steeped in history, athletes in the famous black singlet have delivered so many magical New Zealand sporting moments. Athletics is the foundation of all sport (run, jump, throw) and underpinning a strong high-performance programme is a regional network of centres, clubs, schools, and associate members that deliver positive athletics experiences across Aotearoa. 

Athletics New Zealand is also in the events business and, alongside National Championships for Track and Field, Cross Country, Road Relays, Mountain and Trail Running (to name a few), Athletics New Zealand also owns and delivers the iconic Rotorua Marathon. 

But our ambition doesn’t stop there; we are committed to making big shifts: reaching wider communities, diversifying how people engage with the sport.

Comprised of seven positions and the President, the Athletics New Zealand Board is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the organisation, monitoring management’s performance and ensuring best practice governance. 

Athletics New Zealand conforms with Sport New Zealand’s National Policy for Gender Equity in Governance, and accordingly, there is a requirement that 40% of the Athletics New Zealand Board is female.  The present make-up of the Board means that these Board positions must be filled by female candidates.  

IDEAL APPLICANT DESCRIPTION

The organisation welcomes applications from female candidates who can demonstrate a mix of strengths across a number of key skills and competencies. Successful applicants will ideally have:

• Knowledge of, and experience in, athletics.

• Experience as a director and in providing strategic direction with relevant commercial acumen.

• Experience in areas of digital marketing, strategy, finance, high-performance sport, and/or health and safety would be well received.

• An understanding of the rapidly changing dynamic of the sporting sector and member-based organisations, including the ongoing competition for attracting and retaining members, as well as experience with high-performance sport and cultural diversity.  

The expected time commitment for this voluntary position is six board meetings a year (excluding travel time), contribution to board sub-committees and attendance at the AGM.

Please apply via: https://www.appointbetterboards.co.nz/find-a-board-position

APPLICATION CLOSING DATE

Applications close at 5:00pm on May 18 2026

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Cam Mitchell​​​​
Chief Executive, Athletics New Zealand
Email: cam@athletics.org.nz

Courtney Ireland 
Chair, Athletics New Zealand
Email: Courtney.w.ieland@gmail.com

āhei makes it easier for coaches, volunteers, and teachers to deliver sessions where all tamariki can join in, feel included, and succeed. By reducing admin and providing ready-to-go Run Jump Throw and Get Set Go resources, āhei gives coaches and educators more time to focus on what matters most: people.

This is a free digital planning platform now available to all Athletics NZ affiliated clubs, and already being used in 20% of New Zealand’s primary schools.

“The āhei team is really excited to be launching with Athletics New Zealand because it feels like such a natural partnership. āhei is about giving every teacher and coach the confidence to deliver quality sport and movement experiences, no matter their starting point. Partnering with Athletics New Zealand means we can connect their world-class programs directly into schools and clubs in a way that’s simple, practical, and inclusive. Together, we’re helping more tamariki move, play, and thrive through Athletics.”
— Laura Thompson, Founder of āhei

āhei also aligns strongly with para sport values. As Dunedin-based coach Josh shared:

“The language is strength-based and empowering. It aligns with para sport values—breaking down barriers and celebrating potential.”

Through āhei, clubs and schools gain access to:

• Run Jump Throw & Get Set Go activities
• A full video library and skill progressions
• Printable session plans and activity cards
• Adaptations to include all abilities
• Planning and tracking tools for coaches and teachers

Clubs can also look forward to an online training session coming soon.

Any questions? Contact membership@athletics.org.nz

For more information and getting your club started, please visit our info page linked here.

Since 1965, the Rotorua Marathon has stood as Aotearoa’s most enduring marathon, a World Athletics certified event that has challenged generations of runners. In 2026, it continues this proud legacy while making the event more accessible, inclusive, and unforgettable for runners of all levels.

Back by popular demand, the event will once again feature the celebrated course through Te Puia and the majestic Redwoods Forest, a highlight of the 2025 edition. After receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback, the route has been refined for 2026 and reintroduced as a 10KM course (shortened slightly from 12KM), giving more participants the chance to step up to a bigger challenge while experiencing one of Rotorua’s most iconic landscapes.

In another first, the 5KM event will debut an all-new lakefront course. A scenic and family-friendly route that’s perfect for those looking to get started on their running journey.

Every distance, from the Full Marathon (42.2KM) and Half Marathon (21.1KM) to the 10KM and 5KM, will finish at the Novotel Rotorua Lakeside, where a vibrant finish line festival atmosphere will welcome participants, supporters, and the community. Post-race activations, entertainment, and local flavour will bring Rotorua’s spirit to life. The event is once again proudly supported by Red Stag Timber, returning as naming-rights partner for 2026. Their continued backing ensures the Red Stag Rotorua Marathon remains one of New Zealand’s premier running events.

