NZ RIFLE TEAM

Hi, I'm a 67 year old semi retired cropping farmer that lives in the heart of New Zealand's Marlborough grape region. Gail and I have been married for 48 years with 3 adult offspring and 10 grandchildren. I have been shooting at targets since I was 13 and at four legged targets too since about then.

Had a long range season when at college with a .303 and then took it up seriously in 1987 when our club had its centenary. My club range has a reputation for being tricky and quite windy. Our range shoots from in, and over, a working vineyard using raised mounds, quite spectacular. I shot my first world championships in 1995 at Trentham and this one in South Africa will be my eighth. I am, for my sins, the captain of the NZ Team, a challenge but a lot of fun too.

I was captain for the Palma in the USA in 2015 and ended up in hospital the day before the team left. I have promised not to do that this time. I get reminded regularly to look after myself.

I have been, and are, heavily involved with the sports governance having just retired after eight years as national president, and continue as vice president, as well as president roles for shooting clubs and associations at a local level.

Born in 1964, Brian started target shooting whist at Otago University in the 1980’s.

Brian still tries to shoot competitively but has increasingly become more involved with the administration of the sport and was recently elected as President of NRANZ.

Brian lives in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand and works part time as a Solicitor. Brian and his partner Linda have 2 adult children who are both students.

Brian’s interests outside of shooting include regular but poor rounds of golf, infrequent and often unsuccessful trips deerstalking and rewarding daily walks with his faithful labrador, Mackenzie.

Jason lives in Marlborough with his wife Sharon and three teenage children, Dom, Stella and Reuben.

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Together with the teens, Jason began shooting in 25m indoor smallbore eight years ago, before progressing to 50m outdoor where he is currently President of the Wairau Club. He joined the Kaituna fullbore rifle club three years ago and shoots there regularly alongside fellow team-mates Malcolm, Clinton, Dom and Jacob. 

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While this is his first time being selected for New Zealand's fullbore rifle team, he's no stranger to international competition, having represented the country in multiple indoor and outdoor smallbore teams. He's regularly spotted at competitions across New Zealand... either in a shooting capacity or corralling the teens. It's possibly for this reason (or being the new kid on the block) that he was asked to manage the 2024 NZ Rifle Team - a role that he has enjoyed every minute of so far.

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When he's not shooting, Jason co-ordinates Marlborough's 10m air rifle squad - currently the largest and most active squad of air rifle shooters in New Zealand.

Born in 1989, Andre grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. In 2018, he and his wife Allison moved to Christchurch, New Zealand. Here Andre continues his professional journey as an associate of a local Accounting and Advisory firm where he is part of the consulting team. Their family grew in 2022 with the birth of their beautiful daughter Mia.

Andre’s journey to the shooting range began at a young age, inspired by a family legacy of avid shooters that includes his grandfather, uncle, father, and brother. Andre had the privilege of representing South Africa across all age groups for 17 years, starting with the SA U/19 team in 2003 as a 13 year old. Andre’s career boasts several notable achievements, including winning the South African championships twice, securing the U/25 world champion title in 2011, and earning a silver medal in the open category. Additionally, he proudly represented South Africa in the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

2019 marked Andre’s last representation for the South African Palma team. Now he is set to participate in his 4th Palma, this time representing New Zealand. This event holds a special place in Andre’s heart as he will be shooting alongside his father Johan, and his younger brother Reece. Andre’s looking forward to reuniting with old friends, family, teammates, and celebrating with beer and a braai. 🎯🇳🇿

Born in 1967 in Palmerston North and still living here. My son is a fourth generation Smallbore Shooter.  I started Fullbore in 1986 while at Massey University.  Had heaps of fun and made a lot of enduring friendships during Inter-University Tournaments. Won the NZ NRA C Grade in 1992 & B Grade in 2013. First International was NZ Universities Team to Brisbane in 1994. Received my Siver Fern when I went to Brisbane (again!) in 2009.

