According to figures released by New Zealand Police (and recently reported in the media), at least 900 people joined gangs in 2020, a 13 per cent year-on-year increase.
It was reported that the majority of recruits are young men, with Canterbury University sociologist, Jarrod Gilbert noting that “there were a number of reasons why young people joined gangs, but the main factors were they wanted a sense of family or brotherhood”. Sport clubs can (and should) provide a positive alternative.
One of the biggest obstacles to the growth and well-being of amateur sporting clubs nationally may be the increasing insistence of high-schools to charge students who want to join school teams which play in local sporting competitions.
While the cost of participation varies by sporting code, it’s not uncommon for families to be asked to stump up over $100 per child, before the costs of clothing and equipment.
$30 million will go a long way to saving community sport. 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.
The Government's $265 million Sport-Recovery-Package is a significant financial promise to sport in New Zealand. While a welcome development, what it is actually used for, how it is accessed and distributed, and who benefits, are all still largely unknown.
Around 16% of New Zealand’s sports clubs (based on the Association's national database) directly applied for and received welcome financial relief in the Government’s second COVID-19 package for community sport.
It's been reported that the Community Resilience Fund has paid out just under $15 million to 2,070 entities nationally, (not all of which were incorporated sports organisations). Neil Millar and Lalia Harre debated the pros and cons of the grant allocations with RNZ’s Wallace Chapman on “The Panel”, on Friday evening.
The New Zealand Amateur Sport Association Inc. is interested in learning more about the current state of Sports Clubs across New Zealand.
The Final Report for the 2019 National Sport Club Survey (NSCS) has been released and is available for download. The (NSCS) aims to generate insights that can be used to improve sport for all New Zealanders. While other sport industry data exists at individual level this survey provides a unique snapshot of the sport sector at club level.
The Association and AUT’s Sport Performance Research Institute New Zealand are working in partnership to deliver the 2020 NSCS, which launches on Monday, 31 August. This is the third year of this important national study. Sport Clubs across more than 90 separate sporting codes, from all around New Zealand, have received an invitation to participate.
Insights from the 2020 National Sport Club Survey (NSCS) are now available. Over 1,100 sport clubs responded across 80 sports and all 17 regions of New Zealand responded to the survey invitation. Among key survey findings, a higher proportion of clubs connected to New Zealand’s most traditional sports like rugby, cricket and netball report being “hit hard” by the impact of COVID-19 compared to other team sports.
Following the implementation of a Relief Package to support community sport organisations, there is an equally urgent need to develop a Recovery Plan which returns confidence to New Zealand’s sporting communities.
The Recovery Plan will need to involve a nationwide “It’s O.K. To Play” publicity campaign, together with a joint-funding approach from Central Government and the business community, supported by a comprehensive review of National Sport Organisation governance.
Te Whānau A Apanui, Whanganui, Ngāti Apa, Ngāti Hauiti, Taranaki Whānui Ki Te Upoko O Te Ika. Adrian is a Trustee for Te Maru o Ruahine Trust and Rūnanga delegate for Ngāti Upokoiri hapū†of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Hauiti. A Trustee for Te Kura O Ōtari, Adrian is also Chair of the Anihaka Terenui Matakuariki Lands Trust and he is a former Trustee for Te Rūnanga O Ngāti Apa.
Adrian has a diverse background in broadcasting and the arts and has worked at Te Reo Irirangi O Te Upoko O Te Ika (1161AM) since 2004 in various roles, currently as the Station Manager. He has also worked for Māori Television as a Reporter during that period. He has a degree in Māori studies from Victoria University and is currently completing a diploma in Journalism at Whitireia. Adrian has managed Te Upoko O Te Ika since 2015 and is working towards getting the station broadcasting on FM. The other main project he is working on is getting a regular amateur sports show started in 2018.
Create a resourced office to enable the Association to implement its strategy.
The timing of this evening’s COVID announcement is not optimal for those involved in weekend community sport. Many organisations and their volunteers are planning for delivering opportunities for community participation in sport under the national requirements for Alert Level 2, but with uncertainty as to whether or not this will be possible.
As part of its consideration of the physical impacts and costs of COVID-19, the cost to the mental health and social well-being of Kiwis arising from possible national cancellation of community sport must also be considered by Cabinet as part of its deliberations of current COVID status levels.
Te Upoko o Te Ika radio has teamed up with the New Zealand Amateur Sports Association to produce and broadcast a new programme called ‘The Amateur Sports Hour’, on 1161AM and via the internet on tunein.com.