The 2025 Red Stag Rotorua Marathon welcomed over 7,000 participants, bringing thousands of visitors to Rotorua and generating significant tourism, hospitality, and accommodation activity for the region. The event continues to be one of Rotorua’s largest single-day sporting occasions, drawing athletes from across New Zealand and overseas.

First run in 1965, the Rotorua Marathon holds a special place in New Zealand’s sporting history. It is New Zealand’s original major marathon, offering participants the chance to follow in the footsteps of thousands of runners before them and to “write their name in Aotearoa’s history.”

With World Athletics certification, the Full and Half Marathon courses offer not only a true test of endurance but also the prestige of being internationally recognised. From first-time 5KM runners to seasoned marathoners, the Red Stag Rotorua Marathon is an event where personal goals are achieved, milestones are celebrated, and the power of community shines.

Entries for the 2026 Red Stag Rotorua Marathon are now open.
Register and learn more here.

One of the season’s standout initiatives is the series of Para Athletics “Have a Go” days, led by Paralympian Holly Robinson and Athletics NZ Para Lead Raylene Bates. This program is offering young athletes with disabilities the chance to explore the sport in a welcoming, supportive environment, helping to shape the next generation of para athletes. Building off our Paralympians success in the 2024 Paralympic games, these events have been in hot demand with great attendance across the country.

Throughout the Hawkes Bay and Gisborne regions, local clubs are flourishing with new memberships, particularly among tamariki and rangatahi. Many smaller rural clubs are seeing growth like never before, spurred on by the dedication of new administrators and volunteers. The Central Hawkes Bay Athletics Club has had a roaring start to the season, experiencing a fivefold increase in membership—an inspiring milestone for a small-town club built on community commitment.

Athletics is also seeing a reinvigoration in the north! The newly formed Bream Bay Athletics Club is only a few weeks into the season but is having exciting uptake in both young athletes and parent volunteer support to get the club off the ground. With club nights held at Bream Bay College, their senior program kicks off at 3:45 PM allowing students to go straight from class into the club athletics programmes which supports parents and kids, making it easier to get involved.

In Whanganui, the start of the season has brought a fresh burst of energy with the successful relaunch of the Children’s Athletics Club. Led by primary school teacher and former athlete Paula Condor, along with Sport Whanganui’s Jodie Brunger, the club recently held a “Have a Go” night that attracted over 100 excited young athletes. Now combined under the name “Whanganui Club,” the athletics and harriers clubs offer summer and winter memberships, making it easier for locals to stay active year-round.

Gisborne Athletics Club has also secured consistent access to a covered space at Gisborne Central School, a game-changer for a club that previously had to cancel sessions at the first sign of rain. Thanks to the efforts of volunteer Jack Adams, athletes now have a reliable place to train, bringing newfound momentum and continuity to the season.

Auckland’s Waiuku Athletics has seen a revival as well, with over 150 young athletes and their families joining the club. Waiuku’s “Little Track” Under 7s program has been the driver of this new growth after a number of years of just having a single athlete representing the South Auckland club.

Athletics is also flourishing down south. In the stunning Queenstown, the local junior club Remarkable Runners has merged with their senior club Queenstown Athletics into one club under the Queenstown Athletics banner. With all new uniform, logos and website, the club is flourishing with their combined approach.
In only their second year, newly formed athletics club – Awatea Athletics has grown rapidly to almost 300 members. Identifying a lack of local club opportunities in the growing Wigram/Halswell area, the club was set up and is based out of the Nga Puna Wai sports hub.

Papamoa Athletics club in Tauranga and Whanganui Athletics in Whanganui have also seen significant growth in membership from the 23/24 season. Papamoa Athletics have a well established Run Jump Throw program that is bringing a great athletics experience to the club’s young athletes. In Whanganui the Whanganui Athletics Club has also seen similar growth. With resurfacing works occurring at the Cooks Gardens ahead of the Cooks Classic in 2025, the club has relocated their busy club nights to the grass track and Whanganui Collegiate School.

The drive to develop coaching talent has also been a highlight, with Auckland and Waikato Bay of Plenty hosting several Run Jump Throw and Coaching Athletic Development (CAD) Level 1 courses. Pakuranga Athletics Club has recently ran a well-attended CAD Level 1 course in hurdles, discus, and javelin, building a strong foundation of coaching support.

