If you’re coming to Oceania 2025 from anywhere north of the equator, your orienteering compass is probably balanced for the northern hemisphere. (There are some compasses with so-called global needles, but these are less common.) A northern hemisphere needle is weighted at the wrong end for NZ, and will tend to stick against the inside of the capsule rather than rotate smoothly to magnetic north. This makes it very hard to use for map orientation or running bearings.
We are trying to arrange some loan compasses balanced for southern hemisphere, but we can’t guarantee we’ll have enough for everyone. We will have orienteering vendors on site selling suitable compasses, or you can buy one before you travel. Look for MS or S on the packaging or check with your supplier.
For people already orienteering in NZ and Australia, you don’t need to worry about this – your compass will work as normal!