I’m an Analytical Chemist and am proud to be one of only a handful of Honorary Fellows of the NZ Institute of Chemistry.  Currently working in Food Research after a long career in Scientific Sales. I have also been a practising Lollipop Man and am a trained Digger Operator.

When I’m not shooting, my partner Cyndi and I go exploring (aka Freedom Camping) in an ancient van we call Luci. I would have loved to have added Bloemfontein to all the placenames painted on her side but the old girl’s just not up to such a trip! We also enjoy Live Music and sometimes I even remember having been there.
Looking forward to catching up with old and new friends on the range.

Born in 1982, BJ grew up in Hamilton and New Plymouth before moving to Wellington in his early 20s. BJ works for Entain as a Trading Solutions Developer and was previously a sports bookmaker setting the odds for rugby and cricket. BJ also works for the Wellington Lions Rugby team as an assistant analyst.

BJ and his wife Fiona have two young children, and a very old German Shepherd.

Prior to taking up shooting BJ played a variety of sports including hockey, cricket and football, before injuries led to him seeking a lower impact activity.  BJ visited the Trentham Range in 2014 to try fullbore shooting.  He subsequently joined the Upper Hutt Rifle Club (now Trentham Rifle Club).  He shot at his first Nationals in 2019 in the lead up to the World Long Range Championship. 

This is the first time that BJ has been selected in a New Zealand team. He is looking forward to the challenge of representing his country and is looking forward to shooting in the company of the world’s best shooters, as well as exploring South Africa. 

This is young Bruce's first time competing on South African soil and first time sporting the fern as a Full Black.

Originally from Jersey in the Channel Islands, Bruce resides in the Deep South overlooking Stewart Island. His closest range is Invercargill, but he is usually seen sporting the green and yellow of Ashburton District Rifle Club.

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Selected as wind coach for the right hand target, Bruce is relishing his first taste of Bloem. Bruce's weapon of choice is his trusty Paramount with a pimped up stock and a shiny new True-Flite barrel.

When he grows up, he wants to be owner-operator of his very own AutoTrickler V5. For now, he plays on a traditional see-saw.

I started shooting in 1980 with the Upper Hutt Rifle Club. In 1995 I shifted to Auckland and have been shooting for Clevedon Rifle Club. President of the club for 20 years, now have become Secretary, made a Life Member of Clevedon, Auckland Rifle Association and the NRA of NZ. With both clubs I have won most cups and trophies available in the North Island, a major win with Clevedon winning NZ Team title in 2001 and 2023.

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I've been travelling overseas to competitions since 1986, first trip away to Adelaide in 1986 with the NZ Under25 team, have shot 300m and in NZ Open team.

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I'm looking forward to returning to South Africa away shooting in 2023 SA Open, along with Caroline we are excited to see the wildlife and experience of South Africa again.

Born in 1962, Chris grew up and studied in Wellington, then lived in the UK for 10 years working as a PCB Engineer. Moving back to New Zealand in 1998. Chris has three grown children and lives in Rangiora with his wife Gill.   
 
Chris’ shooting career started in 1987 and he has been hooked ever since, spending most weekends shooting, firstly with the Onslow Rifle Club at Trentham, Manydown Rifle Club (UK) and more recently, the Malvern Rifle Club. 
 
Chris has represented New Zealand on numerous occasions. The first time against Great Britain at Trentham in 2010. This will be Chris’s third WLRC and Palma having attended matches at Camp Perry USA in 2015, and Trentham NZ in 2019 where he was also the teams Adjutant. Chris is the current South Island Delegate on the NRANZ Council, a New Zealand Selector, President of the Canterbury Rifle Association and Club Captain of Malvern Rifle Club.
 
Shooting has provided Chris with great friends and wonderful experiences. His favorite range in the world is Bisley where he has shot several times and enjoys the Bisley experience. Chris’ youngest son (Sam) is also in the Palma Team and is also the U25 Captain. Chris is looking forward to the challenge of shooting at Bloemfontein in South Africa.

Born in Hong Kong in 1994 of Kiwi and Chinese parentage, experiencing the Chinese takeaway in 1997, and speaking both English and Cantonese, Clinton sees himself as a Chiwi.

