New Zealand’s rise in beach volleyball reaches a defining moment as both its men’s and women’s teams compete at the 2025 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in Adelaide. The achievement marks a milestone for the Oceania nation, whose steady growth has been powered by the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment programme.
Since 2019, Empowerment support totalling USD 462,000 has helped to professionalise coaching, expand international competition exposure and create a structure that links grassroots development with elite performance.
The Empowerment support enabled New Zealand to appoint a full-time head coach, Jason Lochhead, in 2021 and establish year-round training for both men’s and women’s squads. Under his guidance, supported by assistant coach Craig Seuseu, the programme introduced consistent technical supervision, tactical analysis and advanced video tools that have raised the overall standard of play.
New Zealand athletes benefitted from Empowerment through coaching support.
Shaunna Polley said the Empowerment support has made a visible difference for the athletes.
“FIVB Empowerment has allowed us to have really high-quality coaching at multiple events. Earlier this year we even had one event with two coaches, which was awesome. For us to be able to have multiple coaches at events has been amazing, and also access to many different coaches in different areas of New Zealand.”
That progress is embodied by the two pairs representing New Zealand in Adelaide. On the women’s side, Shaunna Polley & Olivia Macdonald have become a fixture on the Asian Tour and the Beach Pro Tour, earning podium finishes in Thailand, Vietnam and China, highlighted by a gold medal at the Challenge event in Xiamen. Their qualification marks the first appearance of a New Zealand women’s team at the World Championships since 2001, a clear sign of how far the programme has come through Empowerment support.
Shaunna Polley & Olivia Macdonald at the Beach Pro Tour Elite16 in Newport Beach.
Olivia Macdonald added that the ability to have a coach courtside has been a major boost for their performance.
“Especially with the coaches in the box now, actually being able to afford to have a coach here is huge. Without that we would be without one, so it makes things a lot easier.”
Brad Fuller & Ben O’Dea lead the men’s team after a strong two-year campaign that included victories at the Beach Pro Tour Futures event in Mount Maunganui and several top finishes on the Asian Tour. Their consistent performances secured New Zealand’s first men’s qualification for the World Championships in ten years and demonstrated how regular competition and structured coaching have closed the gap with higher-ranked nations.
Brad Fuller at the Beach Pro Tour Elite16 in Newport Beach.
Head coach Jason Lochhead said the results reflect how far the programme has come thanks to Empowerment support.
“It’s just been amazing for volleyball in New Zealand to have this kind of support and be able to go out there and play and compete against all these other massive countries. It’s been awesome for our growth and for building the programme.
“The future looks really bright, and we’re seeing the young generation get more and more into it, which is really cool to see.
“Building for the World Champs has always been a huge goal of ours to get both the men’s and women’s teams there. This is the first time we’ve ever had that, so it’s really special that we’ve been able to make it happen, and we’re lining up to do something special.”
Team New Zealand with coach Jason Lochhead.
Hosting international events has also played a vital role in this growth. The Mount Maunganui Futures tournaments in 2023 and 2024 brought world-class opponents to local shores and gave homegrown players valuable experience while inspiring new participation across the country. Today most regional associations run their own beach programmes, ensuring a direct link between school-level competitions and the national high-performance pathway.
With the World Championships being staged in Oceania for the first time, the moment carries special meaning for New Zealand’s athletes. Their group-stage matches will unfold across Adelaide’s The Drive and Pinky Flat venues between 14 and 19 November.
The women’s pair Polley & Macdonald open their campaign against Julia Donlin & Lexy Denaburg of the United States, followed by meetings with Valentina Gottardi & Reka Orsi Toth of Italy and Lea Monkhouse and Marie-Alex Bélanger of Canada. The men’s duo Fuller & O’Dea face Joao Pedrosa & Hugo Campos of Portugal, Noslen Diaz & Jorge Luis Alayo of Cuba, and Daouda Yacoubou & Mensan Toby N Tohouegnon of Benin.
The competition in Adelaide brings New Zealand’s Empowerment journey to its most visible stage yet. Their years of work have paid off, and the system that guided their growth has now turned them into steady international contenders, proving that the path paved through Empowerment leads directly to the sport’s highest level.