This season’s early successes reflect a remarkable commitment from community volunteers, each making a lasting impact on athletics in New Zealand. Their dedication, along with the resources and guidance from the Athletics NZ development team, is ensuring that athletics remains accessible, inclusive, and fun for all.

Peter and Sylvia Maunder are far too modest to say it, but the Wairarapa-based couple represent the very heartbeat of our sport.

Since the 1970s the pair have been tirelessly involved in athletics in a host of capacities all with the purpose of ensuring the sport runs smoothly and the athletes can best achieve their goals.

Their attentive and exhaustive work as athletics administrators and officials have earned the husband and wife duo NZ Merit Awards and they have also been rewarded by watching three generations of Maunders fully embrace the sport. However, after an involvement spanning five decades the pair are opting to significantly downscale their involvement in athletics with the pair finally having time to reflect on their time in the sport.

“Looking back on our time in athletics it has not been about what the sport has given us, but what it has given our kids and we’ve just enjoyed watching them as both parents and grandparents,” says Sylvia, 74.

“Our first born, Simon, become a sub-four-minute miler and my eldest daughter Frith competed in the long jump for New Zealand at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Our other daughter, Maria, was also a very good athlete while my grandson Cam Maunder (the 2022 national U20 cross country silver medallist) has also been involved, although he now competes as a triathlete.”

Peter and Sylvia’s athletics journey began at school. Sylvia, who grew up in Christchurch, a keen sprinter/jumper but as was in the same school year at Avonside Girls’ High School as Barbara Paulsen – later Beable – she often had to play second fiddle to Barbara, who would later win the 1970 Commonwealth Games shot put silver medal. “She beat me soundly in everything to do with athletics,” recalls Sylvia.

Peter, who grew up in Levin, was an endurance runner. He stepped his involvement while studying surveying in Dunedin joining the Otago University Harrier Club before later relocating to Wellington where he competed for Wellington Scottish Harriers as “a good B team runner.”

It was in the capital where the pair first met, and they married in 1969 yet his journey into administration happened suddenly as the fully qualified surveyor was made Honorary Surveyor for the Wellington Centre in 1975 – a role he fulfilled for the next 30 years. Over the past 49 years he has measured road race courses and in 2010 became an AIMS B Grade Course Measurer.

“I think like many people who become administrators, I must have got my arm twisted to get involved,” says Peter, 80. “But I have not regretted it for a second.”

Sylvia’s journey into the voluntary side of athletics began a little later when in the early 1980s their three children joined Karori Athletics Club. Like Peter, Sylvia was never satisfied to sit back as a spectator and so began her officiating journey.

“We started officiating at our Wednesday club nights and our family summer holidays were spent camping and always with the children competing at Colgate Games,” she adds.

Always keen to help and make a difference, through the 1980s and 1990s the pair really stepped up their multiple voluntary roles within the sport.

Peter served on the Karori Athletics Club Committee and the Wellington Junior Committee, where he was chair for four years. As their children progressed into senior athletics Peter and Sylvia became a part of the Wellington Centre Track & Field Committee – the former as chair and the latter as secretary. The pair tirelessly continued to officiate each weekend at Newtown Park throughout the track season with Sylvia a finish line recorder at the Wellington venue for 13 years.

Peter says: “Just because you are an administrator it doesn’t get off the hook from being an official each weekend. We really enjoyed both roles and if you have a natural bent for either or both I’d recommend it because of the friendships we have formed along the way.”

Their thirst for more involvement in the world of athletics extended to Peter and Sylvia becoming National Technical Officials (NTO) while Sylvia used her skills as part of Local Organising Committees for New Zealand Track & Field Championships and International Track Series meets – the forerunner to the current Classic series.

Having officiated for 30 years at New Zealand Track & Field Championships and a range of other local, national and regional events and life members of Athletics Wellington since 2004, the Maunders took a step back from their full throttle involvement in the sport after moving to Carterton in the Wairarapa in 2010. While no longer officiating every week at Newtown Park, the pair were still regular faces at nationals as well as many of the Classic series events.

However, following the conclusion of the 2023-24 season the pair – who were awarded Athletics NZ Merit Awards around ten years ago – have decided to further scale back their involvement in the sport.

Sylvia said: “It has got to the point where the travel is becoming increasingly tough and as an animal lover with a dog and cat, we just want to spend a lot more time at home.”

While lost to the bigger meets, the Maunder’s are still happy to officiate at local meets in Masterton while Peter – who has only just retired as a surveyor – will continue to maintain his involvement in course measuring.

The pair have a treasure trove of wonderful memories in the sport to draw upon with Peter citing James Preston’s magnificent 1:44.87 victory in the men’s 800m at the 2024 Jennian Homes New Zealand Track & Field Championships as a recent highlight.

