Central Region Dragon Boat Association

Central Region Dragon Boat Association We are the regional body for dragon boating in the Central region. Our club teams reside in Wellington, Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay in Aotearoa.

Were a registered charity and a regional sporting organisation affiliated to NZDBA. DM us to find a crew 🐲🧡 CRDBA is a registered charity and the dragon boat RSO for the Southern half of the North Island

With the announcement of the representative races being cancelled last weekend due to bad weather, we’re bringing you th...
02/04/2026

With the announcement of the representative races being cancelled last weekend due to bad weather, we’re bringing you the hard launch of our new CRDBA racing singlets.

Designed by paddler Lou Kurtz’s talented daughter, Hinewhakaruhiakiterangi Manaena, we are immensely proud and excited to showcase her artwork as our latest merchandise.

Still holding onto our region’s colours - green and orange, while saying goodbye to the “road cone” designs the nation loved to point out 😂

A huge thank you to for the quick printing turnaround in preparation for last weekend 💚

And thanks to our models from for showcasing the new look 🔥

The story behind the design and art to follow 🐲

Central Region Dragon Boat Association Representative squads for 2026 🐲 Women’s Standard Premier crew coached by Ivan Ka...
25/03/2026

Central Region Dragon Boat Association Representative squads for 2026

🐲 Women’s Standard Premier crew coached by Ivan Karaitiana and Anita Taggart

🐲 Women’s Small A and C crew coached by Ewen McDonald

Congratulations to all those selected to represent our region and clubs.






Paddle hard

We’re excited to be launching the new Central Region Dragon Boat Association logo at Nationals 2026 this weekend.The des...
25/03/2026

We’re excited to be launching the new Central Region Dragon Boat Association logo at Nationals 2026 this weekend.

The design incorporates both a taniwha and a dragon, representing the strength, heritage and spirit of our region coming together on the water.

A big thank you to and Justine for creating this for us, we really appreciate the time and creativity that went into bringing it together.

You’ll see it featured on some of our representative crew merch across a few races this weekend. Keep an eye out on the water! 🐉

New Sweep Accreditation - Central Region 🐉Over the past 18 months, Central Region Dragon Boat Association has welcomed a...
24/03/2026

New Sweep Accreditation - Central Region 🐉

Over the past 18 months, Central Region Dragon Boat Association has welcomed a number of newly accredited sweeps. This series recognises the people who’ve stepped up, put in the mahi, and earned their latest sweep accreditation.

Sweeps lead from the back of the boat - steering, coaching, and bringing crews together. They’re leaders, coaches, and a vital part of every team.

👏 Congratulations to Joe Grace aka Gracie
📍 Club: Pōneke Watersports
🎓 Level Three Sweep Accreditation

Gracie, known to many around the country, has been sweeping for a few years now. He’s the most recent sweep to receive his accreditation, just in time for Nationals 2026. 🐉👏

You would’ve seen Mr Gracie on the back of plenty of crews this festival season, sweeping, coaching, and always having a great time … sometimes with a phone in hand making sure he captured the content required. 📱😄

A familiar face, a steady hand on the sweep oar, and always bringing the smiles to every crew he jumps on.

Words from our regions President, Dave Elliot:

Welcome to ( Gracie ) alias Joe Grace who after 3 years of up and down has finally managed to go through crash free, post Wellington Festival to attain L3 Sweep Accreditation. Give Joe a big welcome to the sweep family.



Four more sleeps until the biggest racing event of the year! 🐉✨Let’s manifest sunshine, light winds, and fast racing so ...
23/03/2026

Four more sleeps until the biggest racing event of the year! 🐉✨

Let’s manifest sunshine, light winds, and fast racing so our Hawke’s Bay Dragon Boat Club gals can gleam in the sunshine once again


New Sweep Accreditation - Central Region 🐉Over the past 18 months, Central Region Dragon Boat Association has welcomed a...
22/03/2026

New Sweep Accreditation - Central Region 🐉

Over the past 18 months, Central Region Dragon Boat Association has welcomed a number of newly accredited sweeps. This series recognises the people who’ve stepped up, put in the mahi, and earned their latest sweep accreditation.

Sweeps lead from the back of the boat - steering, coaching, and bringing crews together. They’re leaders, coaches, and a vital part of every team.

