New Zealand Reclaims the Nations Trophy at the 2026 JetPark Secondary Schools Interdominion Team Racing Championships

Oct 11

6 min read

Royal Akarana Yacht Club (RAYC) proudly hosted the 2026 JetPark Hotels Secondary Schools Interdominion Team Racing Championships, welcoming 11 school teams from New

Zealand and Australia to Okahu Bay for three days of tactical, competitive and often thrilling racing.

With six New Zealand schools taking on five Australian teams, the event brought together some of the best secondary school team racers from both sides of the Tasman. The teams competed across Open and Female divisions for two major honours: the Nations Championship and the Schools Trophy.

The regatta was blessed with relatively settled spring weather, with light breezes to medium winds throughout the three days allowing a full programme of racing to be completed with minimal disruption.

Day One: Light Winds, Close Racing and Special Visitors

The opening day began in light conditions, with the boys' first round racing in 5–7 knots. Despite the gentle breeze, the racing was competitive from the outset, with teams demonstrating impressive boat handling, tactical awareness and communication.

The girls took to the water in even lighter conditions, producing excellent starts and establishing convincing leads by the first mark. Slick roll tacks, coordinated manoeuvres and clear communication across the fleets made for some impressive team racing.

The racing area also welcomed an unexpected visitor when a pod of dolphins passed through the starting area during a start that was subsequently abandoned following a wind shift. It was a memorable moment for both sailors and on-water volunteers!

As the afternoon breeze filled in, conditions improved and the racing became even more exciting. One standout contest saw Nelson College for Girls battle Moreton Bay College in a close tacking duel towards the finish. Nelson's communication and teamwork proved decisive as they capitalised on a favourable wind shift to secure the win.

Across both divisions, the New Zealand teams made a strong start, setting the tone for an impressive regatta.

Day Two: Kiwi Teams Build Momentum

Day two brought another 5–8 knots of breeze, with gusty patches adding a further tactical challenge. Teams had to continually assess the conditions and adapt their race plans as the breeze shifted across the course.

The New Zealand girls continued their dominant form, winning every race in their round and reinforcing their position as the teams to beat. The boys also enjoyed the slightly stronger breeze, producing close and hard-fought racing against their Australian counterparts.

There was a surprise result in the national competition when Auckland Grammar suffered their only loss of the regatta's National Championship stage, going down to Hutchins Magenta. It was a reminder that in team racing, even the strongest teams must remain alert and execute every manoeuvre under pressure.

New Zealand Reclaims the Nations Championship

The Nations Championship was decided following three round robins, with New Zealand reclaiming the title after Australia's victory at Goolwa in 2025.

The Open division proved particularly competitive. Both New Zealand and Australian teams traded wins, with the New Zealand schools ultimately securing the division by 13 points to eight. Both Hutchins School teams proved formidable opponents, adapting quickly to the 420 class and providing the Kiwi teams with plenty to think about.

In the Female division, the New Zealand teams established a commanding lead, finishing the national stage with 24.5 points to Australia's seven.

Westlake Girls and Nelson College for Girls finished level on 9.5 race wins apiece. Both teams had defeated Moreton Bay College by 3–1, but Westlake Girls edged ahead on the countback after an outstanding performance from both New Zealand crews.

Third place was also decided on a tiebreak, with Moreton Bay College finishing ahead of Whangārei Girls after winning their head-to-head contest 4–0. Ascham School finished fifth, followed by Fahan School in sixth.

The combined results gave New Zealand a convincing 37.5 race wins to Australia's 15, securing the Nations Trophy and setting up the final Schools Trophy competition, in which teams would race all opponents within their own division.

Auckland Grammar Dominates the Open Schools Trophy

Auckland Grammar produced one of the standout performances of the entire regatta, completing a perfect Schools Trophy campaign with 16 wins from 16 races.

They swept every opponent 4–0, including Australian runners-up Hutchins Gold, who finished with 10 wins. Westlake Boys secured third place, followed by Macleans College in fourth and Hutchins Magenta in fifth.

Although the 4–0 scoreline against Hutchins Gold suggests a one-sided contest, the racing was anything but straightforward. All four races were hard fought, featuring protests, close calls and tight finishes that kept spectators on the water watching intently.

Congratulations to the Auckland Grammar team of Tom Pilkington, Oli Stone, Ashton Cooke, Hugh Kensington, Ben Molloy and Aria Holland on an exceptional performance and the overall Open Schools Trophy title.

Westlake Girls Make It Four in a Row

Westlake Girls matched Auckland Grammar's remarkable performance, finishing the Female Schools Trophy with a perfect 15 wins from 15 races.

