President’s Introduction
Kia ora all. It's been a quiet part of the season in Auckland, but that will not last for long with a number of competitions, like Forest Cup, coming up. We've also had a number of members competing in and coaching NZ rep teams in Europe, and we've had an exceptional number of members selected for the Southern Cross Challenge team to compete in Australia later this year. Congrats to Daniel Porteous, Isaac Stewart, Eva Scott, Arietty Smith-Godoy, Jamie Appleton, Aidan Barrett-Hamilton, Tahi Harris and Alexander Finn plus reserves Emily Thompson and Quinn Harris. This talent, along with the others who were very close to making the team, creates energy within the club and paints a bright future if we can carry the momentum forward.
Newsletter Contents
- North West Member-Only Training Day
- Auckland Calendar of Events
- Forest Cup 2026
- InterClub Relays 2026
- Key events coming up around New Zealand
- Taitonga Southern Regional Champs 2026
- Pokapū Central Regional Champs 2026
- Katoa Po Night Relays & Explorer Weekend 2027
- NZMBTO Champs 2027
- Taitonga Southern Regional Champs 2027
- Woodhill Forest Weekend Event 2027
- National Champs 2027
- Kings Birthday 2027
- Junior World Orienteering Champs 2029
- Aus Vs NZ Oceania Challenge Team
- Schools Orienteering
- 2026 Youth & Junior Camp
- Club Nights
- All you Need to Know about Control Descriptions
- Member News
- North West Club Champs 2026
- Member Results
- NZSS Results for North West Juniors
- North West Juniors @ EYOC
- North West Members Selected for the MTBO
- NWOC Club Shirts
- Club End of Year Event for 2026
- New Members
North West Member-Only Training Day
Saturday 22 August- Save the Date. More details coming soon, including the sign-up form, for a forest training day led by Club Coach Cameron Bonar.
Auckland Events
All upcoming events in the wider Auckland area for 2026 will be added to our NWOC website here New Zealand wide events are on Orienteering New Zealand’s website here
Forest Cup 2026 - starting soon in August
The Forest Cup is a 4-race event shared by the three Auckland Region Clubs (NWOC, CMOC, and AOC) and Orienteering Waikato. There will be a points competition across the series culminating in a Series Finale on Sunday 13 September.
- There will be a prizegiving after the final based on the best 3 scores across the 4 events. The top 3 in all grades will be celebrated.
Event Dates, Venues & Details are:
- Sunday 23 August @ Kohekohe, Douglas Road, Awhitu
- Enter here Standard Entries close 19 August & Late Entries on 21 August
- Sunday 30 August @ Killarney Lakes Forest, Wairakau Rd, Te Aroha
- Sunday 6 September* @ Hedley Dunes, Woodhill Forest. Accessed from Slater Road.
- Entry details here Entries close Friday 4 September
- Sunday 13 September @ Hedley Dunes, Woodhill Forest. Accessed from Slater Road.
- Entry details here Standard Entries close 9 September & Late Entries on 11 September
Each event caters for the full range of orienteering courses - white, yellow, orange and red. Pre-entry is preferred and is via enterO
Details of each event will be posted on the Events Calendar on our North West website and on the Forest Cup page here.
*The event on Sunday 6 September doubles as North West's Club Champs for 2026. See item further on in this newsletter for more information.
InterClub Relays 2026 - Sunday 20 September
Hosted by Counties Manukau Club at Ambury Farm. Event details to come here
To enter as part of a North West team, please complete the Google Sheet here on or before Saturday 12 September. North West will make up teams and register those teams by 16 September
Save the date now so you can help North West defend the trophy we won in 2025!
Key events coming up around NZ
Taitonga Southern Regional Champs 2026
This event will be held over Labour Weekend in the Tasman District and is being organised by Marlborough & Nelson Orienteering Clubs combined.
On Saturday, the Sprint will be held in the Tapawera area, southwest of Nelson (45 minutes from airport). The event then moves to the stunning Nelson Lakes National Park, with events at Teetotal - West (Long, Sunday) and West Bay (Middle, Monday).
