Beginner-friendly Age Group sprint tagged to groundbreaking moment for Para swim, bike and run in Aotearoa
Auckland (December 5) – Triathlon New Zealand will host the Oceania Paratriathlon Championships for the first time in 2026 in a seminal moment for para swim, bike and run in Aotearoa.
With valuable support from Auckland Council Events, the March 29 continental para champs will be the showpiece of the inaugural Auckland Triathlon Festival, an event to include a ‘Continental Cup’ for able-bodied elites and a mass participation age group event.
Entries for the age group sprint are now open here with full course details for the 750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run Wynyard Quarter triple treat to be released soon.
Tri NZ bid for the Oceania para champs as part of its commitment to help a Kiwi qualify for the Paralympic Games for the first time. It’s a strategy underpinned by the awarding of the 2028 World Triathlon (WT) Championship Finals, including the WT Para Series finale, to Tauranga.
Tri NZ CEO Pete De Wet says the sport is indebted to Auckland Council Events for helping secure what he’s confident will be a legacy moment for para triathlon.
“This is the moment we double down on our commitment to break a glass ceiling for triathlon in New Zealand, qualifying an athlete to the Paralympics, ideally as soon as LA 2028,” said De Wet, who is also President of the Oceania Triathlon Federation.
“The support of Auckland Council Events has provided critical impetus to this mission, bringing an important event to the national sports conscious in our biggest market. We’re confident the opportunity to perform in Auckland will inspire those already in our sights for LA ’28, Brisbane ’32 and beyond and hopefully bring other potential Paralympians out of the woodwork.”
Friday’s announcement adds further momentum to the resurgence of triathlon in New Zealand with Tauranga set to host a second-tier World Triathlon Cup in late 2026 and a round of the top-tier World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) in 2027, all before staging the sport’s showcase World Triathlon Championship Finals in 2028.
“There is so much to look forward to domestically over the next three years as we build towards the LA 28 Olympics and Paralympics and immediately after that the 2028 World Triathlon Championship Finals. Having witnessed a number of para events around the world, I know the people of Auckland will be blown away by the inspirational ability of the region’s best para triathletes. It’s also great to be able to bring a big age group event to Auckland off the back of this.”
2026 Oceania Triathlon Calendar
The combined Oceania Para Championships/able-bodied Continental Cup is one of two Oceania events confirmed for New Zealand this summer with Napier/Hastings to host the Oceania Sprint & Mixed Relay Championships on March 1-2.
For New Zealand’s leading elite, U23 and Junior (U19) triathletes, the Oceania Triathlon calendar will also see a return to Devonport, Tasmania for the Standard Distance Championships (plus a round of the WT Para Series) in March and to Runaway Bay on the Gold Coast for the Super Sprint Championships in April. Auckland last staged a World Triathlon-sanctioned event in April 2017 – the Auckland World Masters Games. Before that, a run of 12 high profile events in the City of Sails, including the 2012 World Triathlon Grand Final, came to an end in 2015.
“Just as we’re excited to be going back to Napier and Hastings in 2026, the sport’s return to Auckland is a significant moment for Tri NZ,” De Wet said.
“In tandem with an encouraging increase in participation numbers in our domestic Tri NZ Suzuki Series over the past two seasons, bringing a major event back to the ‘09’ proves once again that the sport is gaining real traction. It’s going to provide age groupers in our biggest catchment area, plus those keen to visit and race in Auckland, with an inspirational event to aim for.”
2026 Oceania Triathlon Calendar
March 1-2: Sprint Championships & Mixed Relay (Napier & Hastings)
March 13-15: Standard Distance Championships (Devonport, TAS)
March 21: Development Regional Cup Quam
March 29: Paratriathlon Championships & Conti Cup (Auckland)
April 18-19: Super Sprint Championships (Runaway Bay, QLD)
August 29: Development Regional Cup Tahiti*
* Tahiti to host World Triathlon Regional Development Cup from August 30-September 4 as part of the test event for the 2027 Pacific Games
