We believe what we do is “more than sport.” We are building a community, and our club thrives on the shared energy and support of our members and their whanau. To create the best possible environment for our athletes and keep our programs running smoothly, we rely on our families to get involved.
Whether it is helping out on club nights, digging a sand-pit, taking a turn on a set-up roster, supporting our coaching team, fundraising, issuing uniforms or supporting through your business and skills, your active participation is the foundation of our success.
All you need to do is make yourself available and we’ll provide the support to help make time with us a ‘more than sport’ experience too!
Little-Legs
Our entry programme into athletics! Run alongside our Club Nights, Little-Legs incorporates fun and engaging game and play-based activities to develop running, jumping and throwing skills, alongside building teamwork and confidence for our youngest members.
We use a mixture of Athletics New Zealand’s Run-Jump-throw and Get-Set-Go activities, World Athletics activities and our own custom games and activities keeping the sessions, fast paced, fun and full of exciting moments targeted specifically to this age group.
Parents of 5-6yrs are required to stay on-site, we operate a high adult to child ratio at this programme, and encourage parents to get involved and have fun alongside their children where able.
The session is approximately 60min long, finishing slightly earlier than our older athletes at the club night.
Days: Mondays (Summer)
Venue: Te Kahu Park, Wigram (Summer)
Time: 5:00-6:00pm PM (Summer)
Club Nights
Designed for all abilities, our Club Nights focus on developing overall athleticism through games, skills, and activities. The summer program covers all main track and field disciplines, running, jumping and throwing, while the winter program shifts focus to cross-country distances, road running, and speed work.
Summer:
Covering all the main athletics disciplines of running, jumping and throwing, athletes will get a wide range of experiences and always be challenges with something new to try and to learn. We use a mixture of Athletics New Zealand’s Run-Jump-throw activities, World Athletics activities and our own custom games and activities keeping the sessions, fast paced, fun and full of exciting moments targeted specifically to these age groups.
Parents of 5-7yrs are required to stay on-site, we operate a high adult to child ratio at this programme, and encourage parents to get involved and have fun alongside their children where able.
The session is approximately 90min long.
Winter:
This program is design for all levels of fitness and abilities ages 7yrs-12yrs. Starting with a group warm-up then a range of options incorporating a range of long running distances, to sprinting intervals. This program is primarily focused on cross-country and road running distances, with some speed work incorporated too.
The session is approximately 45-60min long. Shorter for the 7-9yrs, and longer for the over 10s.
Athletes can attend one or both sessions.
Parents of 7-9yrs are required to stay on-site and are welcomed and encouraged to join in with their athletes (or other parents) at no cost. Parents with older athletes are also welcome to join in if they are staying onsite.
This program is volunteer led so we ask that you consider being on a roster to support our young athletes. Training and support will be provided.
Days: Mondays (Summer) | Mondays & Wednesdays (Winter)
Venue: Te Kahu Park, Wigram (Summer) | Halswell Quarry (Winter)
Time: 5:00-6:30pm PM (Summer) | 4:15 PM -5:00pm (Winter)
Academy
An additional, coaching night focused on taking individual event skills to the next level. Athletes train in small, age and skill-based squads across specific events (like high jump, hurdles, throws, and sprints) led by top local athletes and experienced coaches. Can be attended alongside club nights or as an alternative.
Our Academy is focused on supporting athletes get to the next level with their individual event skills, run by high-quality coaches that cover all disciplines.
Each session athletes will train across 3 events, in small age & skill-based squads.
We currently offer Javelin, Shot Put, Discus, High Jump, Long Jump, Triple Jump, Hurdles, Sprints, Relays and Middle-Distance coaching.
The session is approximately 90min long.
Days: Wednesdays (Summer)
Venue: Nga Puna Wai (Summer)
Time: 5:00-6:30pm PM (Summer)
Development Squads
A supportive, training environment with a focus on more individualized overall development through event-specific training, leadership and mental/social skills focuses. This is perfect for young athletes looking to grow in the sport, develop speed and athleticism for their team’s sports, and prepare for athletics competitions, including secondary school events.
