New Zealand’s next generation of rowing talent is set to take on the world, with the U19 team named for the 2026 World Rowing U19 Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, from 5-9 August.
Selected from outstanding performances at the Maadi Regatta, NZ Club Champs, and U19 Selection Trials, this group has earned the opportunity to test themselves against the world’s best on an international stage.
Selection to the U19 team is a significant milestone and an important step within Rowing New Zealand’s high-performance pathway, with many athletes progressing to represent the elite team at World Championships and Olympic Games. This year’s cohort brings impressive results and exciting potential, and will be looking to make an impact in Plovdiv at the U19 World Championships.
Here’s a closer look at the team.
Men’s U19 Coxless Four
George Langley (North Shore Rowing Club)
Alexander Walters (St Bede’s College)
Charlie Field (King’s College)
Sam Bird (Westlake Boys’ High School)
Coach: Mark Clemo
The New Zealand Men’s U19 Coxless Four combines a group of athletes with strong performances across both school and senior competition.
George Langley leads the crew after an outstanding 2026 NZ Rowing Championships, where he won silver in both the men’s senior coxless four and pair. He also featured in Westlake Boys’ dominant 2025 Maadi Regatta campaign, winning the U18 pair, four, and eight.
Alexander Walters impressed at the 2026 Maadi Regatta, winning gold in the U17 coxed eight and four, along with bronze in the U18 coxed eight, showing his strong capability.
Charlie Field has similarly established himself as one of New Zealand’s rising rowing talents. At the 2026 Maadi Regatta, he won silver in the U18 pair before going on to claim gold in the U18 four. He also played a key role in King’s College’s Maadi Cup-winning U18 coxed eight, showing how he can really contribute to top-performing crews. Samuel Bird adds further depth, winning gold in the U18 pair and bronze in the U18 coxed four at the 2026 Maadi Regatta.
With a strong mix of proven results and developing talent, this crew shapes as a promising combination heading into Plovdiv.
Charlie Field at 2026 Maadi Regatta, where he won silver in the U18 pair for Kings College with partner Josh Haskell before going on to claim gold in the U18 four. Photo: Rowing Picture Show
Men’s U19 Double Scull
Charlie Manser, Dunstan Arm Rowing Club
Aidan Bennett, Marlborough Boys’ High School
Coaches: Mark Clemo, Sam Jackson
At the 2026 NZ Rowing Championships, Charlie delivered an outstanding regatta, winning silver in both the men’s senior double scull and premier quad, before going on to claim gold and the national title in the men’s senior coxless quad.
In 2025, Charlie also impressed at the Maadi Regatta, underlining his strength as one of the country’s top schoolboy rowers. He won gold in both the U17 double scull and quad, and added a silver medal in the U17 single scull.
He will be joined by Aidan Bennett, who also brings strong credentials to the crew. At the 2026 Maadi Regatta, Aidan won bronze in the U18 double scull before going on to secure gold in the prestigious U18 single scull, highlighting his strength and composure as one of the leading schoolboy scullers in the country. At this year’s NZ Rowing Championships, Aidan continued his form, winning three national titles in the club single, club pair, and club quad.
Together, Charlie and Aidan will represent New Zealand in the men’s U19 double scull at the World Championships and have huge potential to give the rest of the world a run for their money!
Charlie Manser in 2 seat racing in his men’s Senior sculls gold and Premier silver winning crew for Dunstan Arm Rowing Club at the 2026 Nz rowing Championships.
Women’s U19 Coxless Four
Jessica Walkinshaw, Epsom Girls’ Grammar School
Georgia Kendrick, Hamilton Rowing Club
Charlotte Mawston, Westlake Girls’ High School
Charlotte Gorman, Rangi Ruru Girls’ School
Coach: Alice Denyer
Jessica Walkinshaw showed strong form at the 2026 Maadi Regatta, earning bronze in the girls’ U18 coxless pair. Earlier in the year, she competed at the New Zealand Rowing Championships, where she won three medals: bronze in the women’s senior four, silver in the senior pair, and gold in the club pair.
Charlotte Mawston also impressed at the Maadi Regatta, winning silver in the girls’ U18 coxless pair. She also had a phenomenal performance at the NZ Rowing Championships, winning silver in the premier eight and bronze in the senior four, racing in a composite crew alongside current crewmate Jessica Walkinshaw.
Last year, Georgia Kendrick transitioned into club rowing following her final year of school, competing for Hamilton Rowing Club. At the 2026 NZ Rowing Championships, she secured two silver medals in the women’s club coxed eight and club coxless pair.
Charlotte Gorman enjoyed a highly successful Maadi Regatta, claiming silver in the U18 eight before going on to win two gold medals in the U17 coxed eight and U18 coxed four.
Together, this crew brings a strong combination of school and club experience to the women’s U19 coxless four, giving them all the necessary tools to compete on the world stage.
Georgia Kendrick (far right) secured two silver medals in the women’s club coxed eight and one in the club coxless Pair rowing for Hamilton Rowing Club at the 2026 NZ Rowing Championships.
Women’s U19 Double Scull
Eleri Clare, Cashmere High School
Zara Blackie, St Cuthbert’s College
Coaches: Alice Denyer, Sam Jackson
This women’s U19 double scull combination brings an impressive level of success and huge potential.
