Paddling for New Zealand: Liam McEwan and the Canoe Polo World Championships

Milson Rotary Club meeting, Monday 19 October 2026

Tonight we welcomed back Liam McEwan, the young Palmerston North paddler the club helped sponsor to the 2026 ICF Canoe Polo World Championships in Duisburg, Germany. Liam came home with a silver medal around his neck and plenty of stories, and he was kind enough to share both with us.

Meet Liam

Liam is 21, works as a joiner, and loves the outdoors. For the past year he has also been an operational volunteer with Land Search and Rescue, which he says is a great way to give back to the community. He picked up canoe polo at Palmerston North Boys' High School and is now in his tenth year in the sport.

This year he was one of just eight players selected for the New Zealand Under 21 men's team. Four of them are based here in Palmerston North, with the rest coming from Hawke's Bay, Auckland and Tauranga.

So what is canoe polo?

For anyone who hasn't seen it, think water polo played from kayaks, with paddles in hand. Teams have five players on the water and can substitute at any time. Goals hang two metres above the water, and each team has a 60 second shot clock to get a shot away. A player can only hold the ball for five seconds before passing, shooting or flicking it at least a metre ahead to dribble.

It is a physical game. Players can be tackled when they have the ball, and boats must come in at an angle rather than ramming side on at 90 degrees. Asked about injuries, Liam said he has been fairly lucky, though broken fingers, black nails and the odd knock to the head come with the territory. Face cages and regular rule changes have made the game much safer than it once was.

The road to Duisburg

Preparation started long before the team was named, with three national training camps beginning in late January and plenty of cold, dark winter sessions on the water at home. A typical day for Liam meant getting up at 4am, working from 6am until 4 or 5pm, then heading to training.

The squad arrived in Europe about three weeks before the championships to get used to conditions and the European style of play. They played a warm up tournament in Belgium, spent time in the Netherlands and France, and trained alongside German teams. Germany has long been the powerhouse of the sport, so that was a valuable experience.

There was time for sightseeing too. Liam described visits to castles, cathedrals and churches, and some deeply moving wartime sites, including memorials to the Battle of Arnhem and old German bunkers. He said you know the history, but walking past those photographs brings it right home.

The tournament

Games are 20 minutes of all out effort. New Zealand opened in a pool including Spain, Switzerland and China. A 4 to 2 loss to Switzerland stung, especially under a new format where results carried forward into the second pool stage. Even so, the team made the top 12 and kept building, including a strong 3 to 1 win over Poland.

The semi final was the highlight. Against the tournament favourites it finished 3 all, sending the game into golden goal overtime, where the first team to score wins. New Zealand won the sprint for the ball and found the net within seconds. Liam was wide open under the goal calling for the pass, and laughed that his teammates had other ideas, but nobody was complaining about the result.

That win put a New Zealand Under 21 men's team into a world championship final for the first time. France proved too strong on the day, but the team came home with a historic silver medal. Liam said facing a haka from the rest of the New Zealand contingent before the final was a surreal moment he won't forget.

"It's 20 minutes, it's all out. Being able to make a decision, deal with it, and reset yourself after a bad pass is everything."

What he brought home

Beyond the medal, Liam valued seeing how European and Asian teams each play their own style. He also coaches, and is keen to bring those ideas back to help develop younger players here. He spoke too about mental strength, resilience and thinking on the fly, because however well you plan, the game never goes quite the same way twice.

The local club has worked hard over the past five years to get juniors involved, with kids starting as young as about nine. The only real entry requirement is being able to swim, so anyone curious is welcome to head down and give it a go.

Thank you from Liam

The four week tour was entirely self funded, costing each player around $13,000 to $14,000, with very little support from government or other sources. Liam thanked Milson Rotary warmly for its sponsorship, saying it meant fewer hours at work and more time training. He said he is very grateful to have his community backing him.

We're proud to have played a small part in a historic result. Congratulations Liam, and thank you for a great evening.

Milson Rotary Club, Palmerston North