New Zealand Swimmers Ready to Race in Fiji

Competition Preview – 2026 Oceania Swimming Championships

A team of 28 New Zealand swimmers are set to take on the 2026 Oceania Swimming Championships from Saturday 9 – Tuesday 12 May in Fiji.

The championships will be held at the Damodar City Aquatic Centre in Suva, bringing together athletes from across Oceania in a multi-nation competition that blends experienced swimmers with emerging talent.

For the New Zealand team, this meet represents both an opportunity to perform and an important step in long-term athlete development. For many, this will be their first experience competing in a New Zealand team environment overseas – an important milestone as they progress through the youth development pathway.

New Zealand has traditionally performed strongly at these championships, and while results remain an important goal, there will also be a clear emphasis on race execution and gaining valuable experience in an international setting.

Relay events are expected to play a key role, with depth across the team providing opportunities to be competitive in team races. These events not only contribute to overall results but also reinforce the importance of collective performance.

Beyond the pool, the championships offer a chance for athletes and coaches to further develop within a national team environment. With a coaching group that includes both experienced and emerging leaders, the tour also supports the continued growth of New Zealand’s coaching pathway.

A number of New Zealand technical officials will also be on pool deck, contributing to the delivery of the championships.

Livestream & Results

Results from the championships will be available via Meet Mobile, with a pay-per-view livestream available via VITI+. Livestream access for the championships costs $49 FJD, which equates to approximately $37 NZD.

Purchase Livestream Access via VITI+

Daily Schedules

To prepare for the four days of competition, check out the event line ups for each day below.

Heats will be from 10:00 am NZST, with finals from 6:30 pm NZST.

Day one

• 50m butterfly

  • Men – Sam Kenny, Sam Skidmore

  • Women – Stacey Morgan, Jade Lyles, Holly Neville, Mackenzie Tobin, Kiri Yamagami

• 200m freestyle

  • Men – Jack Love, William Tye, Joel Verran, Sam Skidmore, Sean Burke

• 100m backstroke

  • Men – YiFan Zhang, James Crosbie

  • Women – Jade Lyles, Charley Joyce, Hana Carnie, Paige Stringer

• 200m butterfly

  • Men – Michael Chen, Joel Verran

• 1500m freestyle

  • Men – Soeren Wells, Aidan Taylor

• Mixed 4 x 50m freestyle relay

  • New Zealand 'A' & New Zealand 'B'

• Mixed 4 x 100m medley relay

  • New Zealand 'A' & New Zealand 'B'

Day two

• 400m individual medley

  • Women – Hope Wang

  • Men – Soeren Wells, Jack Love, Nicholas Cowen

• 50m backstroke

  • Women – Mackenzie Tobin, Jade Lyles, Charley Joyce, Paige Stringer

  • Men – James Crosbie, Roman Anderson

• 100m freestyle

  • Women – Stacey Morgan, Holly Neville, Kiri Yamagami

  • Men – Sam Skidmore, Sean Burke, William Tye

• 100m breaststroke

  • Women – Lily McGrath, Jasmine Lyles, Channelle Huang

  • Men – Connor Jenkins, Danny Sun, Nicholas Cowen, Frederick Mills, Roman Anderson

• Mixed 4 x 50m medley relay

  • New Zealand 'A' & New Zealand 'B'

• 4 x 200m freestyle relays

  • Women – New Zealand 'A'

  • Men – New Zealand 'A' & New Zealand 'B'

Day three

• 50m breaststroke

  • Women – Channelle Huang, Lily McGrath, Jasmine Lyles

  • Men – Connor Jenkins, Frederick Mills, Danny Sun, Roman Anderson

• 400m freestyle

  • Women – Hope Wang

  • Men – Jack Love, William Tye, Soeren Wells, Joel Verran

• 100m butterfly

  • Women – Kiri Yamagami

  • Men – Sam Kenny, Michael Chen, Sam Skidmore

• 200m backstroke

  • Women – Jade Lyles, Hana Carnie, Paige Stringer

  • Men – YiFan Zhang

• 4 x 100m freestyle relays

  • Women – New Zealand 'A' & New Zealand 'B'

  • Men – New Zealand 'A' & New Zealand 'B'

Day four

• Mixed 4 x 100m freestyle relay

  • New Zealand 'A' & New Zealand 'B'

• 800m freestyle

  • Men – Soeren Wells, Aidan Taylor, Joel Verran

  • Women – Hope Wang

• 200m individual medley

  • Men – Jack Love, Roman Anderson, Danny Sun, William Tye

  • Women – Jasmine Lyles, Hope Wang, Lily McGrath, Paige Stringer

• 50m freestyle

  • Men – Sam Skidmore, James Crosbie, YiFan Zhang, Sean Burke, Sam Kenny

  • Women – Stacey Morgan, Holly Neville, Mackenzie Tobin, Kiri Yamagami, Jade Lyles

• 200m breaststroke

  • Men – Connor Jenkins, Nicholas Cowen, Frederick Mills

  • Women – Jasmine Lyles, Channelle Huang

• 4 x 100m medley relays

  • Women – New Zealand 'A' & New Zealand 'B'

  • Men – New Zealand 'A' & New Zealand 'B'

2026 Oceania Swimming Championships – New Zealand Roster

Swimmers

Swimmers to represent New Zealand at the Oceania Swimming Championships in Fiji:

Name	Club	Coach
Roman Anderson	Tawa	Ben Lavigne
Sean Burke	North Shore	Michelle Gillies
Hana Carnie	Wanaka	Erika Ikeda
Michael Chen	Parnell	Max Polianski
Nick Cowen	North Shore	Graham Hill
James Crosbie	United / Cranbrook (AUS)	Rebecca Wheatley (AUS)
Channelle Huang	North Shore	Graham Hill
Connor Jenkins	Wharenui	Carl Gordon
Charley Joyce	North Shore	Graham Hill
Sam Kenny	Coast / Bond Uni (AUS)	Kyle Samuelson (AUS)
Jack Love	Blenheim	Shane Skehan
Jade Lyles	Phoenix	David Lyles
Jasmine Lyles	Phoenix / TSS (AUS)	David Lush (AUS)
Lily McGrath	Neptune & Swim Dunedin	Lars Humer
Frederick Mills	Tawa	Ben Lavigne
Stacey Morgan	Triton	Reuben Lim
Holly Neville	Phoenix / Iona (AUS)	John Gatfield (AUS)
Sam Skidmore	Trojans	Kirsty Johnson
Paige Stringer	Hamilton Aquatics	Mat Woofe
Danny Sun	North Shore	Graham Hill
Aidan Taylor	Howick Pakuranga	Jana Wilkitzki
Mackenzie Tobin	Parnell	Max Polianski
William Tye	Nga Tai Tuatea a Taraika	Chris Paproski
Joel Verran	Wharenui	Carl Gordon
Hope Wang	Phoenix	David Lyles
Soeren Wells	Wharenui	Carl Gordon
Kiri Yamagami	United	Mitch Nairn
YiFan Zhang	Parnell	Max Polianski

Support Team

The team supporting our New Zealand athletes at the championships in Fiji:

Name	Club	Role
Dave Prattley	North Canterbury	Team Leader / Head Coach
Janelle Harland	Capital	Team Manager
Hannah Sutherland	Selwyn	Team Coach
Ryan Lockwood	Phoenix Aquatics	Team Coach