Moreton Bay College was the highest-placed Australian team, taking second with 10 wins. Ascham School finished third, followed by Nelson College for Girls, Whangārei Girls and Fahan School.

The result marks an extraordinary fourth consecutive Interdominion title for Westlake Girls High School, with two victories on home soil and two in Australia. This sustained success is a remarkable achievement and reflects the strength, consistency and commitment of the sailors and their wider programme.

Congratulations to Jess Handley, Bella Jenkins, Charlotte Handley, Gretel Satterthwaite, Danielle Robertson, Julia Nguyen, Emily Turner and Kiera Dimock on another outstanding championship.

Final Results

National Championship — New Zealand vs Australia

Division	New Zealand	Australia
Open	13	8
Female	24.5	7
Overall	37.5	15

New Zealand reclaimed the Nations Trophy with a commanding overall result.

Schools Trophy — Open Division

Place/	School	Race wins
1	Auckland Grammar (NZ)	16
2	Hutchins Gold (AUS)	10
3	Westlake Boys (NZ)	6
4	Macleans College (NZ)	5
5	Hutchins Magenta (AUS)	3

Auckland Grammar (Tom Pilkington, Oli Stone, Ashton Cooke, Aria Holland, Hugh Kensington, Ben Molloy)

Hutchins Gold (Tom Fader, Harry Pilkington, Charlie Birch, George Pilkington, Haran Thani, Lachie Prior, Archie McQuillen, Alex Ashbolt)

Westlake Boys (Isaac Gaites, Nate Soper, Finloe Gaites, Lewis Snape, Will Handley, Noah Peterson, Thomas Sentch)

Macleans College (Callum Noyer, Lauchy Wills, Madi Russell, Martina Beavis, Roberto Beavis, Will Noyer, Charlie Haxton)

Hutchins Magenta (Sam Hooper, Edward Steedman, Henry McQuillen, Alex Senior, Archie Hunter, William James, Tom Hugo, Nick Corkhill)

Schools Trophy — Female Division

Place	School	Race wins
1	Westlake Girls (NZ)	15
2	Moreton Bay College (AUS)	10
3	Ascham School (AUS)	8
4	Nelson College for Girls (NZ)	5
5	Whangārei Girls (NZ)	4
6	Fahan School (AUS)	3

Westlake Girls (Jess Handley, Bella Jenkins, Charlotte Handley, Emily Turner, Danielle Robertson, Gretel Satterthwaite, Kiera Dimock, Julia Nguyen)

Moreton Bay College (Mila Gan, Kristen Rohrsheim, Ayla Barney, Ella McMahon, Lina Klerkx, Olivia Burkitt, Avery Normandeau, Heidi Harrison)

Ascham School (Lizzie Adams, Harriet Houghton, Lucy Lin, Ada Curtis, Riley Martin, Grace Wu, Aria McLaughlin, Chloe Cho)

Nelson College for Girls (Victoria Mitchell, Cass Maitland, Olivia Low, Celine Specht, Emma Bernsdorf Solly, Rose Brixton, Milla Harrington)

Whangārei Girls (Aria Young, Cara Guerin, Amber Lorigan, Selma Aastroem, Anouk Haag, Becky Buckland, Bo Baker)

Fahan School (Sarah Reynolds, Islay Smith, Ruby Pilkington, Chloe Colquhoun, Freya Boost, Sofia Mugnaioni, Elizabeth Winani, Abbey Lodge)

Full results are available on the official event pages: National Championship results and Schools Trophy results.

Thank You to Our Supporters

A huge thank you goes to everyone who contributed to making the 2026 JetPark Secondary Schools Interdominion Team Racing Championships such a success.

Our headline sponsor, JetPark Hotels, provided invaluable support throughout the regatta, including an extra twist at prizegiving that certainly kept everyone entertained!

We are also grateful to Ōrākei Marina for providing berthage and supporting the race committee boats and RIBs throughout the event. Thank you to our key club sponsors, including Doyle Sails and Harken Fosters, as well as the many other supporters who help make events like this possible.

Finally, thank you to the race management team, umpires, volunteers, coaches, supporters and sailors from all 11 schools. Their commitment, sportsmanship and enthusiasm made for three memorable days of team racing.

Congratulations to all competitors, and especially to Auckland Grammar and Westlake Girls on their outstanding Schools Trophy victories. With the Nations Trophy back in New Zealand hands, the 2026 Interdominion was a fantastic celebration of the strength and future of secondary school team racing across the Tasman.

And thank you to Insight Media for their amazing coverage of this event!