Corporate Teams

This is the kind of competition where everyone fits in. Seasoned dragon boater? Love it. Total newbie? Even better. One paddle and you’ll be hooked. Just ask any of the 100+ teams already on board – they started somewhere too.

Our beginner-friendly packages are hands down the best way to jump in (literally). Practice sessions? Included. No gear? No clue? No problem. We’ve got everything you need to go from “never tried it” to “can’t stop talking about it”.

The corporate category is designed for crews made up of company staff and contractors, who are looking for the team building benefits, fun, fitness, wellbeing, and competitive challenge of dragon boating.
Divisions offered included: Social, Mixed and Women’s

James Clarke, Partner, Deloitte

“It’s always a highlight to see people from different parts of our business come together into a single, focused team. One of the standout features of this sport is how the team gels and improves over the course of the season - understanding their roles, positions and routines to succeed.

We always have a lot of new paddlers who start the season trying to understand what is going on and finding new muscles.

But by the end of the season, everyone is in tune from warm up to debrief. The support provided by the Dragon Boating Festival really helps our team build itself up each year.

It’s something our people are proud to take part in!.”

The corporate category is designed for crews made up of company staff and contractors, who are looking for the team building benefits, fun, fitness, wellbeing, and competitive challenge of dragon boating.

  • A minimum number of 15 crew members must be employed by the company or subsidiary to enter our Mixed and Women’s divisions.

  • There are no employee requirements for the social division – everyone’s welcome! Perfect for smaller businesses that might need to call in a few friends to fill the boat.

  • On race weekend a maximum squad of 25 may be drawn upon to provide the crew of 20 paddlers for each dragon race. Note: drummer/caller and sweep are additional.

  • Corporate teams can choose a package that offers 6 or 10 training sessions in the lead up to the festival.

The Wellington Dragon Boat Festival offers your company team:

  • A cost-effective team training programme from January to March, designed to build individual skills and team cohesion in a fun, high-energy setting

  • Everything you need for training and race day: boat, coach, sweep, paddles and life vests

  • A welcoming, inclusive, and fun atmosphere

  • Stronger team dynamics and communication

  • A boost in company pride, engagement, and team spirit

  • Opportunities to break down barriers across departments, roles and social circles

  • Enhanced staff wellbeing and morale  

  • Improved fitness, focus, and energy levels

  • A sense of achievement and confidence through shared team goals

All you need to do is choose a team package, lock in your team’s training availability, and make sure everyone marks the key dates in their calendars.

Training kicks off from Monday 12th January 2026, for local teams. Sessions run hourly between 4pm and 7pm, Monday to Thursday. (No training will occur on Mon 19th January or Thurs 26th February) 

Once your team is registered, our Festival Manager will be in touch to help you schedule your training sessions. We’ve got you covered with everything you need – both on and off the water!

Tatiana, DataTorque

The Wellington Dragon Boat Festival is an incredibly enriching experience for us, which is why we keep coming back, year after year. Not only do we love the excitement of the big race day when our colleagues, friends and family cheer us on from the waterfront, but we also value the months of training together leading up to the event.

It’s an opportunity to interact with colleagues we might not normally work with and participate in an activity where everyone is crucial to achieving success. After each training session, when the adrenaline is still flowing, we carry the sense of joint achievement back into our work environment, resulting in greater team cohesion and camaraderie.

We feel more united, more committed, and more motivated than ever, ready to face the challenges that come our way, both on the water and at work.

Is HR holding the purse strings?

 If you’re keen to get the team at work into a boat, you might need to pitch it to the right person first. Here’s the starting point! To make it easy, we’ve put together a letter that you can edit and send straight to HR, your manager, the CEO or whoever it is that needs to give their approval. Click to download it and get the ball rolling.