About the Superseries

The Orienteering Superseries was invented in 2002 by the National Squad to provide more competition within New Zealand.

With the majority of international competitions in Europe or Scandinavia, and the World Championship moving from a 2-yearly to an annual basis, it is clear that NZ can't contest every World Championship. It has to use competition in Australia to a greater extent, and build up local competition.

2006/7 continues the spring-through-autumn system which better fits the elite preparation cycle, and the likely suitable events. The "2007" series will consist of (full details) :

• Round 1: Wellington Champs 21-23 Oct: Long, Middle, Sprint and Long
• Round 2: South Island Champs, Southland 19-20 Nov: Long, Middle and Sprint
• Round 3: Waitangi Weekend, Central North Island 3-6 Feb: Long, 2xMiddle, 2xSprint, Loop Mass Start and Relay
• Round 4: Otago Championship 24-25 Mar: Sprint, Middle and Long
• Round 5: National Championship, Auckland, 6-8 Apr: Sprint, Middle and Long
• Round 5a: After Nationals Competitions, Auckland, 11-15 Apr: Sprint, Middle, Night Relay and 2x Long
• Round 6: Wellington OY extended, 27-28 Apr: Long, Middle and Sprint

In 2006 a U23 grade was added and it will now in 2007 continue as a junior grade to be known as the JuniorSeries. Runners that are juniors in 2007 can compete in the JuniorSeries.

The rules including the scoring system have passed their severest test: athlete opinion! They have required only a small addition to cater for club transfers mid-series. In the points scale, a win and a third is worth more than two seconds, placing a premium on the orienteer who can pull something out of the bag when it counts. Competitors can drop the worst five of their 23 scores. A points scale for the relay has been added.

And the regional competition is generating interest and support locally, with regions developing uniform running gear and websites with the help of sponsors. It will continue to be based on the points of the top four men and two women from each region. The regions for this purpose are based on Auckland, Wellington and the South Island. The line between the Auckland and Wellington regions is E-W through the middle of Lake Taupo.

While team results were once heavily weighted towards the "home" region, travel assistance boosted elite numbers by 52% in 2003 and a further 5% and 10% in 2004 and 2005. The latest result was been a cliffhanger with the lead changing on the final race! The series has injected new motivation for the athletes and new interest from their supporters throughout New Zealand.