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(L-R) Nigel Avery (New Zealand Team Chef de Mission), Tā Derek Lardelli (Master Artist), Dame Sophie Pascoe (New Zealand’s Baton Bearer)
New Zealand’s leg of the King’s Baton Relay is well underway, as a week of community-focused activity moves from Dunedin to Huntly in the lead up to the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
New Zealand’s Baton Bearer, Dame Sophie Pascoe was joined by New Zealand Team Chef de Mission Nigel Avery and several local NZ Team athletes at a Fun Run event at Chingford Park in Dunedin before ‘Te Kaunoti’ (New Zealand’s baton) was officially presented to Dame Sophie at an intimate reception at Dunedin Railway Station.
Tomorrow, the relay will visit Te Wharekura o Rakaumangamanga, in Huntly for a ‘Give it a Go Day’ where students will take part in a range of games and activities alongside New Zealand Team athletes.
To keep the baton moving up the country, proud partner of the New Zealand Team, Toyota New Zealand, has been supporting the relay for its three-stage journey this week.
The final community event will be held on Thursday 19 March at Anchor Bay on the Tāwharanui Peninsula.
Alongside Sustainable Coastlines, the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) and Barfoot & Thompson, local school students and NZ Team athletes will take part in a beach and ocean clean-up, followed by a community barbecue.
New Zealand’s Baton Bearer and multi Commonwealth Games medalist, Dame Sophie Pascoe, said she loved handing out the medals to the kids at the Fun Run.
“Dunedin was a lot of fun, it’s great to have the community so involved in the King’s Baton Relay because it starts to get people excited for the Glasgow 2026 Games,” she said.
“The special thing about the Commonwealth Games is it’s an integrated Games with para and able-bodied athletes competing on the same stage at the same events. To have everyone in the sporting community feeling like they are one is what really hits home for me.”
NZ Team Chef de Mission, Nigel Avery echoed Dame Sophie’s message.
“It’s really important to connect across the country and I’m glad we’re able to get to a few of the more remote communities and spread the love this week. We want to engage with Kiwis, we’ve got such a love affair with the Commonwealth Games so it’s great to be able to spread the message and build towards Glasgow in July,” he said.
About Te Kaunoti
New Zealand’s Baton is designed by Master Artist Tā Derek Lardelli and reflects traditional Māori practices and the stories woven into its design.
It is Inspired by Te Kaunoti, the traditional Māori fire stick, and carries the idea of the fire of home. It represents the people, culture and support behind every athlete of Aotearoa New Zealand as they prepare for the Games.
See video below for Tā Derek Lardelli’s explanation of the design process.
About the King’s Baton Relay
The King’s Baton Relay is a long-standing Commonwealth Games tradition, designed to connect communities across the Commonwealth in the lead-up to the Games. For this Games cycle, the Relay has been reimagined with a stronger focus on environmental and financial sustainability.
For the first time, each Commonwealth nation has its own ‘clean’ Baton, allowing countries to reflect their culture and identity through a unique design while reducing the environmental footprint of the Relay.
The NZ Team would like to thank Barfoot & Thompson and Toyota New Zealand for their support of New Zealand’s leg of the King’s Baton Relay.
For more information on the King’s Baton Relay, click here.