Click on this story to read more and listen to the latest programme.
If you'd like to have your amateur sport club, personality or story broadcast on the show, contact the Association for more details.
Patron
Andy has had involvement in the Halberg Trust (now a Life Trustee) and is the current President of the New Zealand Rugby Foundation, of which he was an original First Fifteen Member. A former All Black Captain (1974-1976), Andy has the rare distinction of captaining the All Blacks in every test in which he played. He made his Wellington Rugby debut in 1967 and played 147 games for the Wellington Lions, captaining them to a win in the Ranfurly Shield in 1974. A Life Member and former President of the Wellington Rugby Football Union, Andy is also a former President and Life Member of the Centurions Rugby Football Club, and former President of the New Zealand Rugby Union.
Andy has been involved with rugby coaching and in administration from Club to National level, also writing a report for Irish rugby on the state of it's game and it's way forward in the professional era. He has had a passion about the participation of people in sport and recreation, to these ends has been involved with the Hutt City Council in bringing Clubs together to share facilities (buildings, human resource and costs). Andy believes that the Association can contribute "big time" to the survival of Clubs and the participation of all, of all ages, in activities that they choose to be involved with in their communities.
The impact of two World Wars on New Zealand community sport was profound. The values of sport were seen as creating the foundations of military victory, with the inter-war years seeing a flourishing of sport participation and club membership.
Over 75 years later, many of the challenges facing community sport may well require a revival of post-War values, as New Zealand society grapples with the social and financial impacts of COVID-19 on membership of, and participation in, community sports clubs.
Media reports that New Zealand children of 14 or 15 years of age are now being targeted for contracts by sporting franchises, should prompt New Zealand authorities to review laws preventing the exploitation of children.
While sportspeople and sporting communities across the country eagerly await the lifting of restrictions on community sporting activities, both on-field and off-field, there is a challenge for all sporting codes to describe what will constitute a “safe” environment for playing sport and socialising around sport in the future.
To move community sport “from crisis to confidence”, an open and honest discussion by all stakeholders will be required, with the Association willing to support this process through its comprehensive network and database of New Zealand community sport clubs.
As reported by TVNZ's "1 News" on Wednesday, 21 October, the appointment of an independent commissioner to review the administration, participation, facilities and funding of sport in the Auckland region over the next ten weeks is timely, given the challenges created by the on-set of COVID-19 and its impact on New Zealand communities. However, the review should cover sport nationally, given two-thirds of sport-loving Kiwis live outside Auckland.
Data from the 2020 NSCS which revealed that only a minority of sport clubs have received COVID-19 financial relief, with an increasing number of clubs also reporting that they are losing money and membership, may be surprising to government and its crown agency for sport, given the COVID-19 support packages made available this year.
It's perhaps less of an indication that financial support is not required by New Zealand’s sport club community, and more likely an indication that there are barriers to that support being accessed by those who need it most. COVID-19 may have exposed a dangerous disconnect between the organisations strategising for sport and the organisations largely responsible for delivering it to local communities.
On both sides of the Atlantic, major sporting codes are suffering from COVID-19, with traditional commercial models exposed (perhaps fatally) by social isolation policies implemented in most countries, (apart from the Belarusian Premier League, or “Vysheyshaya Liga” which is continuing to play to packed stadiums, regardless). In the United States, Major League Rugby has been cancelled for 2020, with franchise-owners honouring salary payments to players, while in the UK, Premier League Club owners are looking to the Government for a financial hand-out. Without money, it seems, the sporting world’s engine has seized. The Association spoke with Scott Lawrence (USA Rugby) and Andrew McKenna (TalkSport) about the new world of sport in America and the UK.
You can apply to become a Full Member of the Association, or you can simply choose to subscribe to our regular e-zine newsletter, (“For The Love Of The Game”), providing regular updates on amateur sport in New Zealand.
By becoming a member of the Association you become part of a new movement in support of amateur sport in our local communities. It is a movement where members are linked by their “love of the game, for the game’s sake”, whatever their chosen sport.
The Association's Constitution requires the appointment of an Honorary Auditor and Solicitor.
New Zealand Amateur Sport Association President, Andy Leslie MNZM, is sending an open-letter to all New Zealand local authorities, requesting financial relief from all council levies for local community sport organisations and clubs, arising from COVID-19.
The letter will be sent to the 78 City, District and Regional Councils in New Zealand, which provide facilities and services, at a cost, to local community sport clubs and organisations. A waiver of these costs for 12 months is proposed.
