Z Manu World Champs 2025: More qualifiers, new division in Hamilton

Waterworld will once again host the Z Manu World Champs Hamilton qualifier.

The Z Manu World Champs will make a splash in the Waikato again next year.

Hamilton’s Waterworld will be host of a super qualifier event on on February 1-2, ahead of the grand final in Auckland.

In total, there will be 10 qualifying events across eight cities this year.

Manu pros and newcomers have the chance to qualify in two divisions: the classic manu division which will have categories for kids, youth, and adults, and a new freestyle division which is open to all ages.

A manu is a dive bomb technique where the body is in a clear V-shape and the bottom hits the water first.

In the freestyle category, any other bomb technique than the manu is welcome.

The Manu World Champs organisers said they recognised the role of Māori as tangata whenua of Aotearoa New Zealand and embraced Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Z Energy said they were working with tangata whenua and were holding the event in accordance with the Wai Puna model, a theory of Māori water safety developed by Dr Chanel Phillips (Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi), co-director of Te Koronga Indigenous Science Research Themes.

Six official qualifier events will take place at Tauranga, Hastings, Nelson, Māngere, Whangārei and Christchurch.

From each of these events, the winners of each category qualify for the Manu World Champs Grand Final, in Auckland, on March 1.

There will also be super qualifier events held in Wellington, Hamilton and Auckland.

From each of these events the top two in the Kids’ manu division and in the freestyle division as well as the top three in the youth and adult manu divisions, qualify for the grand final.

Competitors may only enter each qualification event once.

At the super qualifiers, they can qualify for the grand final in the manu as well as the freestyle division as long as they entered one heat only.

Should competitors have entered more than one heat, the results of the first heat will be considered.

Anybody born after March 2, 2017 is under the minimum age to participate.

For more information visit the Manu World Champs website.