The Interdominion Nations Trophy is back in Kiwi hands after New Zealand’s school sailing teams dominated the 2026 JetPark Secondary Schools Interdominion Team Racing Championships at Royal Akarana Yacht Club.
Six New Zealand teams lined up against five Australian teams from 29 September to 3 October, first competing in their respective open and female leagues for the Nations Trophy, before all 11 teams came together to contest the Schools Trophy.
New Zealand dominated the Nations Trophy competition, winning both the open and female divisions to reclaim the coveted Australia-New Zealand title after the Aussies took the overall honours when the regatta was held in Goolwa last year.
Auckland Grammar School, led by captain Tom Pilkington, topped the National Championship open division with six wins from eight races, finishing ahead of fellow New Zealanders Westlake Boys High School and Macleans College. Australia’s Hutchins School Gold and Hutchins School Magenta completed the top five.
Westlake Girls High School dominated the female division to win a fourth consecutive title. Photos / Insight Media
Westlake Girls High School was equally dominant in the female division, winning 9.5 races from 12 to finish first ahead of fellow Kiwi side Nelson College for Girls. Australia’s Moreton Bay College was third, followed by Whangarei Girls High School, Ascham School and Fahan School.
With New Zealand winning both divisions, the Nations Trophy returned across the Tasman.
“It’s perfect! All the New Zealand teams worked amazing together, and it was great to see the other New Zealand girls teams putting up a fight and getting some really good wins against the Aussie teams,” Westlake Girls captain Jess Handley told Insight Media. “Super proud of all the teams.”
The competition then shifted to the Schools Trophy, with all 11 teams racing against each other in an open and female division.
Auckland Grammar carried its strong form into the open Schools Trophy, finishing first with 16 wins. Hutchins School Gold was second on 10, followed by Westlake Boys on six, Macleans College on five and Hutchins Magenta on three.
Auckland Grammar School, led by captain Tom Pilkington. Photos / Insight Media
Westlake Girls were again the standout performers in the female Schools Trophy, winning 15 races. Moreton Bay College finished second on 10, Ascham School third on eight, Nelson College for Girls fourth on five, Whangarei Girls fifth on four and Fahan School sixth on three.
Both Auckland Grammar and Westlake Girls went unbeaten in their respective Schools Trophy competitions, completing a memorable week for the two New Zealand schools.
For Westlake Girls, the result extended their remarkable run at the Interdoms to four consecutive female titles. Handley has been part of that continued dominance, having also led the side to last year’s title in Goolwa.
“It feels pretty good to win the Interdominions again! It’s been such a cool experience, with so many good girls’ teams battling it out here,” Handley told Insight Media. “We have an amazing team, and it feels really good to end my high school sailing career on a high.”
Final results and standings here.
Originally published by Yachting New Zealand.
