Nelson athletes dominate international Underwater Hockey team

Next month, four teams from New Zealand will travel to Turkey to represent their country at the 2026 CMAS Age Group World Underwater Hockey Championships. And a surprising number of those players - and their coaches - come from Nelson, at the top of the South Island.

Chantal Brosnan and Scarlett Reeve have both been selected in the women's Under 24 squad, while Harrison (Harri) Brosnan has been named in the Under 24 men's team, having previously come through the Nelson College programme. 

In the Under 19 women's team, Lucy Jennings and Georgia Harris will fly the flag for the top of the south, with Grace van Orden listed as a non-travelling reserve. The Under 19s men's team, captained by Nelson local Toby Dukes, includes Nelson's Isaac Milner, with Jasper Sneddon named as a non-travelling reserve. The U19 women's manager is Rebecca Brosnan, and the U19 men's coach is Warwick King - both also proud Nelsonians.

With just a few weeks to go until they travel, the players are focused on giving it their utmost focus and energy,  in the hope of coming home with gold medals. Weekly training involves nine weekly water sessions on top of their normal training and games, along with gym sessions and land-based fitness activities. And they wouldn't change a thing.

"Friendship, teamwork, technical skills and the chance to represent New Zealand - it's very exciting," says U19 men's team captain Toby, who has been playing underwater hockey for six years, and hopes to continue the sport when he heads to university next year.

Team selection

Both the men's and women's team selections required ongoing weekly training of between three and five extra sessions per week over the past 12-18 months, on top of the normal Underwater Hockey training and games sessions. The final selection followed five weekend-long selection and training camps in either Wellington or Auckland.

The men's team also had a five-day training camp in Mount Maunganui in April, where they trained and played against the USA Men's U19 team, who had travelled to New Zealand to get some tough opposition.

Selection was based on a combination of fitness, team fit and technical playing ability. Nelson had five of the men's U19 players in the final 15 spots, vying for the final 12 travelling positions. The region also had six of the U19 women's players in the final 16, vying for the final 12 travelling positions.

"As we prepare to depart for Turkey, I'm reminded of why I remain so passionate about this sport," says U19 women's team manager Rebecca Brosnan. "The underwater hockey community is incredibly supportive and inclusive, and these championships bring athletes together from around the world, creating a global family that extends far beyond the pool."

Nelson proud

Nelson has a long history of competing at top level underwater hockey. The region consistently makes the podium at the annual New Zealand National School Championships - Nelson College for Girls' A team are the current defending champions, having won in 2024 and 2025. The Nelson College senior boys' A team came in second at the 2025 Nationals. 

Nelson also had five current or past coaches and players compete for New Zealand in the 2024 Asia and Oceania Intercontinental Championships in Malaysia: Rebecca Brosnan, Bruno Brosnan, Chantelle Brosnan, Kit Vining and Stella Mackrell. The Elite Men's, Elite Women's, and Masters Men's teams all came home with gold medals, while the Masters Women's team won silver. 

At the 2024 Age Group World Championships in Malaysia, Nelson boasted three players in the U19 women's team, and one in the the U19 mens' team.

Brosnans on the ball

There's one surname that keeps making an appearance in all the underwater hockey accolades and stories - Brosnan.

Current U19 women's team manager Rebecca has dedicated over 30 years to underwater hockey. One of New Zealand's most capped female players, she moved to Nelson after playing underwater hockey in Blenheim. The manager of several previous NZ Elite teams and a former NZ Elite player herself - she led the New Zealand Women's team to World Championship gold in 2018 - she has coached several women's and Elite teams. She has been the Nelson Tasman Underwater Hockey Club Head Coach for many years.

Rebecca's brother Bryan Bailey has also represented New Zealand in underwater hockey; he is now a professional freedive and scuba dive instructor at Blenheim Dive Centre in Marlborough. The dive centre is the South Island's only PADI freediving facility.

Like Rebecca, Bruno played underwater hockey for Blenheim before moving to Nelson. He played in the NZ Elites 1998, the NZ Age group teams and the NZ Masters. He now coaches the New Zealand men's age group teams. Both Rebecca and Bruno are long-term coaches of Nelson Teams for Nelson Tasman Underwater Club.

Following in their parents' footsteps are Harrison and Chantal. Both have been selected for the 2026 U24 teams, and both have given back to their sport, with Harri coaching the Nelson Schools team before he went to university, and Chantal currently coaching the Samuel Marsden Collegiate Senior Girls team.

King of coaches

U19 men's coach Warwick King is another renowned name in New Zealand underwater hockey. He has coached the U19 mens teams to multiple international gold medals, including in Spain, the UK and Malaysia. He has represented New Zealand at the Masters World Championships, and has been the Nelson Tasman Underwater Hockey Club senior boys coach for many years. 

Underwater hockey is certainly a sport that likes to keep it in the family; Warwick's wife Alex Coombes-King also coaches at the Nelson Tasman club, as does their daughter Zoey Combes-King. Alex and Zoe have also both represented New Zealand.

Want to know more? To find out more about underwater hockey, or to find a club near you, visit Underwaterhockeynz.com

All the best to our brilliant New Zealand team in Turkey!