New Zealand Curling

Iain Craig and his side successfully defended their 2012 NZ Mixed Fours title when they won the 2013 Championship at the Paradice Avondale rink during Queen's Birthday weekend.

Craig, with Brianne Koning (replacing Tessa Farley from 2012), Josh Dallow and Holly Gosse, were undefeated through pool play – albeit only just on occasion. They became more fluent at the end of the tournament though, and were convincing winners of the gold medal game.

The New Zealand Curling Association is calling for expressions of interest from suitably qualified persons interested in undertaking the role of team coach for one or more of the national teams – excluding the national men's team – for the coming tournament season.

The latest World Curling Federation newsletter from President Kate Caithness covers WCF news, progress and updates from the last few months.

Included are a summary of the WCF's World Championship season, assistance program for Member Associations, and the retirement of the world's most successful Olympic curler.

The build-up to December's Winter Olympics qualifier for the New Zealand Men's curling team started in Japan last weekend at the Karuizawa International Championship.

Skip Peter de Boer described their fourth placing as "a slightly disappointing finish as we had every chance of winning the event. However we had 7 games against strong opposition giving us plenty to work on over the coming months."

Senior Men's silver medalists Team New Zealand: Hans Frauenlob, Dan Mustapic, Lorne DePape, Al Langille and Pat Cooney – Photo: WCF / Richard Gray

New Zealand curlers will bring home their first ever medal from a World Senior Championship.

The Senior Men's side of Hans Frauenlob, Dan Mustapic, Lorne DePape, Allan Langille and Pat Cooney have won the silver medal at the 2013 tournament in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.

Updated 24 April – The pathway to 2014 Winter Olympic qualification has been confirmed for the New Zealand Men's Curling team. They will compete at an 8-team Olympic Qualifying Event event in Füssen, Germany in December, and the top two nations from that event will earn the final two berths at Sochi next year.

Ten teams will compete at the Winter Olympics in Sochi next February. The Russian hosts are automatic entrants, as are the seven teams with the most qualifying points from the 2012 and just-completed 2013 World Men's championships - Canada, Sweden, Scotland (for Great Britain), Norway, Denmark, China and Switzerland.

All concentration from 2013 winners Warren Dobson and Kenny Thomson

High scoring ends and plenty of stones in play can make Doubles an exciting game for both players and spectators, and so it proved at the season-opening MCI Open Doubles tournament in Naseby last weekend.

Teams played in 2 pools through the weekend, and the two unbeaten sides met in the final on Sunday afternoon. And it was the pairing of Kenny Thomson and Warren Dobson who eventually prevailed over the NZ Mixed Doubles team of Hans Frauenlob and Natalie Thurlow.

Photo: WGNZ/Getty Images

Lake Wanaka, 18 March 2013 – The third Winter Games NZ will feature no less than seven World Cup events plus an elite international curling tournament as the world's best snow sports athletes head to New Zealand's spectacular Southern Alps from 15-25 August.

One of the top five winter sports events in the world, this year's Games is once again essential Olympic preparation for many international teams as they prepare for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.