2007/2008 Summer Festival of Kayaking

 Kawerau is fast becoming a mecca for the country's white water kayaking enthusiasts.

White Water Slalom New Zealand and the Kawerau District Council formed a partnership to further develop canoe slalom racing on theTarawera River behind the Waterhouse Street Reserve in Kawerau.   "It is an ideal venue for both training and racing as we can potentially utilize three sites on the river, catering for many levels of paddling.  The water is usually consistent and Kawerau is a central venue for the majority of the North Island paddlers" says Andy Fuller, one of NZ's top coaches.   For further information on the development of the permanent Whitewater Slalom Course click here.

The first event to kick off the 07/08 season was the New Zealand Junior Team Selection races on Saturday/Sunday the 8th and 9^th of December 07.   The top New Zealand athletes competed for places in the team to travel to the Junior World Champs in the Czech Republic in July 2008.  The competition was tough among the competitors as they were not only racing the best kiwis but also the Australian National Talent Squad members who made the trip across the ditch for some top class racing.

In early February the race was on for the top New Zealand canoe slalom athletes to make selection for the New Zealand Canoe Slalom Team and compete at the Oceania Champs in Sydney in March and the three World Cup races in Europe in June/ July.   Based on their final placings, athletes accumulated points over four races with the added criteria of needing to reach a certain percentage time from the winning time in their class to be eligible. The top three eligible athletes in each class made the team. Click Top Ranked Selections for a list of the final lineup.

On the 22^nd, 23^rd and 24^th of February 2008 students from around the country converged in Kawerau for a training and racing weekend.   With the three sections of river available for the various levels of ability, coaches were able to work with different groups on the Training Sessions on Friday 22nd and the morning of Saturday 23^rd.   The North Island Championships held on the afternoon of the 23^rd gave paddlers an opportunity to race on the course used for the National Secondary Schools Championships.   For some this was their first taste of slalom while for others, it was an opportunity to get an edge before the biggie in March.

On Sunday 24th, Kayaking Tauranga hosted a race on the more difficult middle course, which again provided some exciting racing among the top juniors and seniors from around the country.

Waiariki Institute of Technology
National Secondary School Championships
Monday 17 March to Friday 21 March 2008

School paddlers competed in the Waiariki Institute of Technology National Secondary Schools Kayak Champs for the coveted top trophies and the opportunity for selection in the NZ Junior Development Squad that will travel to Australia next January.   Top seeds in the secondary schools events gave a Tauranga bias, with Tauranga Boys’ College tipped to take the top schools trophy for the 11^th consecutive year. Team captain and NZ junior representative, Shaun Higgins had been over in Kawerau with his team mates for several weekends of training to make sure they held off the challenge from their closest rivals, Tauranga Girls’ College and the South Island team from Dunstan High School in Alexandra.   Click Secondary Schools to view the results.

NZ National Championships
Saturday 22 March – Sunday 23 March 2008

On the Saturday and Sunday of Easter, following the schools event the NZ Open Nationals identified our new national champions in each class. To view results click National Results.