Campbell is highly experienced in governance, coaching and sports administration. He is dedicated to the benefits that amateur sport brings to all our communities, particularly youth in the East Coast region. Among other roles, Campbell was Coach for East Coast Under 16 Rugby team (Hurricanes), Coach for East Coast (North) Under 18 Rugby team, and Coach and Manager for the Under 16 team at the New Zealand Aotearoa-Outrigger Canoe World Championships.
Outside the Association, he is kept busy as the Timuaki (Principal) of Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Kawakawa mai Tawhiti, Wharekahika, Ngāti Pōrou, Trustee of Te Kurawānanga o Kawakawa mai Tawhiti Charitable Trust, Director of Ngāti Pōrou Miere and Chair of the Ngāti Pōrou East Coast Rugby Union and more. Campbell is currently completing his Master of Maori Studies at Te Wānanga o Awanuiārangi.
Conventional sporting wisdom suggests that community clubs experiencing financial difficulty arising from increasing costs, reducing income, (or a combination of the two factors), amalgamate with a neighbouring club to remain viable.
In many cases, the stronger of the merged entities declares the amalgamation to be a success, while the entity acquiescing to amalgamation experiences disappointment (and disappears). While amalgamation generally infers an "equal merger", it can quickly become an "unequal takeover" by the stronger of the amalgamating parties.
The New Zealand Amateur Sport Association Inc. fully endorses the outcome of a recent survey of current and past players undertaken by the Otago Rugby Football Union, which revealed that local amateur clubs are where players feel most connected to the game.
The New Zealand Amateur Sport Association Inc. seeks to establish mutually beneficial relationships with commercial organisations who support our Mission and who share our Vision and Values. Support may be provided by way of financial grants, sponsorships or through the provision of resources which enable the Association to successfully implement projects agreed by the Board as part of the Association’s Strategic Plan from time to time.
Community clubs will need to lead the recovery of sport post COVID-19, with amateur values based on volunteers essential for organised sport’s survival. Hurricanes Chairman, Iain Potter, is in no doubt that the current crisis has emphasised the value of community sport and its importance in bringing communities back together.
Noting that 2020 is likely to be “a bit of a disaster” in terms of community rugby being played, Potter is clear that the current crisis will be a timely reminder that “rugby starts at the community level”. “The reality is that the nature of every rugby club in Wellington and the spirit of every rugby club across the country is volunteerism”.
Confirm member categories, targets and fees, promote benefits and actively recruit.
The New Zealand Amateur Sport Association Inc. is grateful for the support of community based funders in the pursuit of its mission through the projects agreed by the Board as part of the Association’s Strategic Plan from time to time.
As children, many of us who grew up in the 1960’s and 1970’s will recall playing sport on the street. Deserted suburban roads were often turned into make-shift tennis courts, cricket wickets, or football pitches.
The increasing commercialisation of community sport, as an integral part of the elite-sport development eco-system, has meant that for some children there is an increasing social-stigma attached to participation without the "right gear", let alone their parents being able to pay for the costs of accessing the coaching and facilities provided by their local community clubs.
"Cup-Noodle-Contracts" appear to be becoming a part of professional sport in New Zealand as COVID-19 financial strains start to impact the balance-sheets of sporting codes struggling to manage costs of recruiting, retaining and paying players.
Given that the prospect of earning-a-living by "playing the game" for most participants is simply illusory, perhaps more needs to be done by sporting codes to ensure that sporting youth are making the right choices in terms of their future adult lives and financial livelihoods.
David is the Recreation Adviser (Clubs and Schools) with Activation at the Upper Hutt City Council where he has been for the past 3 years. Prior to joining the Activation team he was Head of Commerce at Wellington College for 13 years and then went into Rugby Coaching and Development full-time, completing a Post Graduate Diploma in Sport Management at Massey University and an International Rugby Board Coach Educator qualification.
During this time David spent some time in Wales (where his family originates from) coaching rugby. He then returned to Wellington to work with Wellington Rugby for 13 years coordinating and running their player and coach development programmes and managing their development staff. He has been a New Zealand Secondary Schools Selector for the New Zealand Rugby Union and is a Life Member of the Hurricanes Youth Rugby Council Inc.
