National School MTB Championships

4-9 October 2026
Tauranga
Mountainbike Tauranga: info@dirtcraft.nz

The 2026 National School MTB Championships will be held across Tauranga & Rotorua from 4-9 October 2026, hosted by the Mountainbike Tauranga & delivered by DirtCraft.

The provisional schedule for 2026 includes.

XCC- 4th October at Summerhill MTB Park Tauranga (All Categories)

XCO and XCR- 5th October at Summerhill MTB Park Tauranga (All Categories)

Enduro- 6th and 7th October at Summerhill MTB Park Tauranga (Category days TBC)

Downhill- 8th and 9th October at Whakarewarewa Park Rotorua (Category days TBC)

There is no contingency day for this event.

EVENT DETAILS

Click here to see the important pre-event email- TBC

Click here to see the event manual- as at 2 June 2026

Volunteer Programme

Schools are asked to provide one volunteer for every four riders, please register your volunteers in Sporty before entries close.

All volunteers should be over the age of 18, be confident in their role and wear fully enclosed footwear. All equipment required for the role will be given out on the day, such as high-vis vests. Click here to read the Commitment of Volunteering agreement. Please contact schools@cnz.kiwi if you have any questions.

Survey for South Island Schools

We are currently exploring ways we can better support South Island schools travelling to Tauranga and Rotorua for the 2026 National Secondary Schools MTB Championships.

We would love to hear your thoughts regarding travel, accommodation, logistics, and any other support that could help make attending the event easier and less stressful for your riders, staff, and families. Please fill out the survey link here and let us know how we can help!

Categories

Age as at 31 December 2026.

Individual Races:

U20, U17, U16, U15, U14, U13 boys and girls

At a minimum competitors must be enrolled in Year 7.

Team Races will be as follows; This is for both composite and non-composite teams.

Year 7&8 Girls

Year 7&8 Boys

Year 7&8 Mixed

U16 Girls

U16 Boys

U16 Mixed

U20 Girls

U20 Boys

U20 Mixed

Individual Points

Points are awarded for each of Cross Country Olympic (XCO), Cross Country Team Relay (XCR), Downhill (DH) and Enduro (END).

In the event of a tie, the school points awarded in the XCR will decided the best rankings, followed by END, DH and then XCO.

When a Cross-Country Short Track (XCC) is held as part of the same event as the XCO, the seeding order will apply to the XCC, and the results of the XCC will determine the seeding order for the XCO.

Top School Trophies

The Top School Trophy will be awarded to the respective Year 9 - 13 schools teams that have the highest aggregate points score across all championship events. Points will be awarded for the first 5 places with 5 points for 1st and 4 points for 2nd, 3 points for 3rd etc in each of the races (including Team Relay if applicable).

The Top Junior School Trophy will be awarded to the respective Year 7/8 schools teams that have the highest aggregate points score across all championship events. Points will be awarded for the first 5 places with 5 points for 1st and 4 points for 2nd, 3 points for 3rd etc in each of the races (including Team Relay if applicable).

ENTRY DETAILS

Entries are now open through Sporty!

All entries will need to be completed by the schools sports coordinator via the Sporty platform. Parents please liaise with your school to register student riders.

Schools must be affiliated for 2026 and follow the Guide here before they will be able to enter this event.

Entry Limits

Enduro limit= 600

DH limit (U13, U14, U15, U16, U17, 20)= 380 total limit

Cross Country limit= 350

Cross Country Relay limit= 50

Entry is not guaranteed until entries have closed. This is to provide fair and equitable weighting across all schools.

In determining which riders/schools will be accepted into the event (where entries exceed the maximum limit), CNZS may take into account any of the following criteria:

The total number of riders entered into the limited event by age or gender category
The total number of riders entered into the limited event by a single school
Entries received by the advertised due date & Payments made by the advertised due date
Prior history of the school in participation at the particular event
Prior history of the school in support of the particular event (providing volunteers etc.)
Past performance of riders at the particular event and at other CNZS or CNZ events
Eligibility for medals

See school rules here - Appendix 5 - Capacity Event Entry Process

Key Dates

Entries open for Cross Country & Relay and pre-registration opens for Downhill & Enduro- 4 May 2026

Pre-registration for Downhill & Enduro only closes and XC- 7 August 2026

Downhill spaces allocated to schools as per the Capacity Event Entry Process- 14 August 2026

Schools must confirm Downhill & Enduro riders names by this date as well as the riders on their waitlist if applicable- 4 September 2026

Entries for DH/END Capacity Finalised and Allocation Period Closed - 4 September 2026

All invoices emailed to schools- 4 September 2026

All invoices must be paid by this date- 25 September 2026

Entry Fees

Downhill (DH) = $120 per rider

Enduro (END) = $80 per rider

Cross Country (XCO) = $70 per rider

Cross Country (XCC short course)= $40 per rider

Cross Country Relay = $75 per team

Composite Teams - Cross Country Relay

Composite teams are eligible to compete in the Cup grade in accordance with School Sport New Zealand regulations. In the Cup grade, these teams are ineligible for medals. Instead, certificates will be awarded and recognition given on the podium to the top three composite teams in each grade.

If you wish to enter a composite team or be considered for placement in one, please email us at schools@cnz.kiwi, and we will do our best to form teams.

Please note that all composite teams are subject to approval. Full school teams will be prioritised and must be formed first (where possible) before riders can be considered for composite teams. For more information on composite teams, please refer to the Schools Cycling regulations.

Refund Policy

Refunds requested after the entry closing date will only be processed on the presentation of a medical certificate to CNZ Schools no later than one week prior to the event finishing. All refunds will incur a $25 administration fee.

No refunds are available unless requested in writing prior to Race Pack Pick Up.

Terms and Conditions

Click here for the event terms and conditions.

RULES

This event will follow Cycling New Zealand Schools Rules, and the MTBNZ Technical Regulations.

Protective Equipment

Please refer to the MTBNZ equipment requirements for each event here. This clearly outlines the equipment required for downhill, enduro and cross country.

Health and Safety
Everyone has a responsibly towards Health and Safety at an event.

The safety of the riders, officials, volunteer and spectators are included in the event planning. If you have any questions or concerns regarding Health and Safety please report to the Chief Commissaire or to the Event Manager