Sport Climbing Australia’s 2026 National Youth Championships are on in May, and thanks to an agreement between SCA and CNZ, a number of NZ athletes will have the chance to compete.

Dates: 14–17 May 2026
Venue: Climbing Jungle, Smith Drive, West Ballina, NSW

Three disciplines are on the programme: Boulder, Lead, and Youth Para Lead. Para Lead is new to nationals this year — the first time it’s been run at this level in Australia.

Age categories

• Under 15 (born 2012–13)
• Under 17 (born 2010–11)
• Under 19 (born 2008–09)

Please note that Under 13 is not included in this year’s competition — a change from previous years.

CNZ can send up to 2 athletes per category. The selection committee is working through this now; you can read the full selection policy here.

Selected athletes will be contacted by email soon, and the full list will be announced once confirmed with the athletes. Those selected will represent New Zealand in the official CNZ uniform. Note that medals and titles are reserved for Australian citizens.

Full event details: sportclimbingaustralia.org.au/event-6609541

Please click on the below link to see the squad.

Congratulations to all.

U13 and U15 Development Squad 2025

Open Female
1st	Abby Gebert
2nd	Sarah Tetzlaff (NZ Record – 8.32s)
3rd	Jorja Rangi
4th	Cara Hicks
5th	Tarni Cavanagh
6th	Florence Smith
7th	Ashlyn Smith
8th	Helen Lee

Open Male
1st	Julian David (NZ record – 5.16s)
2nd	Ned Johnston
3rd	Karyss Adams
4th	Eliezar Cachatoor-Faber
5th	Flynn Chisholm
6th	Keegan Lim
7th	Christian Williams
8th	Jack Niles

U19 Female
1st	Cara Hicks
2nd	Florence Smith
3rd	Lucia Farias
4th	Katie Mathieson

U19 Male
1st	Keegan Lim
2nd	Eliezar Cachatoor-Faber

U17 Female
1st	Caitlyn Fortescue (NZ record – 10.332s)
2nd	Mila Piatek

U17 Male
1st	Rio Piatek
2nd	Levi Dickinson
3rd	Vans Gasapo
4th	Leo Stock
5th	Cooper Holley
6th	Teo Besier

U15 Female
1st	Ayla Radley ( NZ record – 7.296)
2nd	Marley De Jong
3rd	Autumn Parchomchuk
4th	Yume Fookes
5th	Poppy Hinde
6th	Gwyneth Parchomchuk
7th	Scarlett Cachatoor-Faber
8th	Anna Hills

U15 Male
1st	Stig Zhou
2nd	David Kang
3rd	Pourewa Rangi
4th	Dan Yan
5th	Louvelle Cachatorr-Faber

U13 Female
1st	Nina Fookes
2nd	Sylvie McLeod
3rd	Niamh Lloyd

U13 Male
1st	Xavier Faber (NZ Record – 8.623)
2nd	Mikhail Dergilev
3rd	Felix Jones
4th	Luke Breetvelt

U11 Female
1st	Jasmine Li (NZ Record 27.104)

Registrations for the National Lead Championship in Rotorua March 1st 2025 are now open. This is for the following categories:

Paraclimbing, Masters, Opens, U19’s, U17’s

Registrations are in Climbalong. See link below.

https://climbalong.com/competitions/219/info

Tena ra koutou katoa, salutations to all.

Join the CNZ Volunteer Team!

Your support is vital in helping us grow and maintain the sport of climbing in New Zealand, and we are committed to delivering high-quality events while building a sustainable future.

We require the participation of volunteers who support our objectives and are willing to contribute. The information provided through the linked form will be kept confidential and will help us determine the most satisfying and appropriate volunteer opportunity for you.

We need your help!

Current Volunteer Opportunities (All Unpaid):

• Volunteer Database Organiser & Manager
• Sponsorship Manager
• Fundraising Assistant
• Event Manager

Join the CNZ Volunteer Team! – Google Forms

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM 2025 / 2026 Donations & Sponsorship
If you or someone you know would like to make a donation or sponsor an event, please email us directly at info@climbing.nz. Your support makes a significant difference!

SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM – Google Forms—

TeRoimata (Roi) RangiPresident Climbing New Zealand

www.climbing.nz +64 2157 6636

Date: 20-01-2025

Understanding the new IFSC Category changes,

The IFSC have updated their category system for youth events starting in 2024, and Climbing New Zealand (CNZ) has adjusted their athlete selection format to reflect these changes.

