Your school sports coordinator will have received the info for entering the 2024 Southland Schools Orienteering Champs. This is open for beginners too, and you can enter in pairs or on your own, so don’t be afraid to give it a go! It’s only $10 per entry (pairs will pay a fiver each). Entries are […]

The Zespri AIMS Games is Australasia’s largest junior sporting event, held annually in Tauranga Moana. It gives 11, 12 & 13 year olds an opportunity to compete with  invited countries and fellow kiwi kids in  27 codes or sports. This is the first year that orienteering will be included in AIMS games, so it is […]

We thank Magnus Bengtsson for his position on the board for the past 6 years. Marcus put his name forward and was offered a position on the board.  1. When did you join a club? What motivated you to join an orienteering club?I believe I joined OBOP around 2007, but I was orienteering before that by running in the Auckland […]

Planning is underway for an absolute treat of orienteering for Oceania 2025. You’ll most probably fly into Wellington and get to experience our coastal capital city with a harbour and countless beaches before you head into some forest terrain. We are still finalising the actual timing on the calendar year with our Australian mates. The first set of […]

It’s only a matter of sleeps now until Nationals and events on the much anticipated Crater Block Rerewhahaaitu map. It’s also so neat to see so many people attending Nationals. It’s not just for our elites. I love seeing the competition between people in all the grades. I’m so impressed with the numbers coming from what used to […]

A weekend of navigation & riding is waiting for you in Ōtautahi / Christchurch.Saturday 13 April  Enduro | Bottle LakeSeveral short MTBO courses linked together using the Bottle Lake MTBO map and other maps nearby. More info here Sunday 14 April  MTBOOY  | The WillowsMountain bike orienteering on the Willows map, mostly gravel roads with a sprinkling […]

Many of you expressed interest in the Australian MTBO Champs again, and attached is the first bulletin. Entry fees rise by $45 on April the 1st for the 5 events, and Marquita and Rob have now entered. If any of you have friends that want to join us please pass this on. For the NSW MTBO Champs […]

Counties Manukau Orienteering Club (CMOC) is growing a club culture focussing on continual exploration and experimentation with new ideas. This approach has resulted in continually improved performance and outcomes for the communities we serve. Youth-led growth & participation .At 14 years old Tim Bacchus joined CMOC’s Executive Committee to extend the age range to 72 years across the team. […]

Timo Suter and Yivi Kastner planned their trip to Aotearoa this past summer as a holiday, but made sure it ticked all the orienteering events on the way. The timing was right to take a break from student studies and fit in a travel experience whilst they have more time. There was much advice and urging from others to […]

The IOF Mapping Committee has recently released updates to ISOM and ISSOM. The updates are valid from 1st February 2024 but are not mandatory until 1st January 2025. They are available on the IOF website via the link at the bottom of the article.  All maps for major events in New Zealand must meet this […]

We’ve kicked off the year with a bang with Oceania and a great set of sprints in Taranaki and Auckland. We had so many orienteers from around New Zealand competing it was so great so many people made the effort to travel. Auckland’s recent competitions are attracting huge numbers. All of these are reflected in our […]

Team entries are in and Explorer entries will close soon on Sunday 3 March. We are reviving a facebook event page to keep you up-to-date with news this year. 2024 Katoa Po has just under 150 competitors. It is less than last year’s record which was combined with National sprints organised by Malcolm Ingham. We are happy with the […]

Orienteering New Zealand is inviting expressions of interest for the following manager positions: EYOC 2024 – 21–24 June   Szcsecin, PolandWUOC – 1-5 August, Bankso, Bulgaria These positions would suit someone who intends to travel to the event. ONZ has not allocated a budget to these roles so applicants would be required to cover all their own costs in […]

There is evidence of significant changes in some clubs in the past year, and Auckland is an example of a club that has been accomplishing big gains as they work on encouraging wider involvement of club members in their club operations.  To find out what has been happening we asked club president Neill McGowan to tell […]

Did you know we have some keen new orienteers who specialise in running and sports medicine? I chatted to Steve & Vicki Rees-Jones at the junior camp and then we caught-up for another chat recently to talk run training and specifically running for orienteers. Steve has a strong running pedigree and has been competing in […]

