Tear 11 Xavier achieved a bronze medal and contributed to New Zealand's Southern Cross Challenge victory in Australia.

Onehunga High School student Xavier White represented New Zealand at the Southern Cross Challenge and Oceania Orienteering Championships, held in the Canberra region of Australia during the October school holidays. Xavier was part of a team of 40 New Zealand secondary school orienteers who competed across seven races over nine days, testing their skills on a range of challenging terrain.

Competing against some of Australia's best young orienteers, the New Zealand schools team secured the overall Southern Cross Challenge title. The competition attracted approximately 250 school students, with Xavier competing in the Senior Boys category for the first time. He achieved 9th in the sprint, 15th in the long distance and 5th in the relay.

At the Oceania Championships, Xavier competed in the higher Men's Under 20 Elite category, gaining valuable experience against older competitors. He finished 9th in the long distance, 13th in the sprint out of 33 competitors, and 17th in the middle distance. Xavier also achieved a bronze medal with his Under 16 relay team in the Oceania Challenge, finishing third overall.

These results bring Xavier's 2026 schools orienteering season to a successful close. He will now focus on his running training in preparation for the 2027 season. We are very proud of Xavier's achievements and his continued success representing New Zealand.

We also look forward to growing our OHS Orienteering team in Term 1 next year, when the schools sprint series begins. Students interested in giving orienteering a go are encouraged to watch for notices. All students are welcome!