Athletics New Zealand is confident the country's best athletes will be on show in Dunedin in March.
The national championships, which double as an Olympic qualifier, will be held at the Caledonian Ground on March 4-6.
Doubts whether the likes of middle-distance runner Nick Willis and shot putters Valerie Adams and Tom Walsh would front were raised last week after Athletics Australia announced the Melbourne world challenge would be held the same weekend.
Normally, 15 to 20 Kiwi athletes compete in the event across the ditch, which provides them with quality competition.
While athletes can seek exemption from the compulsory Olympic qualifier, those intending on going to Rio de Janeiro should compete in Dunedin, ANZ high performance director Scott Goodman said.
''Some of our guys head overseas, so they regularly get an exemption on financial grounds. You can get medical exemption.''
Some athletes might be tempted to compete in the Melbourne event to chase stiffer competition, but would rule themselves out of Olympic contention without an exemption.
Athletics NZ could shut the door by not granting exemption to compete in Melbourne to any Kiwi athletes chasing Rio qualification, but Goodman said each case would be looked at individually.
''We would look at it case by case. Some of them could clearly get better competition in Melbourne.
''If we say the men's 400m hurdles in Melbourne had a world-class field, we have got [Cameron French and Michael Chochrane] that are in the mix to qualify for that event.
''We would have a look at that. But generally we would be saying to people they should be going to nationals. New Zealand athletes generally would always try and go to their national championships,'' Goodman said.
While Adams and long-distance runner Zane Robertson could not compete at the national championships in Wellington earlier this year due to injury, the majority of New Zealand's best competed.
Shot putters Walsh and Jacko Gill faced off.
Willis and fellow middle-distance runners Nicki Hamblin and Angie Petty were there, as was long-distance runner Jake Robertson.
Despite being confident the championships in Dunedin will not be robbed of our top athletes, Goodman remained ''disappointed'' the events clashed.
''We had been talking to them [Athletics Australia] for a while,'' he said.
''We actually scheduled the national championships to steer clear of what they believed were the likely dates.
''I don't think there is any hint if ill intent; it's just unfortunate.''
Goodman believed the Melbourne event would be harder hit by the clash, as it relies on Kiwi athletes to help meet the IAAF requirement of a certain percentage of international athletes.
Changing the date of the national championships was ruled out because people had been making travel arrangements since the dates were announced in March.