On Thursday 15th February 2024 the New Zealand Orienteering community sadly lost a valued member. Pamela Morrison passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones in beautiful Hawke’s Bay. Pamela has been part of the New Zealand orienteering community for 30+ years, devoting an immense amount of time to the sport. She held various committee and […]

From late February and in the following weeks, IOF is conducting a survey among all athletes who have participated in an IOF event within the last two years. This year’s survey covers both the athletes’ view on the sustainability of current IOF events, and asks for suggestions to enhance the event programme to better meet […]

On Thursday 15th February 2024 the New Zealand Orienteering community sadly lost a valued member. Pamela Morrison passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones in the beautiful Hawke’s Bay. Pamela has been part of the New Zealand orienteering community for 30+ years, devoting an immense amount of time to the sport. She held various committee […]

1. When did you discover you had a passion and skill for orienteering?I guess during 1984/85 as a 15-16 year old, was fortunate to have the speed to keep up with a lot of the NZ elite from an early age, first WOC in France 1987 at age 18, finished 47th, 29 mins behind the […]

It’s such a privilege to be able to lead the board of a sport that has given me so much over the years: friends, experiences and fun times on a map. If you don’t know me well, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE ORIENTEERING!! At the top of the Board’s list for the start of the year was […]

Have you planned your trip to Taupō?  The 44th 2024 Katoa Po entry dates are getting closer! This challenge is appropriate to all levels of skills and fitness and ideal for keen school teams to test their navigation skills, before heading for events like the Hillary Challenge (with trials in winter and a competitive school event in September (run by […]

When Nelson decided they wanted a new gear trailer, their nearby sister club – Marlborough Orienteering Club (MOC) jumped at the chance to take on a cheap 25 year old trailer and renovate it. MOC liked the fact that it opened up on both sides like an instant marquee. Stephen Bradley took it home, and his […]

This is the latest update on school events around Auckland: Sprint Series The number of events varies in each zone, due to volunteer availability and access to suitable venues. All Zones except Central Zone begin the competition in the week of 19 February 2024, with Central Zone starting a week later on 28 February. All […]

Today is the 40th anniversary of the Asia / Pacific Orienteering Carnival at Naseby organised by the Dunedin Orienteering Club. Anitra and Ken Dowling (now PAPO members) were the driving force behind the initiative, ably assisted by recent arrivals from the UK, Peter and Sarah Haines. Graham Williams led the organisation and promotion team of […]

When ONZ promoted our annual survey we offered an incentive of one respondent being randomly drawn to receive a $50 Torpedo 7 voucher. That luck person was Dunedin’s Craig Pelvin. Craig has received the voucher in the lead-up to Christmas, just in time to capitalise on seasonal sales! Thanks Jeni Pelvin for the photo.

Final 50th Anniversary Quiz We’re still testing your knowledge about orienteering to celebrate our 50th year anniversary. The answers will be after the ‘Last points’ at the end of this news email. (You may need to click on the three dots at the base, to see the full newsletter).  Christmas and New Year is coming […]

The above photo was taken at the World Orienteering Champs 2010 at the Long distance event at the Granåsen Ski Centrewith Chris Forne & Daniel Hubmann battling it out in the finish chute. Chris says  “I had tried very hard in the previous high intensity events from the sprint quals, to the sprint and middle day […]

The 2024 Australian MTBO Championships and MTBO Carnival will be held in Canberra from 17 to 20 October 2024.Incorporating: BULLETIN 1 of the 2024 Australian MTBO Carnival and Championships 17-20 OCTOBER in ACT is ready! 2024 Australian MTBO Carnival and Championships 17-20 October will: • feature 5 diverse terrain areas with top-quality maps and events; • aim to be […]

Not an orienteering event, but some summer running inspiration! We asked Tm Wright to summarise his long run leading up to Christmas last year: I don’t know where to start. I could write several books on this. ‘Epic’ is a much-used word and doesn’t seem to do justice to the multitude of facets, experiences and sheer length […]

World Masters Orienteering Championships (WMOC) will be organised in the Turku region in Southwestern Finland from August 2-9, 2024. The public races for younger orienteers will be held at the same terrains and same dates as the actual WMOC competitions. It is also possible to enter only for single public competitions. Forest competitions will be run […]