“Taking a lot of the pressure off the athlete is a massive help!”

Meet Arie Rasmussen-Magasiva. He is a rower and Bachelor of Commerce and Global Studies Conjoint at the FISU Healthy Campus Member University of Auckland (UOA). He represented New Zealand at the last Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games in Germany. He talks about his dual career and the unique approach he has found au UOA. Welcome to the last part a three-article series on “Dual Career at UOA“.

At 23-years-old, Arie Rasmussen-Magasiva leads a super busy life despite having graduated from the University of Auckland. He is now rowing full time before pushing his studies a little bit further with a Post Graduate Certification. He recently made the New Zealand Elites in the Quad for the 2026 World Cup Teams.

Despite heavy training sessions, he manages to find some time for an online chat. With a large smile rarely leaving his face, he shares his experience hoping to help fellow student-athletes, but also coaches and universities understand what support can really make a difference during someone’s dual career pathway.

-Let’s start from the beginning. When did sport enter your life?
-I would say from the very beginning! I was born in a very sports-orientated family and my parents strongly encouraged my younger sister (who is now also a rower) and I to practise three sports while we were at school. I tend to chose the niche sports. I was never good at basketball or rugby and I have always loved the water. So my three sports were surf life-saving, water-polo and rowing. I grew up in Wellington and moved to Auckland for Uni.

-So you decided to keep the one where you stay dry?
-Haha, I did, even if that wasn’t the reason (laughs). I simply loved rowing so much that I was always at it. I went straight through to the club system after high school and did that for five years. Then I went to teams and made the under 22 New Zealand team. This was a taste of what I thought I could do. I did stop for a while, before doing the University Trans Tasman Series Team, which is kind of a stepping stone to development team. But then I was too old for under 23, but still wanted to be competitive so that is when I decided to go to the FISU World University Games, but in a single. That lead to the club season and now I have joined New Zealand elite!

-You are sometimes alone on that boat, but it remains a team sport, right?
-I am a big team person, which partly explains why I was a bit out of my comfort zone in a single in Rhine-Ruhr. I really prefer being in a crew boat, ideally sweeping in a four or a pair. I am currently in a quad, which is great too. The reason I was able to row single throughout the season is because of the support of all the team around me: all the other rowers, but also the rest of the coaching staff and entourage. So I was by myself on the water but never really felt alone.

-And what about your studies. Where they always important?
-Yes. As much as I love my sport, it always came second. My aim was to go to university and get the degree I wanted. Commerce and Global Studies is really broad and allowed me not to choose my future career as early as right after high school. That was always my ultimate goal and I wasn’t going to compromise on anything to reach it. The University of Auckland was the only place in New Zealand that offered the degree I wanted to do. It was really important to me to have something solid once my sporting career was over. Being able to carry on doing both without having to compromise was really fantastic as many sportspeople end up choosing one or the other. I am really grateful I was able to do that and manage to reach my goal.

-What were the main challenges on your dual career path?
-Time management and also tiredness. Rowing is a morning and evening sport, so I was lucky to be able to train outside study time. But it was really tough to concentrate during those morning classes right after training. Apart from that I was able to lead a pretty normal Uni life, and I know I was really lucky that way.

-Were there moments when you felt like giving up?
-I actually did! I took a break from rowing during my first year at Uni. This was before I became part of the University of Auckland High Performance Programme. The step up from high school to university while continuing the sport was quite a shock. I had a pause to thing: “How can I make this work?” And I soon found that prioritising is the answer to that question.

-You found at UOA a pretty unique tailor-made system…
-I did. I had a couple of clashes between exams and trial dates that meant I needed to go overseas and they were really good at taking the pressure of you. I knew they would work this out for me. All I had to do is email the lecturer, copy High Performance Sport and they would make sure to sort it out for me. And if there ever was a problem, they’d ask me to talk them through it, explain my reasons and put a case forward on my behalf. Taking a lot of the pressure off the athlete is a massive help. You know you can concentrate on your sport.

-Do you discuss dual career with other student in the same situation?
-Definitely with the athletes at Auckland Uni. My close friend Sav and I trained all winter together and talked about our challenges throughout. It is really nice to be able to share with people experiencing the same thing as you. They keep you going when times are tough.

-What would your advice be to fellow student-athletes?
-I would just say: “don’t doubt yourself”. Because you need to make so many decisions and you are getting so much advice from everyone around you. Trust yourself to put your priorities first and don’t be scared to take a step back to figure what these are and if they have changed along the way.

-You took part to the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games last July in Germany, what was that like?
-Speaking of the sport itself, the level was pretty high, similar to the under 23. I was a bit out of my comfort zone, especially in a single, since I mostly row with a team. But it was my first time exchanging with and competing against international teams, as before that it had only been against Australian teams. It was really cool to see all these other rowers from different backgrounds and walks of life, studying different things. It was a bit cold at first, but once we had finished racing it was a whole other story! My favourite place  was the food hall: everyone was so relaxed, all talking together. And the pins exchange was a great conversation starter. It was really awesome.

-Will you be at the London 2026 FISU World University Championship Rowing from 13-15 August?
-I would have loved to travel to Canada for the event! But I am now rowing at elite level, which is absolutely fantastic. I do advise anyone who can go to take part to an international university event like this. It really helps you grow. I wish everyone who is planning to go the best of luck!