The event was held in Nelson on August 9-10, with shooters from around the country competing across junior, women’s, men’s, veterans and open categories.
Rankings from championship events throughout the season were used to determine selection for the island teams, and ultimately, the national side.
South Otago’s Stuart Murray, a club member of 55 years, along with Tony and Diane Black — both 20-year shooters — took part in a remarkable result for the small Balclutha-based club, which has just four members, all three gained national recognition.
Mr Murray was selected for the New Zealand Veterans team, while Diane Black made both the New Zealand veterans and women’s teams.
"I’ve been trying for six years to get on the team. It feels pretty special to be wearing the fern," Mrs Black said.
"It’s the first time anybody at the club has been on two teams," Mr Murray said.
"Out of a club of four shooters, three have repped New Zealand so we are punching above our weight."
Although Mr Black has previously represented New Zealand, he narrowly missed out this year.
Competition matches are fired indoors at a distance of 20 metres using specialised, customisable .22 calibre rifles without magnifying optics, aiming at cards with 10 targets each.
A perfect shot scores 10.1, and depending on the team category, competitors may fire 40 shots per match, with some athletes shooting multiple matches across the weekend.
The North v South match traditionally sees the larger North Island contingent dominate, though the South Island juniors claimed a notable win this year.
Mr Murray noted one Christchurch junior who, despite only two or three years in the sport, shot across the men’s, open and junior categories and performed "exceedingly well."
Only two countries contest indoor smallbore rifle shooting at international level — New Zealand and England’s "UK Counties".
The shoot-out is a "postal match", where New Zealand recorded their results on Sunday, August 10, with the UK following in February 2026
New Zealand will be hoping to repeat last year’s clean-sweep victory with the help of the Clutha sharp-shooters.
