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.”