Event details here
Pokapū Central Regional Championships 2026
To be held on Saturday 21 & Sunday 22 November in the sand-dune forests of Waitārere Beach, hosted by Orienteering Wellington & Orienteering Hutt Valley. Waitārere Beach is well known for its complex, intricate contour detail and varying visibility. The terrain consists of plantation forest over mature sand dunes. Details here
Katoa Po Night Relays & Explorer Weekend 2027
Saturday 20 & Sunday 21 March. Details to come here
NZ MTBO Champs 2027
The 2027 NZ MTBO Championships will be held close to Christchurch over ANZAC weekend, 24-27 April, hosted by PAPO. More details of maps and programme to come here
Taitonga – Southern Regional Championships 2027
PAPO will be hosting the 2027 Taitonga – Southern Regional Championships at Waitangi weekend in the Canterbury High country.
Long distance on the Kakahu map (between Fairlie & Geraldine), Middle distance on the Tekapo map, plus a sprint TBC. Order of these events to be confirmed nearer the time. Details here
Woodhill Forest Weekend Event - March 2027
Come for a weekend of orienteering in Woodhill with day events on Saturday 13 & Sunday 14 March on the Rototoa map last used for Tūāraki Champs, 2026. The programme will include a night event and there is the opportunity to camp on Saturday night. More details to come.
National Club Champs
To be held over Easter and hosted by Counties Manukau Club.
Kings Birthday 2027 - Upper Takaka Valley, Golden Bay
Three days of oreinteering in the Upper Tākaka Valley in Golden Bay hosted by Nelson Orienteering Club. Details here
Junior World Orienteering Champs (JWOC) 2029
New Zealand has been awarded the 2029 JWOC Champs - this will be only the second time JWOC has been held in Oceania, and the first in New Zealand. Canterbury is the host province.
Orienteering New Zealand is excited to host JWOC 2029, commenting, "this is not only an exciting opportunity for Canterbury and New Zealand but also a celebration of orienteering’s continued international growth. We welcome the world’s leading junior athletes, coaches, officials, and supporters in 2029".
The pathway to JWOC 2029 in New Zealand is an exciting one for all our aspiring North West Juniors!
Aus vs NZ - Oceania challenge team
The next Australia-New Zealand Challenge will be held in Canberra, Australia from 26 September to 04 October 2026, in conjunction with the Oceania Orienteering Championships. The Challenge includes an Individual Challenge, based on the Oceania Long Distance, Middle Distance and Sprint Distance Championships, and a Relay Challenge, based on the Oceania Relay Championships.
The Challenge will be contested in M/W16A, M/W20E, M/W21E, M/W40A, M/W50A and M/W60A. As the visiting nation, New Zealand may also nominate M/W18A and any additional five-year age classes from M/W35A onwards.
Athletes interested in additional classes will be collected through the expression of interest form. Expressions of interest in the additional classes must be completed by 23 August 2026. The final classes to be contested will be determined following consideration of athlete interest and advised to Australia by 26 August 2026.
Schools Orienteering
Zespri AIMS Games - Saturday 5 to Friday 11 September 2026
Not long now! Nearly 15,000 athletes are set to take part in this year’s Zespri AIMS Games in Tauranga, with a record 14,506 entries from 467 schools (up from 431 in 2025), including 11 international schools.
Orienteering events are on Monday 7 & Tuesday 8 September. Registrations for 2026 registrations are officially open, enter via your school sport coordinator.
For more info about the orienteering events see here
Further guidance for coaches and participants is available on the Orienteering Bay of Plenty Zespri AIMS Games hub.
2026 Youth & Junior Camp
Dates:
Junior Camp - Arrive Mon 14 Dec (pm), depart Fri 18 Dec (am)
Youth Camp - Arrive Fri 18 Dec (pm), depart Sun 20 Dec (am)
Location:
Teapot Valley, 200 Teapot Valley Road, Brightwater, Nelson
More information will be released in the next month.
Club Nights
Gene Beveridge leads a Club Night every second Wednesday from 6:30pm to 8:30pm in Epsom. Next Club Night is Wednesday 5 August Club Nights are open to all members and non members. We expect these to be well attended by AOC, CMOC and NWOC members. Each night will include coaching discussions using courses and maps from recent and upcoming events. More info, including dates for 2026 here
All you Need to Know about Control Descriptions
A recent OCAD article about Control Descriptions provides a good read - especially for budding course planners! Read it here
Member News
*North West Club Champs 2026 - Sunday 6 September
Our Club Champs will be held as part of Forest Cup #3 to be held on Sunday 6 September. This event is suitable for all members.
