Source: Waka Ama Aotearoa NZ
28 October 2026 – 9:00am
Waka Ama Aotearoa NZ announced its successful bid to host the 2030 World Sprint Championship following the Singapore event this past August. Generating strong support from the International Va’a Federation Board and member countries, Aotearoa New Zealand will be host to thousands of international athletes at Lake Karāpiro in March 2030.
The bid follows an inspiring campaign at the 2026 World Sprint Championships in Singapore, where Aotearoa was represented by more than 580 paddlers across the highly competitive 10-day event – taking home a total of 69 medals. Waka Ama Aotearoa NZ General Manager, Amiria Mita, says that the campaign showcased the success of Waka Ama as a sport and the skill levels of Aotearoa athletes on an international stage, with 2030 allowing paddlers to compete closer to home.
“Although the initial bidding process was for the World Sprint Championships to be hosted in 2029, several factors were considered when determining the most suitable year for Aotearoa to host the event. Including the World Distance Championships, confirmed to be held in the Cook Islands in November 2028,” says Mita.
With the World Distance Championships taking place in 2028, followed by the Pacific Games in 2029, the hosting body – Waka Ama Aotearoa NZ – agreed that holding the World Sprint Championships in 2030 would allow time for the athletes to prepare.
“This is an exciting time for Waka Ama in Aotearoa, we look forward to hosting thousands of paddlers from all over the world at stunning Karāpiro. It will also be a great opportunity to showcase our sport here in Aotearoa to a home crowd,” says Ngaire Rae, Board Chair of Waka Ama Aotearoa NZ.
Lake Karāpiro is no stranger to hosting world-class sporting events, having hosted the 2006 Waka Ama World Sprint Championships and the 2011 Rowing World Championships. Louise Upston, Minister of Tourism says events such as these inject energy and excitement into communities in Aotearoa, which encourage cultural diversity, showcases the regions and brings huge economic benefit.
“Congratulations to Waka Ama Aotearoa NZ on the successful bid to host the International Va’a Federation World Sprint Championships at Karāpiro! There will be a lot of hard work for the organisers between now and 2030, and it will be great to have this event return to our lake,” says Upston.
Further information:
- Va’a – Name of the sport outside of Aotearoa. The sport is known as Waka Ama here.
- International Va’a Federation (IVF) – International Governing body for sport of Va’a
- Participants at 2026 IVF World Sprint Championships – 3200
- https://ivfiv.org/
- https://wakaama.co.nz/