One Year To Go
'One Year to Go' will be celebrated this evening at a cocktail event at Auckland War Memorial Museum, attended by athletes, dignitaries including Her Excellency Dame Cindy Kiro, Governor General and the New Zealand Team Patron, as well as donors and sponsors.
The event will feature a musical collaboration between Te Whare Haka o Waititi and the City of Sails Pipe Band, honouring both the Māori and Scottish cultures while Her Excellency Dame Cindy Kiro will also present the official King's Baton to the New Zealand Team on the night.
'Marking 'One Year to Go' is a significant moment for our team and our nation,' said NZOC CEO, Nicki Nicol.
'It's a chance to reflect on the journey ahead and the values that unite us as the New Zealand Team. The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games is shaping up to be a superb Games and tonight's milestone will be a great warm-up,' she said.
As well as celebrating 'One Year to Go', the New Zealand Team today launched a campaign that will guide the New Zealand Team's wider journey in 2026, including the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games in February and the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar in October.
The campaign builds on the idea that the New Zealand Team brings the whole country together under one fern, one takahi, the foundation of our Pou Tangata haka.
'It speaks to the unity and strength of the New Zealand Team together with the communities who support them,' said Head of Brand and Marketing, Alex Cooper-Cuthbert.
'We wanted a really emotive piece that encapsulated the idea 'when you face one of us, you face all of us,' she said.
The Commonwealth Games 'King's Baton Relay' Baton will also be on display at the event in its pre-designed state. Spanning all 74 Commonwealth nations and territories, the King's Baton Relay celebrates communities and marks the countdown to the Games.
The Glasgow 2026 Baton has been reimagined with a 'Baton for Every Nation' concept, each baton is decorated to reflect its country's cultural heritage and identity.
A fully designed and crafted New Zealand Baton will be unveiled during the New Zealand leg of the relay, from March 15-20 2026.
As the countdown begins, 2026 is set to be an exciting year for the New Zealand Team.
The Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games run from February 6 to February 22 2026.
The Glasgow Commonwealth Games run from July 23 to August 2 2026.
The Dakar Youth Olympic Games run from October 31 to November 13, 2026
About the NZOC
The New Zealand Olympic Committee was established in 1911.
Since then, we have used our unique mandate to select and lead more than 60 teams to Olympic and Commonwealth Games across the globe.
Our athletes and teams are at the heart of our organisation and their stories have become integral to our national identity. They represent Aotearoa New Zealand with honour and pride and the silver fern is a symbol of their sporting success.
For decades our teams and athletes have showcased our unique culture and values on the world stage as well as promoting excellence and innovation through their stories and success.
We are a charity and rely heavily on commercial and other funding partnerships as we promote sport and the Olympic values and help create New Zealand history.
We are engaged in education programmes for young New Zealanders and, through Olympic Solidarity and other partnerships, help fund athlete and sport development.
We work in partnership with High Performance Sport New Zealand, which invests significant funding and specialist resources in NSOs, coaches and athletes to support performance on the world stage in New Zealand's targeted sports.
We are proud to represent the Olympic and Commonwealth sporting movements in New Zealand.
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