Event details for Forest Cup #3 are here
Pre-entry for this event via enterO is preferred. Enter here
Entries close Friday 4 September.
View this pdf outlining the course you should enter in order to be eligible for the Club Champs in your age category. Please also read the notes below.
- For members who are currently competing on orange courses, these equate to M/W 21B courses and this category covers the whole age spectrum from 14 years to 80 years. Please don't think you have to run a red course just because that's your 'proper' age category.
- Newer members, we encourage you all to enter the Club Champs. Please don’t be deterred by the word 'champs' - this is an all comers event! This is your chance to run for North West glory. Your place will be compared with other NWOC members in the same age grade to see who takes home the trophies at the end of year prizegiving. Of course, if you don't wish to compete in the Club Champs just run whatever type of course you wish - there is no pressure!
- If you are unsure which course/grade to enter, Club members Lisa & Geoff Mead will be happy to advise you. Please contact Lisa & Geoff via mead10b@gmail.com
- If you won a trophy at last year’s prize-giving please bring it/them to this event and give them to Lisa or Geoff Mead.
Join other North West Club members for cold drinks & cookies (supplied) at the event after your run. Look for the North West banner. Enjoy the opportunity to go over your map, discuss your route choice and compare with others.
New Zealand Secondary Schools Orienteering Champs Results
A large contingent of students representing their schools headed to Christchurch in July for the NZ Secondary Schools Champs. Congratulations to the following North West Juniors for their results at the event.
Long Event - top 10 placings
Senior Boys Championship
- Tahi Harris 1st
- Isaac Stewart 2nd
Intermediate Boys Championship
- Aidan Barrett-Hamilton 3rd
- Quinn Harris 5th
Junior Boys Championship
Intermediate Girls Championship
Junior Girls Championship
- Arietty-Godoy Smith 1st
- Lacey Gornall 5th
Year 7/8 Boys Championship
Year 7/8 Girls Championship
- Ella Ng-Wong 4th
- Dorothy Leung 9th
Intermediate Boys Standard
- Brooklyn Hope-Jensen 1st
- Riley Hope-Jensen 3rd
Intermediate Girls Standard
Senior Girls Standard
Maps of the Long event are here
Relay Event
Senior Boys
- Mt Albert Grammar team of William Wood, Charlie Milne & Tahi Harris1st
- Auckland Grammar team of Jake Gunson, Lachlan Cameron & Isaac Stewart 4th
Intermediate Boys
- Mt Albert Grammar team of Jamie Appleton, Quinn Harris & Max Morgan 1st
- Mt Albert Grammar team of Reuben Butterworth, James Meaclem & Hugh Cornforth 2nd
- Green Bay High team of Cormac Gray, Oscar Raos & Aidan Barrett-Hamilton 6th
Intermediate Girls
- Mt Albert Grammar team of Arietty Smith-Godoy, Rose Poynter & Matilda Trowsdale 3rd
Sprint Results - top 10 placings
Senior Boys Championship
- Isaac Stewart 1st
- Tahi Harris 4th
Intermediate Boys Championship
- Aidan Barrett-Hamilton 3rd
- Jamie Appleton 5th
- James Meaclem 8th
- Cormac Gray 10th
Junior Boys Championship
- Alex Finn 1st
- Harlem Hope-Jensen 8th
Junior Girls Championship
- Arietty-Godoy Smith 2nd
- Lacey Gornall 5th
- Emily Thompson 6th
Year 7/8 Boys Championship
Year 7/8 Girls Championship
- Dorothy Leung 4th
- Ella Ng-Wong 8th
- Emma Ishida 10th
Photos and more from the Sprint here
A review of the NZSS Champs is here
NZSS Rogaine Championships 2026
Junior Boys Champs
- Green Bay High team of Aidan Barrett-Hamilton, Cormac Gray & Oliver Raos 1st
- Mt Albert Grammar team of Jamie Appleton, Quinn Harris & Max Morgan 3rd
Junior Girls Champs
- Green Bay High team of Tsubaki Moore & Fran Ishida 3rd
Junior Mixed Champs
- Avondale College team of Emily Thompson & Alex Finn 1st
Senior Boys Champs
- Auckland Grammar School team of Lachlan Cameron & Isaac Stewart 2nd
Year 7/8 Mixed Champs
- Northcote Intermediate team of H. Jiao, Dorothy Leung & M. Silander 1st
North West Juniors at European Youth Orienteering Champs
Three of our North West Juniors competed in the European Youth Orienteering Champs held in Nova Gorica, Slovenia from 25-27 June 2026. We asked Jamie Appleton, Aidan Barrett-Hamilton and Daniel Porteous about their experience at EYOC.
