Western Heights High School student Simon Shields hopes to one day become a navy diver - a fitting profession for a world champion in underwater hockey.
Shields, 17, returned home from Europe this week following a gold-medal-winning effort at the world youth underwater hockey championships in Spain.
Shields was a member of the victorious New Zealand under-19 men's team, who defeated France 6-1 in the final of the tournament earlier this month.
Rotorua's Helen Payn was also part of the New Zealand under-19 women's team, who won silver at the event, behind South Africa.
Shields said he had been playing underwater hockey for about four years and it was special to get to this point.