NZSSOC26 starts with a relay

​We’re shaking things up for 2026 by kicking off with the relay event first on the Thursday afternoon, getting right into the school team competition from the outset, on a classic forested sand-dune area that will offer fast but technically challenging terrain.

The relay will be great preparation for the first individual event - the long distance - on the following day. The long event will be held on similar but only recently-mapped terrain, so there is lots of new detail to discover.

The orienteering champs will be rounded out by a fast and furious sprint event held at the fabulous Lincoln University campus on the Saturday, where there will be route-choice galore amongst the mix of heritage and new award-winning buildings. 

But that’s not all: you’ll have the opportunity to compete as school teams once again in the Rogaine Championships on Sunday on the stunning Port Hills overlooking the city, for yet more navigation fun, this time with the added challenge of making the right strategic choices to get back within the 3hr time limit. This will be held in the morning and within 30min of the airport to allow those travelling from out-of-town to make it back for school the next day. 

Parallel races for supporting adults and general public will be held at the long, sprint and rogaine events.  Watch this space for school entries opening late March and the public races will open later in April/May. In the meantime, save these dates, you don’t want to miss this!