Pole vaulter Eliza McCartney makes her return to competition at the Potts Classic in Hastings on Saturday, while world ranking points will be an attraction for some of New Zealand's other top athletes taking part.
Eliza McCartney at the 2018 Potts Classic Photo: PHOTOSPORT
McCartney set a New Zealand all-comers and residents record of 4.85 metres at the same meeting in 2019.
However her career in recent years has been plagued by an Achilles tendon injury and this meeting will be important in her efforts to get to the Tokyo Olympics.
She'll have competition from Olivia McTaggart and Imogen Ayris who both made it into the top 50 in the world last year with personal best clearances of 4.50m.
The standard for entry to the Olympic Games is 4.70m.
The Potts Classic meeting has been upgraded in status meaning more ranking points are available.
An athlete that doesn't have an appropriate Olympic qualifying mark can also gain entry via their world ranking.
The women's hammer throw will be closely fought between Commonwealth Games champion Julia Ratcliffe and national record holder Lauren Bruce.
Lauren Bruce at the 2020 Potts Classic Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Last year in Hastings Ratcliffe set a New Zealand all comers and resident record of 69.94m which she improved a month later to 72.35m.
Bruce achieved a Games qualifier in September last year at the Hastings Athletic Club spring series with a Oceania and New Zealand record of 73.47m.
Former world champion Tom Walsh along with Ryan Ballantyne feature in the men's shot put, while Dame Valerie Adams and Maddison-Lee Wesche feature in the women's shot.
The men's 100m sprint will be one of the feature races on the track with National champion and Olympic hopeful Eddie Osei-Nketia taking on five time national champion Joseph Millar along with national junior champion Tommy Te Puni and Hamish Gill.
Zoe Hobbs, fresh from her New Zealand 100m resident record of 11.35 last weekend in Auckland, could lower that time again given favourable conditions on the fast Hastings track.
Hobbs is making no predications as to the outcome this time.
"I don't want to put a number to it, I'm just trying to practice what we're working on in training.
"Hopefully there will be an improvement from last week as my start wasn't as strong as what I would have hoped for so I will try and fix that up," said Hobbs.
Hamish Carson Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The New Zealand 3000m championship will be held in conjunction with the meeting.
There are a half a dozen contenders in the men's race including Eric Speakman, Hamish Carson, George Beamish, Matt Baxter, Julian Oakley, Sam Tanner, Hayden Wilde, while Matthew Taylor is defending his title.
Kara Macdermid, Jean Kozyniak, Anneke Grogan and three times New Zealand mountain running champion Sabrina Grogan are the four leading runners entered in the women's 3000m championship.
In other events World Championship runner Camille Buscomb drops down a distance and competes in the 800m for the first time since 2014.
Alana Barber was going to attempt an Olympic qualifying time in the 20k walk but recent niggles appear to have ended her chances of gaining a mark.
Competition starts at 7am on Saturday with the 20km walk, with the javelin and hammer throws at midday, while the majority of the track and other field events are from 4pm.
