Eleven athletes have been invited to train at Rowing New Zealand’s Summer Performance Hub for the 2026-27 season, marking the next rung on the pathway toward elite competition.
The Pre-High Performance cohort includes rowers from across the country’s strongest clubs. Hannah Matehaere from Otago University Rowing Club, Charles Beale and Ryan Gass from Waikato, and Clayton Potts of Clifton represent a mix of university and club-based talent. Others in the group—Laura Feinson, Sasha Robinson, Tegan O’Dwyer, and Mathew King—also come from Waikato, underlining the club’s depth in the current generation of oarsmen and oarswomen.
The list includes athletes splitting their time between New Zealand clubs and overseas universities. Mackenzie Tuffin rows for Star Boating Club but studies at Syracuse; Madison Neale trains with Clifton while based at Otago; Jack Pearson combines Dunstan Arm Rowing Club with University of Otago commitments. This pattern reflects how New Zealand’s talent pool increasingly spreads across international student-athlete pathways, and the Hub’s role in keeping these athletes connected to domestic performance standards.
The Hub functions as a critical filter in Rowing New Zealand’s talent system. Those selected have demonstrated the physical attributes, racing smarts, and consistency needed to step up from club or university rowing into a structured national programme. The announcement comes ahead of the release of Emerging and Identification level lists by 25 August, which will cast a wider net across younger or less-established competitors.
A note from Rowing New Zealand flags that some New Zealand-based members of this year’s U23 team have chosen not to train at the Hub due to other commitments. Those athletes do not qualify for Pre-High Performance selection, a decision that underscores how the pathway balances competitive pressure with athlete autonomy. Not every rower at elite levels needs the same development route, and the organisation appears willing to accommodate that reality.
For the eleven named here, the Hub represents both opportunity and scrutiny. The summer months will determine who progresses further into Rowing New Zealand’s senior performance structures. Club rowing in New Zealand remains the foundation, but the pathway exists to identify and develop those capable of competing on the international stage. The next phase starts now.