Armed with a degree in Viticulture and Oenology, this summer is his thirteenth winery vintage. With the grape harvest being advanced by climate conditions, this vintage has bulls-eyed the World Championships, however with the support of Nautilus Wines Clinton has secured the opportunity to compete on a tight schedule. Outside of vintages Clinton is the viticulturist for the family vineyards.

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Having started off with tactical air pistol shooting in Hong Kong, upon arrival in New Zealand Clinton participated in the New Zealand Secondary School smallbore competitions which naturally progressed to fullbore. He is proud to be the third generation to shoot fullbore at the Kaituna Rifle Club in Blenheim. To gain further international experience Clinton competes regularly in Australia. Honoured to having competed in the 2015 World Championships in Camp Perry, USA, Clinton was equally proud to represent New Zealand in 2019 on Trentham’s hallowed home turf.

Born in 1999, Daniel is an IT student at ARA Institute of Canterbury in Christchurch. He started shooting with FTR in 2014 for the Christchurch Rifle Club and was selected for the New Zealand FTR Team in 2018. He switched to TR after the 2018 NRANZ Nationals and F Class match and was selected for the New Zealand 2019 Under 21 Team. Daniel is currently a member of the Malvern Rifle Club in Canterbury.

Daniel is excited to be a member of this team in his first team trip overseas and looks forward to seeing lots of what South Africa has to offer and meeting everyone again who was in New Zealand in 2019

Born way back in 2004, Dom Henry grew up in Blenheim, attending Marlborough Boys’ College. Dom is currently studying at the University of Canterbury as a 2nd year law and commerce student, majoring in economics.

Dom's shooting career started at the ripe age of 12 when given the opportunity to have a go at smallbore rifle shooting through intermediate school. Dom has gone on to represent New Zealand multiple times for 25yd and 50m smallbore rifle shooting alongside competing in both air rifle and 3-position shooting.

Dom was introduced to fullbore in 2021 and has since pursued the discipline as his main form of shooting. World Champs in South Africa will be Dom’s first Palma match and first overseas shooting event.

Dom is super excited to meet new faces from around the globe and compete in foreign conditions. 

Born in South Africa in 1971, Gavin was raised and educated in Port Elizabeth. A Civil Engineer by profession, he has spent the last 20-odd years in leadership roles in construction businesses in South Africa and since 2007, in New Zealand. He is currently CEO of a Civil Construction business based in Cambridge in the Waikato, NZ.

Gavin stems from a shooting family that now goes back four generations. His grandfather and father both shot fullbore in Rhodesia and his father represented the Orange Free State in Bloemfontein in the late 1960's. His eldest brother, Stuart, won the Eastern Province Fullbore Champs as an 18-year-old in the late 1970's. Both his daughters also shoot and both have represented NZ on numerous occasions, with Samantha being a member of the 2019 u21 World Championship winning team and Jessica having won the NZ Ladies and Juniors air rifle championships for multiple years and is now also shooting fullbore. Gavin started shooting in 1984 while at Grey High School, obtaining full school colours for outdoor .22 and was captain of the school shooting team. He also represented the Group 6 Command (military cadets) during this time. He got back into .22 shooting in 2014 in NZ when his elder daughter, Samantha, started shooting at her local High School. He has gone on to represent NZ for .22 indoor and 50m prone outdoor and won the NZ 50m Prone Nationals in 2019. He represented NZ at the Oceania Championships in Sydney that year too. He started shooting fullbore in 2020.

Born in 1963. Irene moved with her family to the township of Opotiki when she was 12, where she still lives with her husband Stuart, they have two sons and five adorable grandchildren. Irene studied Dairy technology at Massey University and then moved into Electrical. Irene is currently the maintenance electrician at Whakatohea Mussel – Open Ocean processing factory, projected to become one of the Southern Hemisphere's largest green-lipped mussel farm. The work is challenging, but the factory is a new one, so it’s mostly tracking down loose connections, engineering and monitoring refrigeration plants and freezers.

