The baton was presented at an event at the Dunedin Railway Station last night; Dunedin was the first stop on the New Zealand leg of the King’s Baton Relay.
Dame Sophie said the baton was incredible and felt ‘‘very special and powerful’’ to hold as a retired athlete.
‘‘This is really obviously special to New Zealand, having the Maori culture ingrained within the team that unites one together.
‘‘You can’t ask for much more than that, can you?’’
Sometimes the regions missed out, so it was nice to start off in Dunedin, she said.
The King’s Baton Relay is a tradition held in the lead-up to the Commonwealth Games.
For the first time ever, every Commonwealth nation and territory would receive their own baton for their celebrations and were asked to customise and decorate it to represent their culture.
All 74 batons would be reunited at the opening ceremony of Glasgow 2026, where the final baton would be presented to the King and his message to the Commonwealth read aloud to declare the Games open.
New Zealand’s baton will be in Huntly tomorrow and Tāwharanui Peninsula on Thursday.
