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New Zealand dominate at Oceania Target Championships 2026 in Auckland

20 April 2026

Auckland, new zealand

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New Zealand archers delivered a commanding performance on home soil at the 2026 World Archery Oceania Target Championships in Auckland, topping the medal standings across multiple disciplines and team events.

The hosts swept the recurve individual podiums, with Ben McLean taking gold in the men’s event ahead of Mitchell Osborne and Finn Matheson. In the women’s competition, Julia Harrison secured gold, while Isabella Matthews and Nuala Edmundson completed an all-New Zealand podium.

New Zealand’s dominance continued in the compound, where Riku Van Tonder clinched the men’s title, defeating teammate Hector McNeilly in the final. Tahiti’s Raiarii Teuiau claimed bronze. In the women’s event, Lisa Walker led another New Zealand one-two finish with gold, followed by Nikki Matheson, while Caroline Balber of New Caledonia took bronze.

Reflecting on her victory in testing conditions, Walker said she was “proud and a little relieved to come away with the win in extremely challenging wind conditions.” She also highlighted the growing depth of the field, adding that it was “great to see more countries from across Oceania taking part in the women’s compound division and to build new friendships that will push us all to perform at a higher level.”

Australia found success in barebow, with Adam Sims winning gold in the men’s event ahead of compatriot Rayan Valian. New Zealand’s Johnson Connor secured bronze. In the women’s competition, Australia’s May Hu took gold, while New Zealand’s Vicky A Rombouts and Mireille Nel finished second and third, respectively.

In mixed team events, New Zealand secured gold in both recurve and compound. Nuala Edmundson and Mitchell Osborne topped the recurve event, ahead of New Caledonia and Fiji. Nikki Matheson and Hector McNeilly combined to win compound mixed team gold, with New Caledonia taking silver and Tonga bronze.

New Zealand also claimed gold in the barebow mixed team event through Mireille Nel and Connor Johnson. Australia finished with silver, while Vanuatu secured bronze.

The championships featured 83 archers from 10 nations competing across recurve, compound and barebow divisions, highlighting the growing depth of archery across the Oceania region.