The New Zealand Amateur Sport Association Inc. is a not-for-profit incorporated society (2669211) and receives no Government funding. All funding comes by way of annual membership fees, donations, grants and proceeds from any fundraising activities and events. Making a donation to the Association assists us in our Mission to “work collaboratively with all sporting codes in promoting, fostering, advancing and encouraging the core values of organised amateur sport, with the goal of ensuring there are opportunities, incentives and recognition for all participants, (whether players, coaches, or administrators), which are aligned to their distinctive status as amateurs.” Your donation will help us to grow the profile of the Association and help our local communities to receive the support they need to maintain and grow vibrant amateur sporting clubs. Receipts will be issued for all donations.
The New Zealand Amateur Sport Association Inc. is a not-for-profit incorporated society (2669211) and receives no Government funding. All funding comes by way of annual membership fees, donations, grants and proceeds from any fundraising activities and events.
Deputy Chair
Dr. Sos has substantial educational and business experience in both the private and public sectors, ranging from energy and resources to health and the environment. He has served as a member of several government and non-government committees and other groups with an interest in South-East Asia.
He currently holds a number of roles in the community including immediate past Chair of Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA), Trustee and Director of the Asia Pacific Research Institute of New Zealand, Council Member of the ASEAN-New Zealand Business Council, Executive Chair of Asia Forum Wellington, New Zealand Honorary Adviser to The Asia New Zealand Foundation, Member of the Victoria University of Wellington Council and Executive Member of the New Zealand-Indonesian Council.
Michael was born in Toronto, Canada but has made his home in New Zealand since 2011. He is a passionate fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida State University Seminoles and Northland Taniwha. He holds a PhD (Sport Management) from Florida State University and an M.A. (Recreation & Leisure Studies) from the University of Waterloo. Michael is currently a Senior Lecturer at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) and the Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand (SPRINZ). He is a Board Member of the Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand and is the research-lead for the Association's National Sport Club Survey (NSCS).
Recent media reports indicating a decrease in sport participation by New Zealanders, is not news to the newly formed New Zealand Amateur Sport Association.
New Zealand's community sports clubs could lose at least half of their annual income as a result of COVID-19. Without grant-funding and membership-fees, their very survival may rely on their reserves, or Government support.
A review of the financial statements of a sample of 10 leading incorporated sports clubs with a combined annual income of over $2 million, representing 10 different sporting codes in the Wellington region, shows that on average, 25% of their total annual revenue is derived from grant-funding. When combined with membership subscriptions, on average around half of the annual income of the sample is generated from these two income sources alone.
Results of the 2019 National Sport Club Survey (NSCS), recently undertaken by the New Zealand Amateur Sport Association (NZASA) and Auckland University of Technology’s Sport Performance Research Institute of New Zealand (SPRINZ), reveal that many people deeply involved in amateur sport are not assured of a positive future. A lack of support and resources were identified as pressing issues.
Chairman
Gordon has extensive commercial, governance and leadership experience in the financial and sporting sectors, including Chief Executive and Directorship roles. Currently Director of Private Client Services at Forsyth Barr Limited, he is a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia and a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors.
A retired Premier Rugby Referee, he is a former President of the Wellington Rugby Referees Association Inc., is a former Independent Director of Hurricanes Limited (the Super Rugby franchise) and is a current member of the Centurions Rugby Football Club. Gordon is the current Chairman of the Hurricanes Youth Rugby Council Inc. and Chairman of the Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA) Foundation.
While sportspeople and sporting communities across the country eagerly await the lifting of restrictions on community sporting activities, both on-field and off-field, there is a challenge for all sporting codes to describe what will constitute a “safe” environment for playing sport and socialising around sport, in the future.
To move community sport “from crisis to confidence”, an open and honest discussion by all community sport stakeholders with government and health-authorities will be required, with the Association willing to support this process through its comprehensive network and database of New Zealand community sport clubs.
The New Zealand Amateur Sport Association Inc. encourages all local communities to support their local Harriers Clubs. An article in the press this weekend suggested that some Clubs “… are running towards oblivion as they fail to attract new members and suffer from the growing commercialisation of large-scale social running events”.
Amateur sport is a social good.
Is it wise to co-mingle the finances and operations of not-for-profit sport organisations with for-profit affiliates? Formal separation of entities may ensure the commercial failure of one, will not result in the community failure of the other.
Given the current financial challenges for community sport in New Zealand, the risks of “co-mingling finance and operations” are worth considering.
When it comes to longevity, Japan holds a number of unique records when it comes to the game of Rugby Union. The game has been played in Japan for over 150 years, with the Yokohama Football Club formed in 1866, four years before New Zealand’s first recognised game featuring the Nelson Football Club, and more than 20 years before the New Zealand Rugby Union was even conceived.
