Our Future

Our Mission…To inspire New Zealanders to participate in,
and commit to, the sport of triathlon.

Our Vision…To be the leading triathlon nation, providing
outstanding experiences for every New Zealander.

We want to be a leading customer centric NSO with innovative capability and a diversified revenue base.  We want more New Zealanders regularly engaging in Triathlon and having great experiences.  We want to have a sustainable world-class environment that creates regular winners on the World Stage.

Our History

The first known triathlon held in New Zealand was in January 1978 in Mission Bay, Auckland (500-yard swim, 5-mile cycle, 6-mile run).

Longer Distance events were delivered following the first Ironman event in Hawaii in mid-1978  (2.4-mile swim,  115-mile bike. 26-mile run).

The New Zealand Triathlon Association was formed in September 1984, with a modern constitution for a sport delivered via events. The purpose of the association in the early days was to:

  • Provide a centralised administration, led by a National Executive
  • Develop a two-tier club structure
  • Become a member of the NZ Olympic Committee
  • Create affiliated clubs
  • Decentralise responsibilities for communities
  • Deliver coach accreditation
  • Provide a youth pathway
  • Deliver National Championship events and a selection process
  • Sanction events
  • Create uniformity of rules
  • Manage the profile of the sport

Today’s organisation was the result of the merging of two national bodies; the New Zealand Triathlon Association and the Multisport Association of New Zealand in 1988.

Formed in 1984 and 1985 respectively, the NZTA was Auckland based, and the MANZ membership was mainly south of the Bombay Hills.