Eleri Clare delivered an outstanding performance at the 2026 Maadi Regatta, placing third in the girls’ U18 four while also securing two gold medals in the U18 coxed quad and the prestigious U18 single scull. She won the single scull by a remarkable margin, underlining her capability and composure as one of the top schoolgirl scullers in the country. Eleri stroked the U19 NZ Women’s Quad at last year’s U19 World Championships, so will be looking to bring her experience into this combination.
She is joined by Zara Blackie, who also had a phenomenal Maadi Regatta. Relatively new to the sport, Zara competed as a novice at last year’s Maadi Regatta but has since shown rapid progression. Her improvement has been reflected in her results, winning two gold medals and national titles in the U18 double scull and U17 single scull. Together, this combination brings exciting potential and will be one to watch as they take on the world’s best at the U19 World Rowing Championships.
Eleri Clare, after winning the prestigious U18 single scull by a remarkable margin at 2026 Maadi Regatta.
Let’s get to know some of the U19 team…
What does it mean to you to be selected to represent New Zealand for the first time, and what are you most looking forward to about the experience?
Georgia Kendrick: It’s an honour and something that I’ve worked hard for, for a long time. I’m most looking forward to seeing how fast we can make the boat go and racing against crews from other countries instead of just New Zealand clubs.
Charlie Manser: Judging from where I started out of a small club in Queenstown, I could only dream of coming this far in the journey. It means a lot to represent not only my country, but also my family name and everyone who has supported me along the way. What I’m looking forward to most is the camaraderie within the team, building strong friendships with my teammates, and creating strong lifelong memories.
Charlie Field: Being selected to represent New Zealand at U19s for the first time is a huge honour and something I’ve worked towards this whole season. I’m most looking forward to racing alongside such a talented group of athletes and experiencing the international rowing environment for the first time while wearing the fern. Being able to wear the fern was a huge motivation for me throughout the camp; it’s a really special opportunity that not a lot of people get to experience. I’m really glad that the team is what it is. I’m good friends with the guys in my boat, so it’s awesome that we get to work together.
Eleri Clare: After a long season, it felt like a relief to be selected for the NZ U19 team for the second time. I had such an amazing time last year that I was desperate to make the team again. I loved the experience of training at the high-performance centre, being surrounded by people who push me. I also made such a fantastic group of friends. I’m really excited to race internationally again, build on the experience I gained last year, and see how far we can push ourselves as a crew.
What lessons or experiences from your school rowing career will you bring into the New Zealand U19 team?
Georgia Kendrick: From school rowing, a lesson I learnt was perseverance through the hard training and races. Each race, our focus was to make it just a little better than the last, learning from every experience and constantly improving as a crew.
Charlie Manser: The biggest lesson I’ve learned through rowing is that the harder you work, the “luckier” you become, hence what my father tells me, “whatever you put into life, you get out of life”. Through multiple experiences, I’ve found that your body holds way more capability than the amount your mind is willing to push yourself to. When you train with this mindset every day, you become comfortable being uncomfortable. This gives me mental strength and confidence for my body to push to its limits.
Charlie Field: While my career rowing for King’s has been incredible, I fell short on selection for a trial for the North vs South team and also did not make the crew at light blues. After falling short on both of these teams, it made me realise the importance of resilience and consistency. I was left with doubt for a while and was unsure where to go from there. I decided to do something about it and kept training hard in the off-season, keeping fit and building up strength for the next season. This worked out great for me, and in my U18 season, the results really came through proving that. I kept consistent and determined through the Christmas break and dropped my 2km by 11 seconds since last season’s PB. On my next test, I dropped another 3 seconds off. On the water, I always struggle with my technique, so I made that a real focus. At Maadi everything paid off. We had set what seemed to be an unachievable goal in our U15 season – The U18 8+. For Kings, this was a very special event. We hadn’t won in 66 years, and there had been many crews that came before us, being incredibly close. What I learnt from this success is the importance of consistency, resilience and backing up my teammates through all the highs and lows, and to just trust the process. Because in the end, hard work always pays off.
Eleri Clare: My school rowing program had a very good team culture built around hard work and shared goals. I hope to be able to bring that same positive energy and commitment into the NZ U19 environment. Throughout my time at Cashmere, I have learnt to never give up until you reach the finish line, and there is always a way to find another level when you are under pressure.
This year, a U19 Development Team has also been selected to compete at the 2026 International Rowing Challenge in Ann Arbor, Michigan, from 9-11 July.
This event represents a valuable stepping stone for many of these young rowers, providing exposure to international racing following impressive performances at the Maadi Regatta, NZ Rowing Championships, and the U19 Selection Trials. The following athletes have been selected to represent New Zealand at the event, and we look forward to seeing how they perform in what will be, for many, their first experience of international competition.
Men
Alex Hattrell, Bayfield High School
Ash Schutz, St George’s Rowing Club
Donovan Pivac, Westlake Boys’ High School
Josh Haskell, King’s College Women
Ayla Klein, Hamilton Girls’ High School
Imogen Wallis, Epsom Girls’ Grammar
Kate Slyfield, Waikato Diocesan School
Olivia Martin, Star Boating Club Coxswain
Amelia Self, Diocesan School for Girls
Best of luck to both the U19 New Zealand team and the U19 Development team for their upcoming International regattas. Rowing NZ and the wider rowing community are backing you all the way! Go NZ!
Kate Haines
Kate Haines has been part of the New Zealand Rowing Team and is studying Accounting at Massey University. She is NZ Olympian #1567, who competed in the Paris Olympics.