At the Golden-Oldies Rugby Tournament held in Christchurch this week, “For The Love Of The Game’ had the opportunity to talk to 80 year old Koichi Seino. Seino-san is certainly one of the oldest active rugby players in the world in the current era and he was the oldest player at the Christchurch Tournament.
Jo has over 20 years experience in senior public relations and communications roles. A former Press Secretary for the former Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister the Rt Hon Don McKinnon, she has also held communications management and marketing roles for a number of major corporates - the New Zealand Tourism Board, The National Bank of New Zealand Limited and AMP. In 2008, Jo launched Silvereye Communications and has subsequently worked with a wide range of public and private sector clients across diverse industries. Jo was a Wellington City Councillor, Chair of the Economic portfolio for six years, Chairperson of Wellington City Life Education Trust, a Board member of Positively Wellington Tourism and a national Board member of the Life Education Trust.
Vice-President
John was presented with a Queen's Honour, being appointed as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2013, for services to cricket and the community. He is a long standing Trustee of the New Zealand Cricket Foundation, a national organisation that distributes funds to assist junior and grass-roots cricket throughout New Zealand. John was a Wellington City Councillor for 15 years, holding the very significant portfolios of Sport and Events. In that time, he led the charge for artificial sports fields throughout Wellington and for the building of Community Sports Indoor Stadium at Kilbirnie.
He is a Life Member of Cricket Wellington and of the Onslow Cricket Club. John was a New Zealand international cricketer from 1973 through to 1982, the highlight of his career being a Test century against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground. In his career, he played 17 Test Matches and 18 One Day Internationals, making his test debut during the 1973-74 season. John has hosted and commentated sport nationally, on both radio and television, over many years.
Sport 2.0: Crumbling Traditions Create A Whole New Ball-Game
Over three-quarters of Clubs (77%) report receiving no direct funding from any governing body, despite most (90%) having to pay affiliation fees or levies, according to the results of a recent survey of Sports Clubs undertaken by the New Zealand Amateur Sport Association Inc., in partnership with the Auckland University of Technology.
President
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. She is still actively coaching Netball today. For her services to Netball and the community, Marian was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal in 1991.
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 & 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.
The New Zealand Amateur Sport Association Inc. recommends that all sporting clubs and codes in New Zealand adopt a framework which is similar in effect and reach to "Rowan’s Law", given the concussion risks borne by all sportspeople when competing as amateurs.
To work collaboratively with all sporting codes in promoting, fostering, advancing and encouraging the core values of organised amateur sport, with the goal of ensuring there are opportunities, incentives and recognition for all participants, (whether players, coaches, or administrators), which are aligned to their distinctive status as amateurs.
The Association encourages National Sporting Organisations (NSO)to adopt a new Code which places youth at the centre of decision-making involving their sporting participation. The Code, which NSOs are invited to voluntarily adopt, has been developed in response to increasing concern over the promotion of high-performance-development relative to life-long-participation.
A new organisation has been established by well-known sporting names and community leaders to promote and support amateur sport in New Zealand.
The newly formed New Zealand Amateur Sport Association acknowledges the concerns of school principals with the professionalisation of sports in the education system and recommends steps are taken to preserve and promote amateur values.
Ray is the Community Development Manager at the Wellington City Mission and the driving force behind the creation of "Community Sports Banks" across the Wellington region. A community adviser to Local and Central Government, Ray is also the Junior Programme Organiser for the Mornington Golf Club, in Berhampore.
Observing that people with intellectual disabilities don't have a space in many community sports groups, Ray has worked to increase the range of sporting experiences provided by the Club. Bocce, a ball game popular at the Special Olympics, has been included in the club's list of sports and Ray also coaches golf for people with disabilities.
There are six-steps immediately needed to help volunteer organisations bridge the current capability gap between “best endeavours” and “best practice” when administering and promoting sport for their communities.
Volunteers tasked with the management and administration of their chosen sport are typically passionate supporters of their game, but are they not necessarily skilled in undertaking governance, financial or other roles requiring certain knowledge, skills and experience, which can expose their organisation (and potentially themselves, if their organisation is not incorporated, or becomes unincorporated), to potential risk and liability.
Recent media reports indicating that the rights to broadcast certain student sport competitions have been sold by New Zealand secondary school sport’s governing body, underscores the increasing alarm over decreasing teenage participation in sport and the flow-on impact for community sports clubs.
When first introduced to Parliament in July 1908 by then Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, the Incorporated Societies Bill was intended to provide “a simple method by which societies established for any purpose, other than pecuniary gain”, could become incorporated.
