More Than 50 Swimmers Earn Selection Across Four New Zealand Teams

Announcement of 2026 New Zealand Swimming Teams

At the conclusion of the 2026 NZ Swimming Championships, we were thrilled to name four teams for international competitions to be held over the coming months.

A total of 51 swimmers have been selected to travel and represent New Zealand at the following pinnacle competitions in 2026:

• 2026 Para Pan Pacific Championships

• 2026 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships

• 2026 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships

• 2026 World Junior Open Water Swimming Championships

We would like to recognise and congratulate each of the athletes and their coaches, as well as the support team selected on each respective team.

2026 Para Pan Pacific Championships

A team of five Para swimmers have been selected for the 2026 Para Pan Pacific Championships, to be held in Walnut, California, from 28 - 30 August 2026.

Congratulations to the team listed below:

Name	Club	Coach
Brooke Anderson	Wharenui	Carl Gordon
Jessica Johnstone	St Peter's	Alastair Johnson
Rylee Sayer	Hamilton Aquatics	Mat Woofe
Gaby Smith	Wharenui	Dave Heyden (University of Queensland)
Asher Smith-Franklin*	Coast	Michael Weston

*Note that Asher Smith-Franklin has since withdrawn from the team to focus on training with his new coach Michael Weston.

The team will be led by Swimming NZ Paralympic Head Coach:

Name	Organisation	Role
Simon Mayne	Swimming NZ	Head Coach

Cameron Leslie (Whangarei) and Josh Willmer (Coast) also met the selection criteria, but are deferring selection in favour of other opportunities.

2026 Pan Pacific Championships

A team of 17 swimmers and three coaches have been named for the 2026 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, to be held in Irvine, California from 12 - 15 August.

Congratulations to the team listed below who have been selected:

Individual Qualifiers
Name	Club	Coach
Lewis Clareburt	United	Jol Finck (Nunawading)
Caitlin Deans	Neptune & Swim Dunedin	Lars Humer
Erika Fairweather	North Shore	Graham Hill
Amber George	Coast	Michael Weston
Milan Glintmeyer	Coast	Michael Weston
Harrison Klouwens	United	Mitch Nairn
Savannah-Eve Martin	Coast	Michael Weston
Hazel Ouwehand	Phoenix Aquatics	David Lyles
Zoe Pedersen	Coast	Michael Weston
Milana Tapper	St Peter's	Tommy Fraser-Holmes (Griffith University)
Eve Thomas	Coast	Michael Weston
Relay Qualifiers
Name	Club	Coach
Zac Dell	United	Bobby Jovanovich (Brisbane Grammar)
Chelsey Edwards	North Shore	Graham Hill
Cameron Gray	United	Andy McMillan
James Leigh	Coast	James Boyce (Marist)
Carter Swift	United	Tommy Fraser-Holmes (Griffith University)
Alyssa Tapper	St Peter's	Tommy Fraser-Holmes (Griffith University)

The coaches to guide these swimmers are:

Name	Organisation	Role
Graham Hill	Swimming NZ & North Shore	Head Coach
Andy McMillan	United	Assistant Coach
Michael Weston	Coast	Assistant Coach

Ariel Muchirahondo (Swim Rotorua) also met the selection criteria, but is deferring selection in favour of the Junior Pan Pacific Championships.

2026 Junior Pan Pacific Championships

A team of 19 swimmers and four coaches have been named for the 2026 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, to be held in Vancouver, Canada from 17 - 20 August.

Congratulations to the team listed below who have been selected:

Individual Qualifiers
Name	Club	Coach
Lucas Bell	Wharenui	Carl Gordon
Paige Conley	Whanganui	Richard Gheel
Grayson Coulter	North Shore	Michelle Gillies
Liam Curling	Coast	Wilrich Coetzee
Olivia Emmett	Swim Rotorua	Aidan Withington
Rui Hou	Roskill	Josh Munro
Alyssa Lawson	Hamilton Aquatics	Ash Delaney (St Andrew's)
Laura Menzies	Wharenui	Carl Gordon
Ariel Muchirahondo	Swim Rotorua	Aidan Withington
Te Paki	Northwave	Monica Cooper
Bridie Quayle	Wharenui	Carl Gordon
Neo Salomonsson	Kiwi & Swim Dunedin	Lars Humer
Bruce Shen	Phoenix Aquatics	David Lyles
Relay Qualifiers
Name	Club	Coach
Charlie Dickison	Nga Tai Tuatea a Taraika	Chris Paproski
Tandia Fisher	Wharenui	Carl Gordon
Orlando Hardie	Hamilton Aquatics	Mat Woofe
Ariella Riley	Hamilton Aquatics	Mat Woofe
Rylind Wheeler	North Canterbury	Brigitte Mahan
Madeleine Wilson	SwimZone Racing	Frank Tourelle

The coaches to guide these swimmers are:

Name	Organisation	Role
Mat Woofe	Hamilton Aquatics	Head Coach
Michelle Gillies	North Shore	Assistant Coach
Carl Gordon	Wharenui	Assistant Coach
Aidan Withington	Swim Rotorua	Assistant Coach

Milan Glintmeyer (Coast) also met the selection criteria, but is deferring selection in favour of the senior Pan Pacific Championships.

2026 World Junior Open Water Swimming Championships

A team of 10 swimmers have been selected to travel and compete at the 2026 World Junior Open Water Swimming Championships, to be held in Santa Fe, Argentina from 3 - 6 September.

Rance Gower-Winter (North Shore) will be among the coaches of the team, with a second to be confirmed.

Congratulations to the team listed below who have been selected:

Name	Club	Coach	Event
Jack Barton	North Shore	Michelle Gillies	Men's 10km
Olivia Bates	North Shore	Michelle Gillies	Women's 10km
Olivia Emmett	Swim Rotorua	Aidan Withington	Women's 10km
Ethan Stocks	Roskill	Josh Munro	Men's 10km
Sheldon Hogan	Mount Maunganui	Stan Teokotai-White	Men's 7.5km
Tyler Lushkott	North Shore	Michelle Gillies	Men's 7.5km
Maeve McDonnell	Howick Pakuranga	Rachel Palmer	Women's 7.5km
Tegen Stewart	Nelson South	Glen Findlay	Women's 7.5km
Dominic Barton	North Shore	Rance Gower-Winter	Men's 5km
Amelia McEwan	Mount Maunganui	Stan Teokotai-White	Women's 5km

Kezia Buissinne (North Shore) also met the selection criteria, and has been selected as non-travelling reserve.

2026 Tri Series

The Tri Series this year will be held in Karratha, Western Australia, in June. Notifications of selection for the Black and Silver Teams will be emailed on Wednesday.

The teams will be led by Head Coach, Carl Gordon (Wharenui), supported by Assistant Coaches, Wilrich Coetzee (Coast), Kirsty Johnson (Trojans), Ben Lavigne (Tawa), Brigitte Mahan (North Canterbury) and Chris Paproski (Nga Tai Tuatea a Taraika).

A short bulletin containing key information was included in the recent Freestyler newsletter, check it out below to learn more about the travel dates, projected cost, and more.

Learn More About Tri Series (Including Cost)