Here’s a breakdown of the new IFSC categories and their equivalents in CNZ’s updated selection format:

• YD (Youth D) becomes U13: This category is for climbers under 13 years old.
• YC (Youth C) becomes U15: This category is for climbers under 15 years old.
• YB (Youth B) becomes U17: This category is for climbers under 17 years old.
• YA (Youth A) becomes U19: This category is for climbers under 19 years old.
• Junior becomes U21: This category is for climbers under 21 years old.

Climbing New Zealand (CNZ) has made important updates to its athlete selection process to align with the new categories introduced by the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC), with a key change affecting the Junior/U21 category. The IFSC will no longer host this category at the World Youth Event moving forward, prompting CNZ to adjust its selection approach accordingly.

The main impact is on the Junior/U21 category, which is no longer part of the World Youth Event under the IFSC. However, CNZ will still consider selections for the Australian Youth Nationals later in the year, contingent on whether the Australian Sport Climbing Association (SCA) opts to host the U21 category.

Should the SCA choose to include the U21 category at the Australian Youth Nationals, CNZ will select athletes who have either participated in the Boulder Nationals held late last year or the upcoming Lead Nationals. This ensures that athletes have met certain competitive standards as part of the selection process for international events.

Climbing New Zealand will not be registering Athletes under the U21 Category, instead Athletes will enter CNZ Events as an Open Athlete. 

For more information, Please contact Climbing New Zealand:  secretary@climbing.nz

Speed Championships Registration

Registrations for this year’s La Sportiva Speed Championships are OPEN

Details:

22nd February 2025
Blake Park, Mount Maunganui

Your Officials team:

POJ: TBC
Head Judge: TBC
Event Management: TBC

Register Here

There will be 2 events, see below for age categories and event details. Note this is a different format from previous years.

CNZ Age Categories for CNZ events in the 2024/2025 season:
Masters – born during 1990 or earlier
Opens – born during 2008 or earlier
U19 – born during 2007/2008
U17 – born during 2009/2010
U15 – born during 2011/2012
U13 – born during 2013/2014

U11 – born 2015 or later (not eligible for selection)

Opens, Juniors, Youth A, Youth B, Masters and Para

Rotorua, 1st March 2025

Format:

This will be a one day event, held at The Wall, Rotorua 1140 Hinemoa Street.

2 Qualifiers and 1 Final

This event is a selection event for all athletes entered. It is the only event for these categories for National and International selection for Lead in the 2024/25 season.

Youth C, D and E(new category this event)

Turangi, 29th March 2025

Format

This will be a one day event, held at the Turangi Climbing Wall, 22 Ngawaka Place, Turangi.

2 Qualifiers and 1 Final

This event is a selection event for all athletes entered, (excluding Youth E). It is the only event for these categories for National and International selection for Lead in the 2024/25 season.

Nomination 1:

On behalf of IFSC Oceania President Naomi Cleary, and in preparation to the upcoming IFSC Oceania Elective Assembly scheduled for 6 February 2025, I am pleased to share with you the nomination material to propose candidates for the IFSC Oceania Board.

In this folder  IFSC Oceania Elections – PUBLIC you will find:

• Nomination forms
• Conflict of interest declaration form
• Election overview
• Election timeline
• Continental Regulations and
• IFSC and IFSC Oceania MOU

Candidates wishing to submit their nomination shall send through their National Federation the filled nomination form and conflict of interest declaration, as well as a cover letter by the candidate outlining the reason for submitting their candidature. The nominations must be sent to president@climbing.nz by 1 January 2025.

I remain at your disposal for any questions. Roi Rangi, President CNZ

Nomination 2:

The IFSC is pleased to announce the opening of applications for Assistant Event Delegates for the 2025 season and beyond. As the IFSC enters the new Olympic cycle (2025–2028), this initiative aims to expand and enhance the long-term growth of the IFSC Event Delegate pool, ensuring readiness to meet the evolving demands of future events.

National Federations interested in submitting the applications may recommend up to one male and one female candidate. Further details on the initiative and application requirements can be found in the attached PDF. 

The applications should be submitted to president@climbing.nz no later than Thursday, 19 December 2024 (23:59 CET).

The 2024/25 Season Speed Nationals will be held at Blake Park, Mount Maunganui on the 22nd February 2025.

Registrations will open soon.