Irene began her shooting career in September 2011, attending her first Nationals at Trentham in January 2012 as a C-grade competitor, and discovered as many shooters have had before and after, that shooting at the Trentham Range can really do your head in.

Irene has represented NZ in 300-meter World Championships in Grenada in 2014 placing 25th, in Camp Perry Ohio in the World Long Range in 2015, and was awarded the woman’s top shooting medal in the 2019 World Long Range Championships.

Born in 2001, Jacob grew up in Blenheim at the top of the South Island. He then spent some time studying in Christchurch before moving back to Blenheim where he is currently working and studying land surveying.

Jacob’s shooting career was first inspired through his hunting which he started at around 5 years of age. Fast forward to his high school years and this is where he first began smallbore rifle shooting which progressed into full bore rifle shooting. 

Jacob was selected as the reserve for the New Zealand u21 team at the 2019 World Championships and is excited to have been selected for both the New Zealand u25 and Open rifle teams to travel to South Africa.

Jacob is looking forward to travelling overseas with a great group of friends and meeting many more like minded international competitors.

James is a relative latecomer to fullbore shooting having fired his first centrefire rifle in 2018. He has been a competitive smallbore shooter since the age of 13. The 2024 World Long Range Championships in Bloemfontein will be his first.

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In smallbore James has represented New Zealand first as a junior and then in open teams at several Oceania Games and World Cup matches in Australia, USA, and Europe. Most recently he competed at the ISSF World Championship 300m prone event in Cairo, Egypt in 2022.

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To fund his sport James obtained his PhD in Anaesthesiology in 2007 and is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Medicine, University of Auckland, where his research is focused on how anaesthesia disrupts the circadian clock. This has included satisfying projects such manipulating the homing behaviour of honeybees and tracking them through the air using harmonic radar and changing the daily bioluminescence patterns of transgenic Drosophila using anaesthesia.
 

Born in 1962, Johan grew up in South Africa’s Northwest Province, about two hours from Johannesburg. A Chartered Accountant by qualification, Johan has worked in various industries, currently serving as a Finance Business Partner in the engineering and construction sector.

Johan and his wife, Lizette, have three children. Andre and Reece, who are also in the New Zealand Rifle team, and their daughter Leanne. Johan started shooting both .22 and full bore in 1977, while still at school. After representing his club and provincial teams’ numerous times, he was first selected to represent South Arica in 1993. Since then, Johan has represented South Africa in 63 test matches, 2 Commonwealth Games, and 5 Palma matches to date.

In 2017, Johan immigrated to New Zealand, with his family. This will be Johan’s first time representing New Zealand, and he is looking forward to his 6th Palma match as a Kiwi. This will be the 4th Palma for Johan and Andre in the same team, and a first with Reece also in the team, a proud moment indeed. Johan is excited to catch up with shooting friends from around the world, as well as to make some new friends.

John was born in 1946 on a farm east  of Masterton. He was educated at Scots College,Wellington, then at Massey University. He graduated as a veterinarian in 1971 and set up his own mixed practice in Masterton with wife Jan and has 3 children.

He became a Queens 50 finalist while at uni using his right shoulder. He soon changed shoulders and shot his first Palma Match in 1979. This will be his 11th World LR Champs and 10th Palma having been a shooter,a master coach and a captain. He has led 3 NZ teams to Bisley.

John had 12 yrs on the NRANZ Council and several stints as President of the Masterton RC. Last year was his 19th Imperial at Bisley and is looking forward to catching up with friends from around the world. This is John’s 45th year in the NZ Rifle Team and finished 10th in the Ballinger Belt  two months ago.

Born in 1959, Martin grew up on the family farm in Mid Canterbury. Martin has worked in the agricultural industry all his life purchasing his first block of land in 1995. Martin and his partner Alison now farm 456 hectares. They have 3 adult children and Martin has one daughter in Australia with 2 grandchildren.

Martin started fullbore shooting in 1973 when he joined the Ashburton District Rifle club.

Martin returned to fullbore shooting three years ago after over 20 years away and is looking forward to his first WLRC and Palma Match.

