The Maadi Cup is the prize for the New Zealand Secondary Schools Boys' Under 18 Rowing Eights. More colloquially, it is the name given to the New Zealand Secondary Schools Rowing Regatta, at which the Maadi Cup is raced. The regatta is the largest school sports event in the Southern Hemisphere, with over 2,087 rowers from 113 secondary schools participating in 2023[1][2][3] The regatta is held annually in late March, alternating between the country's two main rowing venues: Lake Karapiro near Cambridge (odd years), and Lake Ruataniwha near Twizel (even years).
The top prizes at the regatta are the Maadi Cup, Springbok Shield, Levin Jubilee Cup, Dawn Cup and Star Trophy. The fastest time recorded in the Maadi Cup event was by St Bede's College in 2023 with a time of 5:42.17, which is also the overall record time for the Boys' Under 18 Eight in New Zealand. This was also the closest race for the Maadi Cup in the event's history, with St Bede's College winning by 0.06 seconds over Hamilton Boys' High School. Also in the same year was the fastest time recorded in the Levin Jubilee Cup event by Rangi Ruru Girls' School with a time of 6:27.68.