Above top to bottom; Jamie Appleton, Aidan Barrett-Hamilton & Daniel Porteous
What was your favourite event?
Jamie - the Relay, as I was in a close race with the opposing Australian runner on leg two, which, paired with rocky terrain, meant it was an extremely close race.
Aidan - definitely the Sprint. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the event and how technical the race was as well. It was the first time we had seen the other competitors and just how much better they were than us.
Daniel - the Long because of sick terrain, tons of rocks, and cool long route choices. The Relay was a close second as the first leg was crazy fun.
If you set yourself a goal for EYOC, what was it and how did you go?
Jamie - My goal at EYOC was to get top 50 percent out of 107 runners in one of the events. I achieved this in the relay where, out of 76 runners, I got the 36th fastest time.
Aidan - My goal that I set for myself, was to come top 50% of all races. I accomplished this goal in the sprint by placing 47 out of 107 competitors. In the Long event I finished 68, however I beat all of the Australian orienteers.
Daniel - to finish in the top half: In all events I was top 50%, 22nd sprint, 37th long and around 20th individually in the relay.
Describe how the terrain differs to Woodhill Forest
Jamie - The Slovenian forest terrain was extremely rocky with huge craters called karsts, which made for relatively hard running with tons of elevation, with the sprint terrain being more Soviet‑style compared to the old buildings in Italy right across the border.
Aidan - The terrain is different to Woodhill because Slovenia is a landlocked country and doesn’t have any sand dunes. This makes the hills a lot easier to climb and you don’t have to worry about slipping from the sand. The branches of the trees are higher up the trunks than at Woodhill, which means it’s more open and easy to see controls from far away. In EYOC they also had huge depressions and massive rock features as well.
Daniel - Very rocky and technical underfoot, tracks are much less obvious but visibility was only slightly less, much more hilly - imagine nationals long with extra rocks and forest.
What's the biggest thing you learned about competing overseas?
Jamie - Different terrains require extremely different styles of orienteering, as here in New Zealand I mostly orienteer at Woodhill where most route choices are straight, whereas in rocky terrain going out of the way to the paths where runnability is much better can actually save you time even though it can be more distance.
Aidan - The biggest thing I learned from competing overseas is that there is a whole another level to the orienteering standard and how fast and precise they are with their runs. In New Zealand competitions, we would count a 1 minute mistake as not bad, but at EYOC, you could hear people talking about how they lost 15 seconds and they could have done so much better if they didn’t.
Daniel - How good Europeans are!
What's next in orienteering for you?
Jamie - Learning to be more confident so I can run faster, as I'm going to Australia for the Southern Cross Champs and Oceania.
Aidan - The next big competition I'm going to is the Australian School Nationals and Oceania in Canberra in September. I am going to be using the Forest Cup events as training to improve and build upon my fitness and orienteering skills.
Daniel - Aussie and hopefully more international events in the future.
Above Left to Right; Jamie Appleton, Aidan Barrett-Hamilton & Daniel Porteous in action at EYOC 2026
NZMBTO Selection
Congratulations to those North West members selected for the New Zealand team to contest the AUS-NZL MTBO Challenge that takes as part of the Australian MTBO champs to be held in Ballarat, Victoria from 8-11 October 2026.
W21 - Marquita Gelderman
W50 - Trudy Ringrose
M21 - Stu Lynch
M60 - Rob Garden & Steve Pyatt with Owen Means as Reserve.
North West Club shirts
New stock of Bryzos brand club shirts has been ordered. The shirts have short sleeves, mesh side panels and a short neck zip in North West's distinctive colours. Cost $45 per shirt - go to Shop on our website.
To order, contact Lisa Mead mead10b@gmail.com.
Save the Date - North West End of Year Event & Prizegiving
Sunday 29 November from approx 4pm - details to come
New Members
A warm welcome to new members Richard Gray & Oscar Gray.