Martin is looking forward to the experience and meeting new friends. 

Born in 2000, Megan grew up in Lower Hutt, being taken to the Trentham range by her mother every weekend. She then moved to rural Canterbury region in the South Island where she started smallbore shooting at age 13. She was instantly hooked and took up fullbore shooting like her parents at age 15 with the Ashburton District Rifle Club. She now lives in Auckland with her partner and works at a District Court.

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After Megan’s Under 21 and Under 25 team’s successes at the 2019 WLRC, Megan looked towards her next goal, which was to make the New Zealand Palma Team. This will be Megan’s first time shooting overseas and she is excited that she is doing it with the Palma Team in South Africa.

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Megan is looking forward to shooting in Bloemfontein, like both her parents have done before and is looking forward to trying out an unfamiliar style of shooting - Bisley style. She is excited for this opportunity to work with some of the best shooters in the country who she aspires to shoot like. 
 

Born in 1997, Reece grew up in Johannesburg South Africa and immigrated to New Zealand in 2017 where he attended The University of Auckland and obtained a Bachelor’s Degree. He now works as a Master Data Specialist at one of the biggest Kiwi owned companies in the country. When Reece isn’t on the range, you can find him out and about in the surf or exploring all that New Zealand has to offer with his partner, Megan.

Reece grew up in a competitive shooting family and has always had a keen interest in the sport. He was fortunate enough to represent the South African Under 19 team for 5 consecutive years and has toured England in 2013 and 2016. In 2019, he represented the New Zealand Under 25 team at the World Championships where he and his team obtained bronze in the Under 25 Palma match. 

This year Reece is looking forward to competing alongside his family who are also part of the New Zealand Palma team as well as catching up with all his old friends from around the world in Bloemfontein. 

Robert Johansen from Gisborne started shooting in 1992. In 2001 he made his first New Zealand Team, being selected as a member of the team that successfully won the Australia Match. One of only three teams to do so.

This team to South Africa will be the 5th Palma Competition Robert has taken part in and his 6th World Long Range Championship. As well as team shooting Robert enjoys the challenge of individual shooting and has had a number of successes. The highlights of which have been winning the Duncan in Brisbane and the Oceania 300 metre Championships.

Rob is 23 years old and from Wellington. Rob joined  the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 2020 as an Avionics Technician and is currently posted to RNZAF Base Ohakea.

Rob started fullbore shooting in 2016 with the Petone Rifle Club. He attended his first WLRC at Trentham in 2019 as a member of the New Zealand u21 team. This will be Rob’s first Palma.

Rob is looking forward to the challenge of a new shooting style and his first oversees competition.

Born 1999, Sam grew up in Rangiora just outside of Christchurch, living there for 22 years and now living in Christchurch.

Sam works as an electrician for Fitzwilliam electrical where he worked for four years as an apprentice and now two years qualified. He enjoys the variety of work that is offered to him.

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Sam started going out to the range as a kid with his dad and started to take the sport seriously in 2012/13. The 2019 world championship was Sam’s first time shooting as an U21 NZ shooter. After the completion of the championship Sam had to make a hard decision with damage in his right shoulder. He made the call to switch to left handed shooting in late 2019. This came with all sorts of issues and problems but with time and lots of practice Sam has taken to this and now is better than ever. 

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He is looking forward to competing in his first Palma team in South Africa and also first overseas trip. As well as shooting with his father and catching up with friends from the 2019 worlds.

Born in 1998, Samantha originally from South Africa grew up in both SA and New Zealand. She has spent most of her time living in Tauranga where she also studied at Waikato University. She currently lives in Christchurch and works as an Auditor. 

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Samantha’s shooting journey originally started with smallbore at 14 years old, which she has since had many achievements at a club and New Zealand level. She was introduced to fullbore in 2018, six months before the 2019 Palma and has been continuing with both disciplines since. This will be her first time competing in the New Zealand Palma team.

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Samantha is looking forward to going back to her home town to see family and friends after a long time away, but mostly excited for the opportunity to shoot for New Zealand along side her Dad and sister.