Rowing NZ Club of the Year - Aramoho Whanganui Rowing Club

Gus Scott, AWRC life member; Axel Dickinson, AWRC director of rowing; and Alan Luff (AWRC patron) receiving the RNZ Club of the Year Trophy from Gus.

Emerging from the post-Covid era over the past two years, the Aramoho Whanganui Rowing Club has increased its active membership by about 20 per cent, with 69 active school/club rowers and a further 25 masters/social members currently utilising the club plant and facilities.

Highlights of the immediate past season were the winning of the Whanganui Jury Cup Regatta, the Hawke’s Bay Cup and jointly sharing the Derbyshire Shield at the North Island Secondary Schools Regatta at Karapiro.

At the 2024 New Zealand Championships, the club performed credibly against the 41 clubs in attendance, ultimately returning home with one gold, two silver and four bronze medals, and with every member of the 18 athletes competing returning home with at least one podium medal.

The majority of the school/club members are from Whanganui High School and at the 2024 NZ Secondary School Champs (Maadi Cup), the school achieved the highest number of A finals from the 104 secondary schools in attendance. The school ultimately secured its first secondary school gold medal in eight years and also gained five silver medals and two bronze medals.

The club appreciates that its three NZ Elite members - Kerrie Williams, Jackie Gowler and Georgia Nugent-O’Leary - have maintained their respective allegiance to the club as they perform at the highest level of the sport nationally and on the international circuit.

Messina Sua was recently announced as the women’s captain of the NZ Under 21 Team in April and Maddie Cox has also been named in the NZ Under 19 Quad Scull. Promising single sculler Jake Newton helped the North Island Under 18 Team beat the South Island in April 2024 at Lake Karapiro.

Much of the recent successes can be attributed to the bold decision two years ago to engage a professional coach, with five other coaches supporting voluntarily.

The club strives to keep membership fees to a modest level, and a very hard-working committee leads many opportunities to raise income and also is indebted to the funding agencies that support our sport.

As the Aramoho Whanganui Rowing Club approaches its sesquicentennial season, it can be proud of the recent progress as a rowing entity on the Whanganui Awa.