These sessions are co-ordinated by our Helena Dinnissen, NZ representative level coach, along with experienced parent coach support and local top athlete coaches. Through-out the season, sessions are tailored to athletes key event focuses.
We currently offer Javelin, Shot Put, Discus, High Jump, Long Jump, Triple Jump, Hurdles, Sprints, Relays and Middle-Distance coaching.
We actively encourage parents to get involved in this programme, there are a wide range of ways to be part of supporting your young athletes success!
The session is approximately 90min long.
Days: Tuesdays & Thursday + Weekends (Summer & Winter)
Venue: Nga Puna Wai & Various venues (Summer & Winter)
Time: 5:15-6:45pm PM (Summer) | 4:30PM -6:00pm (Winter)
Senior Squads
High-quality, specialized coaching for older teens and adults. Whether you are focused on specific track and field events, competitive performance, or just wanting to get into athletics, these squads offer individualized programming, strength programming, running form analysis, and metric testing.
As athletes transition through the sport – there is the opportunity to join one of our senior squads, or if spaces are not available, be connected with one of our affiliated coaches.
Our Senior coaching progamme is coordinated by Helena Dinnissen, NZ Representative level coach.
The training session length, and commitment vary depending on an athletes needs, goals and available training time.
To learn more about our collaborative Adults Athletics Programme join our Facebook Community
Days: Tuesdays & Thursday + Weekends (Summer & Winter)
Venue: Nga Puna Wai & Various venues (Summer & Winter)
Time: 4:30-6:00pm PM (Summer & Winter)
FAQ
Parent Involvement
Volunteering within the club isn’t compulsory and we know it’s not possible for some families, however, the programmes do need a very high ratio of adults to make them awesome. We do all we can to make it fun, rewarding and as easy as possible to be a meaningful part of the club. Spaces in the programmes are limited by us having enough whanau members to make them happen, so we hope you’ll put your hand up! You never know, you might get addicted to athletics like us!!
Have-A-Go
We offer a 2 week trial period for any programmes that are not at capacity before the season has started. You can register your interest via the registration link, places cannot be held however. If you are on the waiting list, we will keep you informed of any space available.
Family Discounts
There are family discounts for families with 2 or more athletes registering at the same time and in the same transaction (this includes parents!). These discounts will be applied in the check-out.
Saturday Interclub Competition
Uniforms: Grades 7-14yrs we issue a uniform for the summer and/or winter
Seniors 15yrs and above are required to purchase uniforms at $45 each
Parents involvement is compulsory for the 7-14yrs as each club is required to run events – Rosters are approximately fortnightly for about 1-1.5hours per day.
For more info on the Saturday Interclub Competition – download our family guide here
Nga Puna Wai Track Hire
Nga Puna Wai is a pay to use venue – all athletes training here in their own time must either pay $5 per visit or purchase a yearly tack pass (From $160pa).
The track hire is included in our fees for the Academy, Development Squads and some Senior Squads.
Management/admin - Fundraising, communications
Be part of the engine room that keeps the club moving. This role covers the crucial off-field tasks like managing our social media, organizing community fundraisers, coordinating parent rosters, and assisting with athlete registrations. Ideal for those who love organization and outreach.
Financial - Sponsorship, goods or services
Fuel our unprecedented growth and help sustain the largest athletics club in the South Island. Whether through direct financial sponsorship, donating equipment, or providing professional services, your contribution bridges the critical gap between our operational capacity and our rapidly expanding athlete base. This is a powerful way for local businesses, families, and community members to back our athletes and keep our programs thriving.
Awatea Athletics Development Pathways
Programme Pricing
Registration Process
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Add on the programmes that apply
Step 4
OR
You can pay for membership up front and set the programme fees to an 8 week payment plan
Multiple Family Members? – Choose ‘Add another participant’ at the end of the registration process and the sibling/family member discout will be applied – Complete payment options after ALL PARTICIPANTS have been added.