Robbie Manson has kept his nose in front in the race to fill New Zealand's international single sculls seat this year.
Manson saw off a strong field which included two-time defending Olympic champion Mahe Drysdale in the final of the North Island club championships at Lake Karapiro.
Drysdale was fifth, in 6 minutes 53.24 seconds, nearly 14sec behind Manson.
The gap was about the same when the pair last squared off six weeks ago on the same water at the Christmas Regatta.
Manson represented New Zealand last year while Drysdale took a year off following his Olympic triumph in Rio.
The pair's duel at the national championships in two weeks' time will be critical, along with the subsequent national trials, but 39-year-old Drysdale has plenty of ground to make up.
Manson impressed as he headed off Matthew Dunham and Chris Harris while Ireland's Paul O'Donovan, the reigning lightweight single sculls world champion, was sixth.
Injury scuppered 28-year-old Manson's hopes at last year's world championships, when he missed out on a medal.
Before that, he set a world's best time at a World Cup event.
New Zealand squad members filled the podium in the women's single sculls final.
Hannah Osborne headed off Brooke Donoghue for gold, with decorated lightweight sculler Zoe McBride third.
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