He said they had watched a couple of the other teams train, such as the Brazilians and British, and knew they were in for some stiff competition.
Captain Sam Harrison said the team had been training hard for about four months together and were ready to race.
"I think we are ready. We have had a little discussion about our expectations and we are confident we will do well," he said.
"We would like to think we will get into the top three overall at the end of the world champs but whatever happens over the next few days will be amazing."
The team is made up of seven young men based in Rotorua, who are all living in the same house during the competition.
Harrison said four of them worked together as raft guides on the Kaituna River.
Team members also include Aperahama Hurihanganui, Draxson Kerr, Roretana Kerr, Matthew Barnard, and Christy Hammond.
Most senior and masters' teams were absent from the opening ceremony yesterday, with the open and masters' categories not racing until next Thursday.
The under-19 and under-23 categories will compete first, with three days of racing starting tomorrow.
The Great Britain under-19 men's rafters were among those practising on the river yesterday after the opening ceremony. One of their team members, Sam Daley, 16, has battled cancer this year and overcame six weeks of chemotherapy to attend.
"I said to the doc I'm going to New Zealand so I'll need to be finished [treatment] by then or you will have to finish me when I get back," Daley said.
"I finished the chemo by the end of August and I was training the whole way through it.
"I feel really good now. It's great having this team, they have been so supportive."
He said he was not cleared but would wait until he got back home to do his last tests.
The championships run until November 24 in Rotorua and Kawerau. The competition will be on the Kaituna River at Okere and the Tarawera and Rangitaiki rivers near Kawerau.
It's the first time the championships have been held in New Zealand.
