Hard work is paying off for Finn Butcher who was, this week, named in the New Zealand Olympic team for Paris.

Finn was named in the K1 (men’s sit in kayak) and KX (men’s kayak cross) at Auckland's Wero white water park earlier this week.

The passionate kayaker grew up in Central Otago and began paddling aged nine at a ‘have a go’ day on a local river and immediately fell in love with the sport, developing into an elite athlete over the years.

Finn, a former Dunstan High School student who turns 29 years old tomorrow (March 17), was the New Zealand K1 reserve for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and has continued to improve his ability and world ranking since then. 

Pictured are (from left) Finn Butcher and Luuka Jones, both paddlers who are off to Paris for this year's Olympic Games.  PHOTO: NZ team Facebook 

At the 2023 World Championships he gained the Olympic quota spot for New Zealand, finishing 13th in K1 and 11th in Kayak Cross.

“It’s pretty special for me,” Finn said.

“It’s going to be amazing to go to the Olympics and represent my community and all the people who’ve helped me on my journey. To have the fern on my chest is going to be unreal.”

Finn appeared on television news and in media reports over the past few days giving thanks and credit to two men his life; Gordon Rayner and Alan Hoffman. 

New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) chief executive Nicki Nicol extended her congratulations to Finn and Luuka Jones (35), who was named to attend her fifth Olympic games.

“We’re a proud nation when it comes to water sports and canoe slalom is no exception,” Nicki said.

“At Rio 2016 we saw a historic medal, a silver medal, our first ever in this sport, and we’re extremely pleased that Luuka is joining us for another campaign.

“With Finn also selected there’s a great mixture of experience and new talent in this team so we can’t wait to watch these athletes compete in Paris.”

The Olympic canoe slalom competition will be held from July 27 to August 5 at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.