South Island Regionals

Omarama – Sat 15th Nov 2025 - Sat 22nd Nov 2025

This is a great opportunity for newer pilots to get a taste of competition flying at one of the worlds best soaring sites. Fly in your own or a club single or scout out an opportunity to get a day or even a whole comp in one of the many twins that will be there. Auckland Gliding Club has their Duo GQQ entered and will be looking to fill seats, Charlie Irvin, Amy Smith and Tuulianna Laukkanen are entered as a team in Twin Astir GOR, 15 year old Ben Sly from Whenuapai will be flying with GNZ President Nigel Davy in Duo GNS. Omarama Gliding Club have twins available, Canterbury have twins that should enter, Kahu Soaring has twins...

Make yourself known to one of these clubs if you want to experience mountain racing in a glider because you might find that all you have to do is ask.

To help inspire you here is an awesome little video by Tobias Read.

Auckland Soaring Competition

NZ National Club Class Competition

Drury – 3rd to 10th Jan 2026

“Two competitions with a difference” – one based loosely on the Competition Enterprise format. The other – Club Class – will be a fully GNZ sanctioned competition using the current GNZ rules.

Auckland Gliding Club’s application to host the NZ Club Class Nationals event was accepted at the last GNZ AGM. The AGC is super excited to offer a premium competition aimed directly to suit those people who enjoy the challenge and real spirit of flying Club Class aircraft.

The annual Auckland Soaring Competition has become a go to for many pilots who want to fly alongside others, challenge themselves and have FUN.

We want all pilots, friends – including partners and family to enjoy these two soaring events – with a difference.

ENTER NOW – GNZ Website

Note – details on fees and costs will be sorted soon – however we want to gauge support for these two competitions in order to organise our support systems and people.

Chalet available to purchase at Omarama Airfield, a rare front row site.

The chalet is on land owned by the Omarama Airfield Ltd, and leased to the Omarama Soaring Centre Inc., which comprises a group of gliding and aviation clubs. The lease terms for the land under the chalet are for 35 years from 1st April 2008, and this expires on 30th March 2043. The ground rental and service fees are charged by the Omarama Soaring Centre, with the level of these currently under review. A buyer will be required to have the lease transferred to them, and abide by its restrictions which notably include the requirement to be an active glider pilot. The buyer will pay the costs of transferring the lease, which will be prepared by the Omarama Soaring Centre.

Inside there is one sunny main room encompassing living, dining, kitchen and bedroom. There is a separate bathroom which was refinished some 10 or so years ago, as was the kitchen, and at the same time the glass door was installed in the back wall.

The chalet has prime position to look out over the airfield and the Benmore mountains to the north, and is reasonably sheltered from the west and to some extent from the east.

The building is believed to have been built around or after 1995. It is constructed of concrete tilt panels with a steel tile roof and single glazed windows. Inside there is a pitched roof which is timber lined. It was extended some 15 years ago to include a separate laundry. There is a tin storage shed placed behind the chalet. There are paved patios at the front and back of the chalet, and a small hedge to the front.

All of the furniture and contents are included in the purchase.

The Omarama Soaring Centre or its spokespeople are not able to offer opinions as to the current condition of the building or what work may be required, other than to comment that it is some 35 years old and has not had recent maintenance as the owner died a few years ago.

The Omarama Soaring Centre is seeking expressions of interest to purchase this building and enter into the lease for the land. Suitable applications will be forwarded to the lawyer acting for the estate of the late owner, and their decision will be final. They may or may not accept any offer, and will not necessarily take the highest.

Please contact morganjones@xtra.co.nz or 027 299 0301 for the full suite of photos, a copy of the existing lease or to arrange access to view the building. Your expression of interest can be sent to the same email address, by the end of October 2025, with final bids request by 15 November 2025.

From the latest Ops Team Talking

The glider had been landed out and derigged for a trailer retrieve. It had been re-rigged and the

duplicate control checks signed off, but not taped up or flown. A few days later the prospective

pilot noted that, "As it was yet to be taped and I was first to fly this glider, I double checked the

rigging. I found the left aileron's 'quick lock' was incorrectly attached in a half-closed position. It

passed a positive control check, but the latch was not fulling covering the pin and could have come

undone in-flight." See annotated photograph below.