113 years later, this Association and Government agree that proposed reform of the Incorporated Societies Act 1908 should improve, not impair, the governance capability of New Zealand's sport clubs, with Cabinet now considering suggestions to moderate the impact of the proposed regulations on smaller societies.
If you visit any Secondary School or Club, upon entering you will more than likely be greeted by a cabinet of gleaming trophies, representing the success of the various teams that the School or Club supports. Signs of success such as these are important in establishing the value of the sporting community (or "tribe"), as it seeks to differentiate itself from others with similar goals.
Historically, the pride in the display was intended to demonstrate the values of the community through sport. More often than not, trophies on display will be named after a person (or persons), whose contribution to the sporting community has resulted in their values and success being idealised in the trophy being competed for.
Connect with kindred global amateur sporting bodies on a co-operative basis.
Treasurer
Tony is currently the General Manager of Sport for New Zealand's 49 Catholic Colleges and 186 Catholic Primary Schools. He worked as a Professional Tennis Coach for 21 years, attaining the New Zealand Professional Tennis Coaches Qualification in 1977 and the USA Professional Tennis Coaches Qualification in 1979 at the Van der Meer Tennis University in South Carolina.
Tony is a Life Member of the Marist St. Pat's Rugby Football Club and was CEO of the New Zealand Marist Rugby Federation for 22 years, providing support to Marist Clubs in New Zealand, the Pacific, Australia and South America. Tony coached the Wellington Sevens team for 11 years, winning Wellington’s first National Sevens Title in 2002. He was a Selector for Sir Gordon Tietjens for 6 years and was then Technical Advisor/Manager of the Samoa Sevens team on the World Sevens Series in 2002 and 2003. From 2000 to 2011 Tony was the Sponsorship and Suppliership Manager for the IRB International Sevens Tournament at Westpac Stadium. in Wellington. Tony has completed a Post Graduate Diploma at Massey University of Sports Management and Coaching and an International Rugby Board Level 4 Coaching Qualification.
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The Association says there is an urgent for a COVID-19 relief package to be provided to incorporated community sports clubs from local and central government.
The relief package proposed by the Association comprises: an immediate cash-injection; regulatory relief from section 23 of the Incorporated Societies Act; and a waiver of local authority fees on use of sports grounds.
Mayor of Upper Hutt City, Wayne is now in his seventh term as Mayor. Born and raised in Upper Hutt, Wayne gained a Diploma of Pharmacy at the Central Institute of Technology in Heretaunga. He spent from 1979 – 1981 in Nebraska, USA, working on his Doctor of Pharmacy degree, before returning to set up the first Clinical Pharmacy education programme in New Zealand. In 1991, with his wife Sue, Wayne opened a 7-day community pharmacy working in conjunction with the After Hours Medical Centre of which he was a Director. He has been a lecturer in pharmaceutics and pharmacology.
He is currently Chair of the Wellington Mayoral Forum and is Patron of many groups and organisations within Upper Hutt. He was Patron to Wing 253 at the Royal New Zealand Police College in 2008, which cemented his family’s place in New Zealand Police history as Wayne’s father Colin is well remembered as one of the first Police dog-handlers in this country. Wayne is a Past President of the Wellington Rugby Football Union, Upper Hutt Rugby Club, President of the Wellington Racing Club, and is Deputy Chair of the Hutt Valley District Health Board. Wayne is also a Director on the Board of Medic Alert and Deputy Chair of the Wellington Water Committee.
How will communities overcome their fear of COVID-19 when contact sport resumes? Sports' administrators need to focus on defining what a “safe” playing environment looks like, to be able to reassure the community that “it’s O.K. to play”, when the current crisis ends.
Whether (or not) “social-distancing” or actual incidences of illness arising from COVID-19 give rise to a symmetrical stigma concerning physical contact with strangers in community sport, should be of urgent and careful consideration by administrators of sporting codes which require random (and often uncontrolled) physical contact.
Before undertaking his current role with the Association, Will was the Manager of Community Rugby at the Wellington Rugby Football Union Inc., a role he held for 15 years. A proud supporter of the Tawa Rugby Football Club, Will is a member of the New Zealand Rugby Foundation Inc. He is passionate about how sport and recreation can play a distinctive role in connecting communities.
An advocate for bringing sport into the lives of communities across the Wellington region, Will most recently in designing and implementing the Oval Hoops initiative in collaboration with Capital Basketball.