Whanganui High School Sports
River City Press Whanganui
Paige Conley to represent NZ
Paige Conley has been selected to represent New Zealand at the 2026 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Vancouver, Canada, this August.
Paige was one of only 13 New Zealand junior swimmers to achieve the demanding qualifying standard, earning her place with an outstanding 1500m freestyle swim of 17:12.30 at the recent New Zealand Swimming Championships in Auckland. This achievement came just one month after she won five National Age Group titles, confirming her place among New Zealand's top junior swimmers.
The Junior Pan Pacific Championships are one of the world's premier international competitions for elite junior swimmers, bringing together athletes from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Japan and the United States. Competing at this level will provide Paige with invaluable international racing experience and an opportunity to test herself against some of the best young swimmers in the Pacific region.
Being named to a Junior Pan Pacific team indicates that Paige is among the strongest junior swimmers in the country. The meet has historically featured future Olympians and senior international medallists, making it an important stepping stone in high-performance swimming.
Paige Conley and fellow teammate, 13-year-old Ziva Bunker, have also been selected by Swimming NZ for the Swimming New Zealand National Youth Programme in the National Age Group Squad for 2026. The SNZ National Youth Programme underpins the High-Performance Pathway, recognising and supporting those aspiring young swimmers with the best future potential. The first camp for the National Age Group Squad will be based at the Parakiore Recreation & Sports Centre in Christchurch in October.
Paige's success is the result of years of commitment and hard work. She balances eight swim training sessions each week alongside Year 12 studies, volunteering with the younger squads of the Swim Club, teaching learn-to-swim classes and has now qualified and is working as a lifeguard at the Splash Centre.
The trip to Canada is a self-funded event, with costs of approximately $8,500 to cover flights, accommodation, insurance, team expenses and travel costs for the two week campaign. If you would like to help Paige take this incredible next step in her swimming journey and proudly represent Whanganui and New Zealand on the international stage, then you can contribute to her Givealittle page at https://givealittle.co.nz/.../help-paige-conley-represent..., or search ‘Paige Conley’ on the Givealittle site.
20/7/26