Welcome to the International Track Meet – Track and Field at it’s best in New Zealand.

New Zealand has a rich history of producing world class athletes with the likes of Yvette Williams, Jack Lovelock, Murray Halberg, Peter Snell, and John Walker. In the last few years we have seen a resurgence of Kiwi athletes with our latest generation of athletes including Valerie Adams, Nick Willis, Nikki Hamblin and Kimberley Smith. These athletes were part of a larger Track and Field team that ensured the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games were our most successful for quite some time, and built further on that success in Delhi 2010, with New Zealand’s best performance at a Commonwealth Games for over 40 years. When Nick Willis was back in New Zealand (touring the country, spring 2008) after his Bronze medal performance in the Olympic 1500m, he communicated a strong desire to promote the sport back at home with quality international racing. His enthusiasm to help the sport regain some international momentum once again in New Zealand has resulted in the formation of the International Track Meet (Christchurch). In 2009 the events inaugural year, 3000 spectators cheered on 23 athletes from five countries. New Zealand and Australian Records were set along with a stadium record in the Men’s 100m with local boy David Ambler (10.35) eclipsing Don Quarrie’s (Jamaica) previous record (10.37) set during the 1974 Commonwealth Games.   This success continued in 2010, with thrilling battles in the Men’s 800m between Willis and the exciting young Australian star, Jeff Riseley, and in the Women’s discus with Kiwi legend and former world champion Beatrice Faumuina attempting to fight off the challenge of the current world champion, Dani Samuels of Australia. 

The Christchurch International Track Meet serves to resurrect the good work of Dick Quax and the late John Davies and their successful 1990′s International Track Series and Graeme Avery’s brilliant Robin Tait Classic meetings. These meets brought to New Zealand many of the world’s biggest names in track and field, such as Linford Christie, Kelly Holmes, Carl Lewis, Cathy Freeman, and Donovan Bailey, to compete on our soil and inspire our young athletes to achieve.

The International Track Meet is organised by an enthusiastic group of athletic supporters with the primary goal of promoting the sport to a wider NZ audience. In doing so, the meet will raise the profile of our top athletes and help facilitate a pathway for our developing talent via an enhanced level of competition at home. We believe that the International Track Meet will offer an evening’s entertainment that the whole family will enjoy.

This meeting will showcase the best talent from Colgate Games level, local secondary schools, developing athletes, Paralympians and Elite International Athletes.

The International Track Meet will become an annual fixture on the domestic calendar. This meeting is held for the benefit of the sport and not for commercial gain, therefore any profit made will be reinvested into subsequent years to ensure the longevity of an event that provides a great nights racing entertainment at the track offering something for everyone.  You can play your part in the long term future of the event, and receive special treatment from the meet itself, by joining our Supporters Club click here or use the tab at the top of this page.

Event Directors

Craig Motley – Athletics coach and manager; Christchurch City Council Northern Area Programme and Activity leader.

Mark Reid – General Manager, Abbott Group; former competitive athlete.

Leyton Tremain – Sponsorship and Account Manager for New Balance NZ Ltd; former competitive athlete.

Paul Coughlan – Commercial Manager, Nature’s Flame; Trustee, Life Education Trust (Canterbury); former competitive athlete.

Key Managers

Rebecca Wardell – Transport Engineer; 2008 Olympic & 2006/2010 Commonwealth Games Heptathlon representative. Current NZ record holder, 400mH & 4x400m relay.

Nick Burrow – Site Supervisor New Zealand Institute of Sport; former US university scholarship athlete and 4-minute miler.

Tony McManus – Passenger Service Manager TranzScenic; former competitive athlete and cyclist.

Mark Sullivan – Company Secretary, House of Travel Holdings; former competitive athlete.

Independent Trustees

Michael Rondel, Partner, Polson Higgs Business Advisors & Chartered Accountants.

Richard Sprott, Partner, Bishopdale Law.

John McBrearty, Athletics Canterbury Track & Field Committee Representative, former competitive athlete.