Athletes from New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Singapore and the Pacific Islands that compete in the novice and under-12 divisions will all be participating in the event.

Winners of races at the New Zealand Canoe Sprint Championships are set to book a spot at the 2023 World Championships in Duisburg in Germany.

One of the most notable competitors is five-time Olympic champion and 12-time world champion Dame Lisa Carrington of New Zealand, who will be competing in the women's kayak 1,500 metre race as she looks to win in a best-of-three format.

Her biggest challenger will be compatriot Aimee Fisher who won the 2021 World K1 500m Championship, which will recreate their showdown in 2022 when the two faced off in pursuit of the one boat per nation spot as allowed by the International Canoe Federation at the World Championships.

Fisher edged Dame Lisa by 800th of a second to claim the NZCT canoe sprint title last year, but the latter went on to win the world K1 500m title along with the 200m crown.

Another competitor looking for glory in the competition is Danielle McKenzie, also of New Zealand, who will be making her New Zealand sprint national debut.

The 29-year-old is a world champion in 2019 and silver medallist in 2022.

The men's K1 100m race is expected to be highly competitive, as the top three from last year's national championships are set to compete.

New Zealand's Ben McCallum, the 2022 champion, will be facing second and third place compatriots James Munro and Ben Duffy, as this event will also be best-of-three.

Duffy will also be defending his K1 200m title, while Munro will be looking to regain the K1 500m honour.

The Asia Pacific Cup will also be taking place, with paddlers competing in the under-16, under-18 and under-21 competitions.

Nathan Luce, the Canoe Racing New Zealand general manager of performance, spoke about the significance of the competition.

"The NZCT New Zealand Canoe Sprint Championships is the highlight of our domestic season and as the event this year hosts both the Oceania Championships and Asia Pacific Cup this will add an extra dimension to the competitive programme," said Luce.

"We anticipate some top quality racing across all divisions from our world-class and developing paddlers right through to our masters, novice and under-12 entrants."

Competition is due to conclude on Monday (April 24).