A Black Sticks Men squad of 16, led by Nic Woods, has been named for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Black Sticks will begin their Olympic campaign against India, July 28, before also facing defending champions Belgium, Australia, Argentina, and Ireland in the pool stage.
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The side will feature two players at their fourth Olympic Games (Hugo Inglis and Simon Child) and six at their first.
The team won the FIH Nations Cup in Poland earlier this month, beating France in a shootout in the final.
Head coach Greg Nicol says the team is peaking at the right time with a lot of work having been done to get Games ready.
“We have worked exceptionally hard to get ourselves to the physical level we need to be at, but we have also worked hard on supporting each other on and off the pitch,” said Nicol.
“One of our themes is kotahitanga - unity - and the notion that we are all climbing this mountain together and are helping each other become the best versions of ourselves," said Nicol.
Meanwhile, captain Woods felt the team was in good form.
“We’ve had some excellent preparation this year and we’re coming into Paris with belief in our abilities as a team,” said Woods.
“We will definitely be the underdogs but we relish the challenge and opportunity to try and do something truly special.”
Team members were presented with their playing kit by members of New Zealand’s gold medal-winning hockey team from the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
The kit features a homage to the 1976 side, featuring the names of the athletes inside the shirt, as well as a similar design to that worn in Montreal.
BLACK STICKS MEN SQUAD
Nic Woods (Captain)
Dom Dixon
Charlie Morrison
Kane Russell
Blair Tarrant
Simon Yorston
Sean Findlay
Isaac Houlbrooke
Joe Morrison
Hayden Phillips
Scott Boyde
Simon Child
Sam Lane
Jake Smith
Hugo Inglis
Dane Lett
Leon Hayward, Brad Read and Malachi Buschl have been selected as travelling reserves. George Enersen, Benji Culhane, David Brydon, Aidan Sarikaya, George Baker, Jonty Elmes and Sam Hiha have been selected as non-travelling reserves.