"We want gold, of course. It would be payback for all the hard work," she said.
"That is something people might underestimate, for an event like this we are out training in the middle of winter in the freezing water. So to win would make it all worthwhile."
She said as a team there was nothing sweeter than the taste of victory.
"It is such a great feeling. There is almost nothing like it."
The New Zealand women's team have only missed one World Rafting Championship since the championships began in 1998.
During that time they have never placed outside the podium, most recently finishing third of 19 countries at the 2011 World Rafting Championships in Costa Rica.
Martin put the team's success down to two things.
"I think Kiwis are quite tough. Sometimes we have not been physically as strong as some of the other teams but we have come out on top. The girls have always been really tough mentally," she said.
"And we just never give up."
The eight-person women's team are made up of Olympian Luuka Jones, Kelly Wood, Annie Cairns (Palmerston North), Alana Whiteman, Nikki Kelly, Nikki Whitehead, Geni Walters, and Martin.
Martin said they could only race with six girls in the raft so they would be alternating the team this year between the eight of them.
She said they had a good mix of technically strong slalom paddlers and paddlers who had good experience as rafting instructors.
The world champs in Rotorua and Kawerau will be raced across three rivers - the Kaituna, Tarawera and Rangataiki.
Rafting teams from more than 30 countries will take part in the world champs, being held in New Zealand for the first time.
The competition consists of four disciplines which are sprint, head-to-head, slalom and down river.
Medals are given for each discipline and the overall winner.
The sprint is a time trial race, with teams racing alone against the clock, the head-to-head is a knockout race pitting two teams against each other, the slalom discipline sees teams racing alone through gates, and the downriver discipline usually includes a mass start and a longer course.
International Rafting Federation (IRF) secretary Sue Liell-Cock said the New Zealand women's team were one of the greatest in the sport.
"This team is by far the most successful women's team in the IRF's history of World Rafting Championships," she said.
"They hold 24 medals in total - 10 gold, 10 silver and 4 bronze. Their nearest rival is Slovakia, which has 23 medals - 3 Gold, 10 silver and 4 bronze."
She said many of the bigger nations had more funding and sponsorship than New Zealand for rafting, which made their achievements more special.
Since 2001, the World Rafting Championships have been held every two years.
To sponsor the New Zealand women's team, who are still raising money for the world championships, message the team on their Facebook page NZ-Women's Rafting.
