Issue 56 : 31 May 2020
Talofa Lava, Kia Orana, Malo E Leilei, Tena Koutou, Hello ...
... and welcome to the latest issue of “For The Love Of The Game”, the official e-zine of the New Zealand Amateur Sport Association Inc. We hope you enjoy reading the articles below.
If you have any feedback on this issue, ideas for future articles, or would like to contact the Editor, please click here. And, you are invited to forward the e-zine to others you know, who may be interested in reading it.
In this issue, we announce the appointment of the Association's Officers and Board for the 2020/21 financial year, suggest how Government can provide grassroots financial support for Kiwi families and profile a double-sporting international who played "for the love of the game".
If you are interested in applying for membership of the Association, please click here.
New President Elected At Association Annual General Meeting ...
Marian George QSM, was elected the second President of the Association at its Annual General Meeting, held on Tuesday last week. Marian has served as the Association’s Vice-President since its formation in 2017. With a strong background in sport at all levels, Marian is a Life Member of Netball New Zealand and a former member of Netball New Zealand’s National Executive. A former New Zealand Netball Coach, winning both international and national titles, Marian was also a Netball New Zealand Selector for four years, as well as serving the sport as a Netball New Zealand A Grade Umpire.
(Marian George QSM is the Association's second national President)
Marian was the Founder and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the North Harbour Regional Sports Trust for 12 years. She has undertaken advisory roles to Sport and Health at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) and to the New Zealand Qualification Authority. She has also been an active representative of regional sports bodies to Local Government and is a past member of the Board of Tennis New Zealand.
John Morrison MNZM, a Founding Member of the Association, was elected Vice-President.
Andy Leslie Awarded Life Membership ...
Following three years’ service as Association President, Andy Leslie MNZM was awarded Life Membership of the Association at last week's Annual General Meeting. Andy’s mana across New Zealand’s sporting community has been of immense value to the Association as it has grown its national awareness since its inception in 2017. Through his extensive networks and other roles in sport governance, the Association’s Board has benefited from Andy’s wise-counsel, helpful introductions and generosity of time.
Andy’s support of the Association will continue in the role of Patron.
(Chairman, Gordon Noble-Campbell and Association Life Member, Andy Leslie)
Ray Tuffin Joins Association Board ...
In addition to the appointed Officers, 12 Association Members were elected to the Board at last week’s Annual General Meeting, including Ray Tuffin. Ray has worked within the community for 15 years as a volunteer and through his role with Wellington City Council as a Community Liaison Advisor, and as an Engagement Advisor for a Member of Parliament. Ray is a PGA Golf Coach and completed three years working within schools developing a values and healthy habits based golf programme. Ray runs an accessible golf programme at the Berhampore Golf Club for disabled sportspeople. More recently, Ray has been the driver behind the creation of a number of "Community Sport Banks" in the Wellington region.
(Ray Tuffin has joined rhe Association's Board)
In addition to the elected Association Officers, the Board Members for the 2020/21 year are: Will Caccia-Birch; Jo Coughlan; Campbell Dewes; Jill Gower; Wayne Guppy; David King; Tony Meachen; Dr. Michael Naylor; Gordon Noble-Campbell; Dr. Farib Sos, MZNM JP; Adrian Tangaroa Wagner; and Ray Tuffin.
New Bay Of Plenty Association Branch Chairman Appointed ...
Benji Crossley is a Tauranga-based lawyer. Originally from the Bay of Plenty, he’s spent the last ten years working in the sports industry both domestically and internationally and returned to New Zealand this year, following seven years in London where he worked at the Rugby Football Union based at Twickenham. Working at the professional end of the game, he was also involved at the grassroots level, helping to ensure that the playing-offer was appropriate for all participants in the game. Navigating England Rugby’s famous bureaucracy has given him a great insight into how organisations and people work.
(Benji Crossley joins the Association's regional leadership group)
Benji was Match Manager of the Rugby World Cup 2019 – his second World Cup in this role. Benji was also involved in the Women’s World Cup in 2017 as a Match Commissioner. He joins Dr. Michael Naylor (Auckland) and Warren Inkster (Canterbury), as the Association’s third regional representative, for the Bay of Plenty region.
Viewpoint : “Kids In Clubs” Offers A Solution For Community Sport ...
$30 million will go a long way to saving community sport.
The Association suggests that just over one-third of the Government’s short-term support package of $83 million should be applied to a new “Kids in Clubs” programme, providing vouchers enabling children of families experiencing COVID-19 related financial hardship to join their community sports club. While the Government's $265 million Sport-Recovery-Package is a significant financial promise to sport in New Zealand, what it is actually used for, how it is accessed and distributed, and who benefits, are all still largely unknown.
