Whanganui schools eye national success at 2025 Maadi Cup

Whanganui High School's Girls U18 noive coxed four won silver at the North Island Secondary School Championship, clockwise from back left, Misha Young (cox), Dempsey Schicker, Ruby McIntyre, Lily Newton and DJ Paikea.

With the 2025 Maadi Cup around the corner, Whanganui schools are eager for national success and to maintain the city’s rowing reputation.

The 2025 Maadi Cup is being held at Lake Karāpiro, near Cambridge, from March 24-29.

The week-long competition is one of the largest annual secondary school sports events in the southern hemisphere and will welcome schools across the country.

Whanganui High School and Whanganui Collegiate School have squads competing.

Whanganui Girls’ College and Cullinane College will not attend as they both revived their rowing programme this season after a long hiatus.

Hamilton Boys' High School won the 2024 Maadi Cup in Lake Ruataniwha, Twizel, with Christchurch Girls' High School winning the Levin 75th Jubilee Cup.

Whanganui High School (WHS) is coming off the back of a strong performance at the North Island Secondary School Championship, placing fourth overall despite winning the most medals with 13.

WHS director of rowing and head coach Axel Dickinson said his side will look to use that performance as motivation for Maadi Cup.

“We had a great regatta overall but I know we left a bit of food on the table in terms of a bit of sickness and how we managed the rough conditions.

“I feel like we are in a really good place to peak at the right time and we’ve just got a last push to solidify our combinations.”

Dickinson said the short two-week turnaround from North Islands to Maadi Cup has resulted in a sense of urgency with getting things right.

“These next two weeks are critical to put the icing on the cake.

“The squad that we have right now is the strongest squad Whanganui High School has ever had, we’re so strong right across the board.”

Dickinson hopes the progression and consistency his squad has shown this season will translate at the Maadi Cup.

“Maadi is a beast of a thing, there are so many high-performing programmes and you don’t know how it is going to pan out,” he said.

“All I know is that we have set ourselves up to have the best Maadi Cup the school has ever had and we will see where the cards fall from there.”

The Maadi Cup has a number of awards available every year. The Maadi Cup goes to the winner of the Boys’ U18 coxed eight, the Levin 75th Jubilee Cup goes to the Girls’ U18 coxed eight and the Star Trophy goes to the school with the most points overall and more.

Whanganui Collegiate School (WCS) has won the Maadi Cup 17 times; making them the school with the most titles – winning their first in 1952.

WCS master in charge/manager of rowing Gus Scott said his school is primed and ready for the event they historically perform well in.

“I think we are on the right track,” Scott said.

“We have got a week and a half of taper and speed work and top prep the kids, rest and recovered – ready to rock and roll.”

Scott said the school will be taking a squad of around 35 to 36 students.

Whanganui Collegiate School are the most successful school in Maadi Cup history; sitting on 17 titles.

When questioned about his squad’s goals for the rowing season finale, his answer was simple.

“Fast boats; that is our whole ethos,” he said.

“If the kids stack their odds by doing the right things; training hard, eating, doing their school work, working hard on their technique then hopefully at the end of that race, they pop their head up and they’ll be where they want to be.”

WCS will be without one of their rowers due to the recent NZ Rowing officials’ ban of Year 14 rowers.

Scott said the coaches and crew are not letting that get in the way of what they are looking to achieve but it was a blow.

“We had one lad that we wanted and he was desperate, New Zealand Rowing wanted him there and he now can’t go to the Maadi Cup.

“NZ Rowing told him to come back to school, he needs university entrance but I don’t want to go on about the Year 14 thing because the people who put it into place have used and abused the rule themselves,” he said.

“It is a Year 14 17-year-old – against a Year 13 17-year-old so what’s the problem?”

The Maadi Cup takes place from March 24-29. The event will be live-streamed on Rowing Hub and results can be tracked on the RowIt web page.