South Island School MTB Championships

25-28 March 2026
Methven
Bike Methven: bikemethven@gmail.com

The 2026 South Island School MTB Championships will be held in Methven from 25-28 March 2026 hosted by Bike Methven. This event will include Cross Country, Cross Country Relay, Downhill and Enduro events.

Entries are restricted, so please check out all the details on the event website below.

The schedule for 2026 can be found in the event manual below under 'event details'

EVENT DETAILS

Click here for the provisional Event Manual - At 11 March 2026

*Please note this is subject to change.

*Please note the 29th of March is a back up day for bad weather and the schedule could change due to weather.

Extra Info

For more info on the event schedule and if you are wanting to know more about Methven and where to stay, check out the Bike Methven website here.

Entry Lists

Click here to see the entry list for this event- TBC

Volunteer Program

Schools are asked to provide one volunteer for every four riders, please register your volunteers in Enter Now 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.

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.

Event Schedule

Monday 23/Tuesday 24 March 2026- Practice time
Wednesday 25 March 2026- Cross Country and Cross Country Relay
Thursday 26 March 2026- U13, U14 and U15 Downhill
Friday 27 March 2026- U16, U17 and U20 Downhill
Saturday 28 March 2026- Enduro

Team Races:

Senior (U20) Boys and Girls
Junior (U16 - Year 7 & 8 can ride in a Junior team) Boys and Girls

Mixed teams must ride in the boys category

ENTRY DETAILS

Entries have now closed.

Click here to view the entry list - at 3 March 2026.

Entry Limits

Enduro limit= 400 riders

DH limit (U13, U14, U15) = 250 per day

DH limit (U16, U17, U20) = 250 per day

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

2 Feb = Entries open for Cross Country & Relay and pre-registration opens for Downhill & Enduro

26 Feb = Pre-registration for Downhill & Enduro closes and XC closes

3 March = Downhill spaces allocated to schools as per the Capacity Event Entry Process

6 March = Schools must confirm any withdrawals for Cross Country, Downhill & Enduro riders names by 5pm on this date - from 5pm onwards all entries are locked in and invoices must be paid in full

11 March = All invoices sent out to Schools

20 March = All invoices must be paid by this date. If invoices are not paid on time students will not be eligible to race.

24 March = The last day to request a refund. Refunds will be processed post event and subject to a $25 admin fee. Any request for a refund from 25 March onwards will not be accepted.

Entry Fees

Downhill (DH) = $80 per rider

Enduro (END) = $70 per rider

Cross Country (XCO) = $60 per rider

Cross Country Relay = $55 per team

*Includes race day lift pass

Composite Teams - Cross Country Relay
If you are entering a Composite team please advise us by adding COMPOSITE into the team name in Sporty.

To acknowledge schools who unable to form a complete team on their own, in consultation with SSNZ, Cycling Schools will have two Grades. Championship (single schools) and Cup (composite schools). Whilst all riders will ride at the same time, we are able to provide a separate grade to acknowledge these composite teams.

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