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March 07, 2026
#hakinakina: Final chance for Manu athletes to secure spot in Z Manu World Champs Grand Final
Matthew Tukaki
Posted On March 7, 2026
The race to reach the Z Manu World Champs Grand Final enters its final stage this weekend, with the last qualifying rounds taking place on a custom-built platform in the heart of Tāmaki Makaurau’s Viaduct Harbour.
After months of regional qualifiers held across Aotearoa and on Australia’s Gold Coast, more than 2,000 competitors have already taken part in the championship. By the end of the weekend, the full field of 135 finalists will be confirmed ahead of next Saturday’s Grand Final, which will take place as part of the Moana Auckland Festival.
Organisers say the final Auckland qualifying rounds are expected to be fiercely contested, with both emerging athletes and reigning champions battling to secure the remaining spots.
Defending Adult Male champion Maara Toa has already kept his title hopes alive after narrowly missing qualification during the Whangārei regional event but successfully securing a place in Auckland last weekend.
Meanwhile Youth Male champion Jayden-Lee Raumati will be attempting to qualify again after missing out during the first Auckland qualifier weekend, hoping to earn a place in the Grand Final and defend his crown.
Several other reigning champions have already secured their places through earlier regional events and will return next weekend to defend their titles. Among them are Hamilton’s Aila McQueen, stepping up into the Youth Female division this year, Zerenity Mill-Simpson from Wainuiomata, the current Youth Female champion, Xeina Williams from Wellington, who holds the Female Freestyle “Anything But a Manu” title, and William Fraser from Manurewa, the reigning Male Freestyle champion.
Also returning to defend titles are Adult Female champion Shonte To’a, who qualified through the Waikato event, and Adult Male champion Maara Toa from Whangārei.
While the championship celebrates the art of the iconic Manu splash, the Grand Final will also feature a special Famous Faces division, where well-known New Zealand personalities take part to raise funds for Water Safety New Zealand.
Among those scheduled to leap from the seven-metre platform are singer K’Lee, television personality Charlie Pomee, social media creator Azura Lane, former All Black Piri Weepu, renowned chef Peter Gordon, and Mark Mitchell.
They will be joined by Paralympic champion Cameron Leslie, strongman Rongo Keene, US content creator JManGo, actor Bruce Hopkins, known internationally for his role in The Lord of the Rings, and New Zealand boxing champion Lani Daniels.
The celebrity competition will use the event’s ManuTech scoring system, which measures the height of each splash while underwater hydrophones record the distinctive sound of the Manu entry. Donations to Water Safety New Zealand will be linked to the splash height achieved by each participant.
Organisers say the fundraising component aims to support water safety education and help ensure more young people gain access to essential swimming and water safety skills.
With Auckland’s waterfront transformed into a purpose-built Manu arena and the final qualifying spots still up for grabs, the stage is now set for a dramatic lead-in to next weekend’s Grand Final.
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