So, what will the pair miss about the sport now the couple are reigning back on their involvement?

“The camaraderie of the officials,” said Sylvia. “It is always great meeting up and looking back on events we’ve worked at together from 10, 15, 20 years ago.

For Peter- who served as Athletics NZ President in 2016-17 – he would encourage others to work as a volunteer in the sport.

“It is the friendships you develop along the way,” he adds. “I enjoyed being involved for me it was better than being a spectator for four hours – that has never really appealed.”

Before Sylvia chipped in: “The social aspect was the best thing for us. We are not big party people, or naturally outgoing but the social aspect kept us going. The sport has kept us young.”

What is your favourite pre-comp meal?

I would have to say a big bowl of chicken carbonara pasta!

What is your favourite part about competing in athletics?

Getting to travel all around New Zealand and in other countries, and also meeting a whole bunch of new people.

What is your favourite post comp meal?

You can never beat a big Big Mac combo with a full fat Coke.

Where is your favourite place to compete and why?

I would say Canberra because it has amazing facilities, the weather is always hot and the track is really fast But the place I would love to one day compete in is Switzerland because it has amazing scenery and it is known to have the fastest track in the world (in Nottwil).

If you could have a superpower what would it be?

I would say teleportation, which would allow me to travel to different countries and I wouldn’t have to pay anything to get there.

If you could get rid of one vegetable what would it be?

I would say peas because it they are so disgusting!

If you could wear any colour for the rest of your life what would it be?

If I was being boring, I would just say black but my favourite colour is pink, so that would be the other colour. (Sarah is known for her pink coloured racing chairs).

***To watch the full YouTube video of the interview go here 

The inaugural edition of the fast-paced meet, which took place in March, provided a re-imagined athletics experience for all competing teenage athletes. Taking part in a broad suite of innovative events to a backdrop of music, food and entertainment, the second running of the event promises more of the same.

Open to club and school athletes, all entrants will be drafted into four teams led by two elite senior athletes as team captains, who will be sharing the benefit of their expertise. Teams will then battle it out for honours in a number of conventional and unconventional events.   

World Para Athletics 200m T64 bronze medallist Mitch Joynt is one of the two Team Blue captains and the Para sprinter to relishing the thought of being involved for a second time.

“I’m absolutely fizzing to be a part of Launch Athletics again.” said Mitch. “It was an awesome event last time which put a really fun spin on an athletics meet. I’m stoked to see it back so soon, and hopefully it becomes a regular and integral part of the calendar.”

Former New Zealand 100m medallist Symone Tafuna’i will co-captain Team Yellow alongside pole vaulter James Steyn for a second successive year and she believes Launch 2.0 will further cement its rising status within the sport. 

“Last year we had seen great numbers of young talent come through the system and it brought back a lot of memories of what it was like when I used to do athletics at a young age,” explains Symone. “This year we are hoping for more teens who are just excited about getting into athletics if they haven’t already. Track and field is such a strong foundation for all sports across the board and the plus side is that you get to establish long lasting friendships! Go team yellow!“

New Zealand 200m champion Georgia Hulls will be one of two skippers of Team Green and the two-time World Championship representative insists the night is not one to be missed.

“I am really excited to be a team captain for Launch this year,” she says. “I am most looking forward to seeing New Zealand’s next stars setting PBs and smashing expectations. It’s going to be a great night, and I can’t wait to see you all there!”

New Zealand 200m record-holder Rosie Elliott is back for a second successive year as a co-captain for Team Red and she too can’t wait to be involved once more.

“I’m thrilled to be involved in Launch for a second year,” she says. “I am so excited to see how everyone has improved and to meet the new athletes. See you all there!”

Launch comprises ten track and field events; 60m,150m, 300m,600m, 1000m, medley relay, high jump, long jump, shot put and discus as well as three performance tests – standing long jump, vertical jump and overhead throw.  

All school and club athletes aged 14-16 – at any point in 2023 – are eligible to enter. The entry fee is $45 which also includes a souvenir competition singlet to keep and access to educational opportunities within the night.

Enter here

Full list of Launch 2.0 captains:

TEAM YELLOW
James Steyn (pole vault)
Symone Tafuna’i (sprinter)

TEAM BLUE
Mitch Joynt (Para sprinter)
Isabel Neal (sprinter)

TEAM RED
Rosie Elliott (sprinter)
Stephen Thorpe (multi-eventer)

TEAM GREEN
Georgia Hulls (sprinter)
George Kozlov (sprinter)

The Dunedin-based athlete has a busy schedule of four events on her schedule – 400m, 800m, 4x100m and 4x400m relay – during the five-day athletics programme which runs from 27 November- 1 December.

