Key Info

• Three multi day length events on the best maps in Woodhill Forest 
• All three days will be on the Lake Rototoa map with half being new areas that have been recently mapped. 
• Chasing starts for most grades on Day 3. 
• Camping available close to the event centres in a beautiful deer farm, ideal for those picking up a small camper van or who are willing to stay in a tent 
• 20 minutes drive to the Parakai hot pools and food places.

All event information plus a link to where to enter will be posted here 

North West is the host Club for this event. We encourage you all to mark the dates in your diary now so you can participate and also be one of the team making the event happen. From big roles to small ones, we will need lots of helpers please. More to come on this in the New Year. 

Oceania Championships in Canberra 2026

Rob Garden is coordinating accommodation for North West members who would like to attend Oceania 2026 to be held near Canberra from 26 September to 4 October.  Oceania 2026 promises 9 days of out-of-this-world orienteering - the carnival includes the full stack of events: Sprint, Middle, Long and Relay, plus the Australian Schools Orienteering Championships during the week. All Oceania and ASOC events will be easy day trips from Canberra. See latest event info here

Newsletter Editor, Jenny, had a chat to Mary about her recollections of orienteering. Here’s her story.

Mary’s first foray into orienteering was in 1972 while living in Boston in the United States where her husband, Terje Moen, was studying at Harvard University. Mary & Terje heard that the Cambridge Sports Union was starting orienteering and they went along to give the sport a try. Then, when they returned to New Zealand, Terje’s father Sverre and friend Gordon Pirie, had been active in forming the Auckland Orienteering Association and they were able to continue their involvement.

Mary says she was never a runner and orienteering appealed because it involves exercising with a challenge. As well, as a nature lover, Mary enjoys being outdoors and the opportunity that orienteering offers to explore new places has been a key aspect of her enjoyment of the sport. 

Right - Mary third from left, top row as part of a NZ winning team in a relay against Australia.

The fact that orienteering is something a family can do together, and across generations, has been another attraction for Mary. Marit and Lise, Mary & Terje’s two daughters, joined North West from a young age and now their children participate too.

Orienteering has been part of the Moen family’s travel plans – as a family of four, they went to events in Australia every year. While living in Norway for three years during the 1980s, they went to events in Italy and also to several Oringens, the world's largest multi-day orienteering event, held annually in July in Sweden. Mary commented how wonderful it was to be part of the worldwide community of orienteering and have friends in many different countries.

Oringen was always a special experience because of the sheer numbers who attend each year. Around 1975, Mary recalls a crowd of 25000 gathering and being impressed by the great organisation of such a big event.

As a former Club Captain of North West and organiser of Schools events for the Auckland area, Mary has seen many changes in orienteering over the past 50 years. Specifically, she commented about how sprint events and rogaines are popular now whereas previously events were almost always ‘the good old fashioned traditional style’. Mary laments that ‘gone are the days of easy access to forests; she recalls a key being left out to allow access to a forest when it suited those involved with an event’. Today, the protocols for forest access are much more complicated!

Lastly, I asked Mary what advice she would give anyone thinking about giving orienteering a try. ‘Go for it, come and try it and get involved’ – it’s a wonderful sport.

Above - the Moen family, Marit, Terje, Lise & Mary, Woodhill Forest in the 1990s

North West Age Grade Winners for 2025*

Grade	Winner	Grade	Winner
M10	Evan Koon	W10	Emerson Gornall
M12	Oli Dyer	W12	Arietty Smith-Godoy
M14	Huxley Dewe	W14	Zara Hong-Michael
M16	Quinn Harris	W16	Hazel Mulligan
M18	Alexander Robertson
M20	Tahi Harris
M21A	Thomas Stolberger	W21A	Becky Gray
M21AS	Mark Barrett-Hamilton	W21AS	Lauren Barrett-Hamilton
M21B	Zac Currie	W21B	Nicole Blackwood
M40	Alex Hood
M50	Philip Elworthy	W50	Suzanne Stolberger
M60	Owen Means	W60	Lisa Mead
M70	Dave Middleton	W70	Mary Moen
M80	Les Paver
M21E	Gene Beveridge	W21E

 *not all grades were contested

 

Photos; L -Emerson Gornall (W10) R - Quinn Harris (M16)

North West Special Prize Winners for 2025

Each year North West awards trophies to club members to recognise special service to the club or excellence in orienteering.  Our 2025 recipients are:

Most Improved Junior Male           Daniel Porteous

Daniel has had some impressive results this year including:  

• • Selection for NZ team for Southern Cross Challenge in Australia
  • NISS year 10 & 11: 1st Long, 5th Sprint
  • KB2025 2nd in Junior Sprint, Long & Middle
  • NZ SSOC 3rd in Intermediate Long
  • Australian Sprint Champs M16 7th
  • Australian Schools Long Champs Junior Boys 4th

Most Improved Junior Female         Lacey Gornall

Lacey has had some impressive results this year including:

• • AIMS Games Sprint Year 8 Girls 2nd
  • AIMS Games Rogaine Year 8 Girls 3rd (with Roxy Hefer)
  • AKSS Individual Champs Year 7/8 Girls 1st
  • AKSS Sprint Champs Year 8 Girls 2nd

 

Top Junior Male   Tahi Harris

Tahi has had another wonderful year orienteering. His

impressive list of results include:

• • Member of NZ team for European Youth Championship 2025
  • Winner Forest Cup Series M20 grade
  • NZSS IB 2nd long, 3rd Sprint, 1st Relay (MAGS team)
  • AKSS Individual Champs 1st Intermediate Boys
  • Australian Champs 2nd in M16 Long Distance and 2nd in Sprint

Top Junior Female   Lauren Barrett-Hamilton    

Lauren has consistently performed well in her age group in 2026.  Significant results for Lauren were 3rd place in Australian Middle Distance and in Australian Sprint Champs W18A.

 

North West Shield for Most Improved Senior 

Mark Barrett-Hamilton  

A newish member of North West, Mark has shown a steady improvement in events trhoughout the year culminating in him placing 3rd overall in Open Red 3 for the Forest Cup Series

 

King Trophy for Most Improved Newcomer   

Arietty Smith-Godoy

A new member of North West in 2025, Arietty has shown real aptitude and progression of skills. Arietty was a member of the Junior team that placed 2nd in the 2025 interclub relays.

 

Stone Trophy for most Outstanding Performance of the Year 

Marquita Gelderman 

Marquita is this year’s winner of the Stone Trophy for her performances at the 2025 Australian MBTO Champs where Marquita won all three disciplines in W21 and at the 
Tūāraki Northern Champs where in W50 she was 1st in the Sprint and Long and overall winner of the Chasing Start Middle. 

 

North West Shield for Valuable Service to the Club   

Gene Beveridge

Gene has shown strong leadership of the North West Committee as

 well as bringing innovation and a willingness to trial new methods of streamlining club operations. Gene has also been the architect of Club Nights, organising and hosting these fortnightly events.

       Bert Chapman Junior Service Award   

Alexander Robertson

  Winning this award for the second consecutive year,       Alexander has been a regular  member of the technology team, helping to set up and pack up event technology.