A whitewater centre being built in Manukau will produce the next generation of Olympic athletes, says New Zealand's most successful Olympian.

Labour Weekend marks the start of summer. In Auckland, with harbours on both sides of the isthmus, it's difficult to avoid the sight of boats - big and small - out on the water.

'It's good to be home', said injured wakeboarder Brad Smeele upon arrival back in NZ. Friends say the quadriplegic will beat the odds of recovery.

Two New Zealand crews are in pole position to defend their titles at the world sailing championships in Santander, Spain.

Defending champion New Zealand Black Fins top the leaderboard after the second day at the lifesaving world championships in France.

Auckland canoeist Teneale Hatton is having a dream run on the international stage.

As a professional boardsailor, Tom Ashley was used to setting the performance bar high. These days, he's still looking to raise the bar but in a different way.

Ben Fouhy has returned to canoe racing, this time as a coach ahead of this week's world championships in Moscow.

Lisa Carrington has suffered a surprise defeat at the second kayaking World Cup of the season in Racice, Czech Republic.

It is one of New Zealand's fastest-growing sports and many of the country's sporting elite are giving it a go for a first time in next weekend's Jetts City Surf Series stand-up paddleboarding night race.

Defending ironman champion Max Beattie faces tough opposition as he looks to claim his third consecutive New Zealand surf lifesaving title in the signature race this weekend in Whakatane.

Cooper Halligan wants to make a name for himself, starting this weekend at the New Zealand Surf Lifesaving Championships in Ohope.

Kayla Imrie yesterday combined with Olympic champion Lisa Carrington to win the K2 500m title on the first day of the New Zealand canoe sprint championships in Rotorua.

It makes salmon and cooked shellfish red. It's in demand from marathon runners, performance athletes and the sports recovery market as a food supplement.

Auckland's Waterfront Shed 10 & the Cloud were both filled to capacity this morning but, the hopes of joy soon faded into frustration. Supporters and fans remain faithful, they will be back at sunrise for what hopes to be history in the making.

A love of horses and wakeboarding has seen a Northland equestrian duo combine raw horse power with the exhilarating watersport.

Here's the thing: when you're in a team where one athlete is supreme the rest can sometimes be forgotten.

In the late 1980s, Ian Ferguson and Paul MacDonald were in high demand for happy snaps from other, admiring paddlers as they made their way around the world circuit.

Olympic gold-medallist Lisa Carrington led from the front as the New Zealand team made three A finals on the first day of the Canoe Sprint World Cup

When interviewing sports stars I like to ask them if they had a childhood hero.

Auckland hosts the first floodlit, stand-up paddleboard (SUP) night event in St Marys Bay next weekend.

So windsurfing has won a reprieve and will be on the 2016 Rio Olympic sailing programme, while kiteboarding is left to wonder what they did wrong, writes David Leggat.