👏 Congratulations to Chris Manson
📍 Club: Dragon Boat Festival Sweep .boat.festival
🎓 Level Two Sweep Accreditation

No stranger to the waves of Wellington, you would’ve spotted this guy on the back of plenty of boats during the festival season. From corporate to school crews, Chris has swept and coached them all. 🚣‍♂️

Another long-time face on the scene, Chris generously gives up his spare time to teach, support, and train our newest paddlers entering the world of dragon boating. His steady hand and willingness to help wherever needed make a huge difference both on and off the water.

Words from our regions President, Dave Elliot back in February 2025 when Chris got his level two (he probably could be level three by now 👀):

Anyone know this guy. Apparently he passed sweep exam and climbed the ladder to L2. I’m told he believes he knows what he’s doing ☺️

👇 Drop a comment below and show your support


boat.festival

Founded back in 2009 by Lindy, a breast cancer survivor, this dragon boat club has grown into an absolute force on the w...
19/03/2026

Founded back in 2009 by Lindy, a breast cancer survivor, this dragon boat club has grown into an absolute force on the water 💥

is a predominantly wahine-led club that proudly honours its roots. From Lindy’s legacy to the incredible women’s crew they have today, built with Ivan’s coaching and support from day one.

Fresh off Gold in the women’s grand final at .boat.festival a few weeks back, this crew is peaking at the right time… definitely one to watch at next week 👀🐲

New Sweep Accreditation - Central Region 🐉Over the past 18 months, Central Region Dragon Boat Association has welcomed a...
19/03/2026

New Sweep Accreditation - Central Region 🐉

Over the past 18 months, Central Region Dragon Boat Association has welcomed a number of newly accredited sweeps. This series recognises the people who’ve stepped up, put in the mahi, and earned their latest sweep accreditation.

Sweeps lead from the back of the boat - steering, coaching, and bringing crews together. They’re leaders, coaches, and a vital part of every team.

👏 Congratulations to Rachel Sommerfield -
📍 Club: Pōneke Watersports
🎓 Level Three Sweep Accreditation

Rachel looks after CRDBAs social media so got one of her team mates to write her blurb 😂 (thanks )

Rachel - paddler, mum, corporate queen, business owner and social media icon has somehow managed to juggle it all, earning her Level 3 sweep accreditation… all while pregnant with her second!

You’ll find Rachel out on the Welly waters paddling or sweeping, always with an eye out for dolphins. She’s been an incredible asset to Pōneke Watersports, putting in a huge amount of mahi to grow wahine representation within the club.

The entire Pōneke and wider Wellington dragon boating community are immensely proud of her achievement and grateful for everything she brings to the sport.

Words from our regions President, Dave Elliot back in December 2025 when Rachel received her accreditation:

‘Welcome Rachel Sommerfield to the L3 Sweep family. Rachel started a couple of years ago and took to it like a duck to water🤣. Rachel has been a natural ability that was easily identified since she first decided to give sweeping a go. Now she has no excuses and I see she is down for some festival teams in the New Year. Congratulations 🎊🎈😇‘

👇 Drop a comment below and show your support



Hands up if your exciting for some racing next weekend 🙌🏼 are just around the corner and we cannot wait for our regional...
17/03/2026

Hands up if your exciting for some racing next weekend 🙌🏼

are just around the corner and we cannot wait for our regional crews to hit the lake

New Sweep Accreditation - Central Region 🐉Over the past 18 months, Central Region Dragon Boat Association has welcomed a...
17/03/2026

New Sweep Accreditation - Central Region 🐉

Over the past 18 months, Central Region Dragon Boat Association has welcomed a number of newly accredited sweeps. This series recognises the people who’ve stepped up, put in the mahi, and earned their latest sweep accreditation.

Sweeps lead from the back of the boat - steering, coaching, and bringing crews together. They’re leaders, coaches, and a vital part of every team.

👏 Congratulations to Graham Jolly
📍 Club: Hawke’s Bay Dragon Boat Club
🎓 Level Three Sweep Accreditation

The only bloke surrounded by a sea of courageous, adventurous, and hard-working wahine, and he still manages to hold his own.

No stranger to the sweep oar or paddle, Graham has been part of the dragon boat scene for years. After a 20-year hiatus, he’s back on the water with Hawke’s Bay Dragon Boat Club and has now officially earned his Level Three Sweep accreditation.

Words from our regions President, Dave Elliot:

‘Well blimey Charlie from the sunny Hawkes Bay let’s welcome Graham Jolly to the sweep family. Graham finally reached L3 sweep accreditation. As a former dragonboater Graham has been a great help to the Hawkes Bay Dragonboat Club and is now the second club sweep to qualify 👏.‘

👇 Drop a comment below and show your support



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