(An estimated 300,000 Kiwi children will be affected by post-COVID-19 financial hardship)
In New Zealand, if we assume (per Treasury's recent forecasts) that around 150.000 New Zealand households may potentially be affected by increased unemployment by year-end, and (on average) that there are two children per New Zealand household, a support programme could cost up to $30 million to implement in its first year. This sum would represent around one-third of the Government's $83 million targeted for in short-term support and go directly to where it’s needed most. The grass-roots of community sport.
(Now is the time to promote "Kids in Clubs" by removing financial barriers to membership)
In summary, a "win-win" outcome for eligible families and for the sport clubs which deliver sport for them in their local community. The Association emphasises that community clubs are more than just about providing sport. They are an essential building-block supporting the social and mental well-being of all New Zealanders. Perhaps its time for New Zealand to step-up to help families-in-need enrol their "Kids in Clubs".
PGF, Hapai Te Haora And Salvation Army Present “White Paper” ...
Three community organisations, the "Problem Gambling Foundation", "Hapai Te Hauora" and the "Salvation Army" have written a “white paper”, highlighting ways that community organisations (including sports clubs), can reduce their reliance on “pokie-funding”.
They suggest that if pokie-machine losses are replaced with a government grants programme several things can be achieved. Firstly, community and sports funding can be secured so services can continue to be delivered. Secondly, there would be transparency about who gets what money and what it is used for. Finally, it would allow a review of the reintroduction of pokie machines in ways that does not exacerbate gambling harm. The paper shows that sports organisations received over $120 million in pokie-machine funding each year, with Rugby Union the greatest beneficiary, receiving 17% (or $20 million) of total grants made.
You can read the full White Paper, by clicking here.
From The Archives ...
Sports Commentary
OTAGO DAILY TIMES, ISSUE 26872, 9 SEPTEMBER 1948
Versatile Sportswoman
“Miss P. Batty, who played at centre-half for New Zealand in the women’s hockey test match against Australia last Saturday, is a versatile sportswoman, and no newcomer to representative teams. Among other activities Miss Batty is well-known as an outstanding woman cricketer, with the stamina to bowl unchanged for long periods.
During last cricket season, when she was a stock bowler for the Auckland team, she put up some remarkable performances, frequently being called upon to bowl between 20 and 30 overs in an innings and seldom having more than one or two runs scored from each over. Miss Batty is a physical education instructor at the Auckland Training College and is prominent in sport administration as well as being a talented performer.”
(Double-international, Kathleen Elaine "Peggy" Batty)
Kathleen Elaine Batty (known as “Peggy”) was born in 1920, the daughter of Alfred Batty (whose family emigrated from England in the 1890’s) and Zilla Oberlin-Brown. Originally from Whangarei, the Batty family moved to Auckland in 1921 where Alfred was employed by the International Harvester Company. Peggy and her sister Wilma attended Takapuna Grammar School, where Peggy first received sporting recognition as a champion swimmer. Having gained her School Certificate in 1938, she enrolled at Auckland Teachers College and qualified as a Physical Education Teacher in 1942. Originally posted to Rotorua Primary School, Peggy became an instructor of a new style of physical education which shifted the concept of "physed" from “training for war”, to an idea of “training for life”.
(Peggy Batty, third from left, front row, in the 1954 New Zealand women’s cricket team)
While at Teacher’s College, Peggy was a member and player for both the Ladies’ Cricket and Hockey Clubs. In 1939 she was appointed a Vice-President of the Auckland Ladies’ Hockey Association, while also playing for the Training College cricket team, where she gained recognition as a fast-medium bowler and all-rounder. Batty played four cricket test matches for New Zealand between 1949 and 1954, being a member of the 1954 team which toured England. For the tour, the team needed to fund-raise £5,000 to cover their travel costs, uniforms and equipment, in addition to a £1,000 grant from the Government.
The prior year, she had the distinction to captain the first New Zealand women’s hockey team to the 1953 International Federation of Women’s Hockey Association (IFWHA) tournament in Folkestone, England, with the team winning 16 of 20 games. However, there was no winning team, because the IFWHA tournaments were strictly amateur; athletes competed purely "for the love of the game". This non-competitive model of play continued until 1975.
Peggy Batty was employed by Auckland Education Board from 1939 to 1962 and died in 2008.
(The New Zealand Women’s Hockey Team leaving for the 1953 Tournament in England)
The Final Word ...
"No one wishes to advocate success at any price … but it is possible to play hard and yet to play fairly, decently and attractively. Our Clubs must appreciate that Victoria expects them to be successes firstly, crowd-pleasers secondly, and both whenever circumstances permit."
(Victoria University exhorts its students to achieve sporting success, in 1954)