Millennium Moments

JANUARY

It has been a busy month at AUT Millennium with the reopening of the National Aquatic Centre 50m pool, members settling back into their routines and Swim School resuming for 2026. Check out what has been happening around the facility below.

All Access Members settling back in

It was wonderful to see members get back into the swing of things after some time off with their family and friends. January is always a great time to re-evaluate goals or set new ones – through our Everyday Champion Programme, our team worked with members to help them with their goals.

Hyrox training → BYD HYROX Competition

We were excited to see our members and staff training for Hyrox at AUT Millennium Gym and then using all of their training to crush it at the BYD HYROX competition from 29th January – 1st February. Well done to everyone who competed!

The National Aquatic Centre has reopened!

The Sir Owen G. Glenn National Aquatic Centre 50m pool was officially re-opened on Tuesday, 27 January 2026 at a ceremony led by AUT Millennium CEO Mike Stanley, following a four month refurbishment project. The Opening Ceremony drew several key project funders and partners, including Sir Owen Glenn, Anna Atkinson, Upper Harbour Local Board Chairperson representing Auckland Council, Sir Stephen Tindall, NZCT representatives Mike Knell and Michelle Mitchell and Niall Miller from the Bobby Foundation.

New Deep Water Running class – Hydro-X Launch

Long regarded as one of AUT Millennium’s flagship programmes, Deep Water Running has built a reputation for leading the way in delivering serious results without the impact of land-based training. Now, the programme evolves with Hydro-X, a new class designed to push cardiovascular fitness, strength endurance in a dynamic deep-water environment.

Hydro-X is a running-focused conditioning class performed entirely in deep water, where participants remain upright using flotation belts to replicate natural running mechanics. The class combines powerful running intervals with functional movement challenges, using water resistance to increase muscular engagement while buoyancy removes stress from joints and connective tissue. The result is a demanding, full-body workout that is tough, technical, and joint-friendly.

We were thrilled to launch HYDRO-X as part of the official reopening of the National Aquatic Centre. This new style of Deep Water Running class was a huge hit, and thanks to its overwhelming popularity, HYDRO-X is now a regular feature on the Deep Water Running timetable.

Swim School Holiday Intensives & Skills Clinics

Our popular Holiday Intensives & Skills Clinics returned in January for 3 weeks. Intensives are a huge hit with families who aren’t able to fit swimming lessons into their busy term-time schedules and for existing Swim School members who would like additional pool time to master a specific stroke or skill. It was great to see lots of skills being developed and most importantly children having fun in the water.

Swim School resumed

On Tuesday 27th January, our Swim School of over 2000 swimmers resumed for 2026. Our teachers were delighted to see everyone back in the water, ready to learn and have fun.

Auckland FC

AUT Millennium and Athlete Development (AD) were thrilled to host Auckland FC and their Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Team over the first leg of the OFC Pro League in January. The coaches and team made use of the Lodge facilities for film and physio needs, and our hot/cold spas and pools for recovery post games.

AD also hosted both the Auckland FC Men’s and Women’s development squads for testing blocks in early February, in both the Sports Hall and on the Track. 50+ athletes were put through a variety of fitness and agility tests by our coaches over two days, with reporting fed back to the clubs’ strength coaches for player evaluation. This will be an ongoing service AD will provide throughout the year to allow the club to track their developmental progress.

Holiday Academy

January Holiday Academy was filled with lots of fun activities to keep children aged 10 – 14 years engaged, from a fun, skills-based hockey session with hockey player and coach, Georgie Shotter, to an action-packed session at Game Over. The Holiday Academy is always a huge hit with children who like to move and be busy during their school holidays.

Our Accommodation is a great place for Sports Teams to stay, as they can get access to areas of the facility for training. At the end of January, we had Wellington Softball stay while they visited Auckland for a competition. We look forward to hosting more teams and guests during 2026.

AUT Millennium News