However, besides the pride the 19-year-old will feel when making her international debut, Jordan will also have the joy of seeing her father, Walebarasialia (Wale), who lives in the Solomon Islands, for the first time in nine years.

“As soon as I found out the event was in the Solomon Islands, I expressed an interest in competing and I was delighted when I was selected,” said Jordan. “My sisters and I intended on flying over to the Solomon Islands but Covid put a stop to that, so it is very exciting that my dad and other family, who I haven’t seen for a long time, will get the chance to see me run.”

Inspired to start the sport of athletics at Caversham Harrier and AC through her elder sister, Sydney, Jordan quickly discovered a gift for the sport going on to win Colgate Games medals in the 400m and 800m. Despite tasting team sports such a netball and touch – Jordan preferred the individual demands of athletics.

Specialising largely as a 400m sprinter she climaxed a challenging 2022 on a high as she set a PB of 57.86 to win bronze at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Track, Field and Road Championships in Inglewood.

“I was unsure of where I stood because before that event, I’d only done a few local races and my prior season was disrupted with a minor stress fracture of the foot,” said Jordan, who studies sociology and Pacific studies at the University of Otago. “I didn’t know how I’d perform against those girls with the fast times so to finish third was a big confidence boost.”

At the Jennian Homes New Zealand Track & Field Championships in Wellington in March, Jordan placed fifth in the women’s U20 400m final and in more recent months she has fine-tuned her preparations for the Pacific Games – setting a 200m PB of 26.39 only last Saturday.

Expected to face temperatures of more than 30C in Honiara – quite different to what she has experienced in Dunedin over recent months – she took the wise advice of Paralympic javelin F46 champion Holly Robinson to spend time in the sauna to aid her preparation.

“Once or twice a week I’ve spent 50 minutes after each training session in the sauna,” says Jordan. “I didn’t like them at first but over time I’ve learned to love it.”

Recently having sat her Level C Officials course in the new year she plans to officiate at the South Island Colgate Games in Dunedin (12-14 January). As a former medallist she has a close affinity with the much-cherished annual kids’ athletics event and she is looking forward to officiating at the Caledonian Ground – where her youngest sister, Elyanah, will be competing.

“It is not too hard to become a C Grade official and it is great to be able to give back to the sport and take the load off the officials that officiate you all the time.”

Inspired by the thought of competing in front of her father and other family members in Honiara she hopes to deliver some quality performances at the Pacific Games.

“For the 400m I’m in close to PB shape,” she adds. “I’ve performed locally here in Dunedin and ran well in some bad conditions, so I’m hoping to make the final and see what happens.

“I haven’t competed in 800m for a wee while. I have done a few time trials and backed off a bit running the longer distances. I don’t want to put myself under too much pressure, but I’d like to go 2:15 or faster (her current PB is 2:18.26).”

***Watch Jordan and the 19-strong New Zealand athletics team in action on Sky Sport 9 from Monday 27 November.

Are you and early bird of night owl?

I have to say early bird.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

Gossip. Any unnecessary gossip.

What is your favourite TV show of all time?

Recently, Ted Lasso.

What is the weirdest food combination you’ve ever tried and actually enjoyed?

South African biltong and chocolate!

Is there a moment when you’ve felt truly proud of yourself as an athlete?

Last season when I had back-to-back injuries and still kept showing up to my competitions.

If you could compete anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

At the original Olympic track re-surfaced, but that would probably never happen!

What is the best part of athletics?

The journey to the competitions, meeting new people in training and travelling.

Where is your favourite place to compete and why?

In New Zealand it has to be Hawke’s Bay. It usually has good weather.

What inspired you to start athletics?

It all started in the sand pit watching my mum coaching some kids and I thought that would be fun. Here we are seven years later.

What is your Karaoke song?

Based off my Spotify I would say Passionfruit by Drake.

If someone could play you in a movie who would it be and why?

I would say Mila Kunis if she did a couple of months in the gym.

If you had a superpower what would it be?

I would have to say super speed because that would make life so much easier!

What is your favourite part about competing in athletics?

Probably the nerves, even thought it seems like a weird thing to say. Having the nerves and then experiencing the relief afterwards is fun.  

Do you have a favourite pre-event tune that you like to listen to?

I have my athletics playlist. As soon as I start my running, it has to be Happiness by Alexis Jordan

What has been your career highlight?

Competing at World U20s last year and representing my country for the first time.

***To watch the full YouTube video of the above interview go here