From the Director of High Performance
Kia ora tātou,
We’re just two days out from the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games which get underway on Friday New Zealand time.
Congratulations to the NSOs, the NZOC and our people whose collaborative efforts have got the New Zealand Team to the start line in the best possible shape.
The exciting thing about the NZ Team that will wear the silver fern at these Games is that they have no shortage of medal prospects in Glasgow’s 10-sport programme.
While Cycling and Athletics are expected to lead the charge for New Zealand, these Commonwealth Games are once again an opportunity for lesser-known athletes in sports such as weightlifting, lawn bowls, judo, boxing and basketball to shine. The condensed nature of these Games has led to a limited number of Para sport classifications in Para athletics, Para swimming and Para cycling, but Kiwi Para athletes will be targeting the podium in all three sports, as well as Para bowls.
It’s worth noting that this month also marks the halfway point in the Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Cycle.
While some of New Zealand’s prospective 2028 Olympic and Paralympic athletes will be in action in Glasgow, others have delivered some excellent recent results elsewhere on the world stage – Paul Coll’s British Open squash victory, Aimee Fisher’s Canoe Sprint World Cup K1 gold medal and five medals for the New Zealand Rowing Team at their latest World Cup are just a few examples.
Our mahi with our partner Olympic and Paralympic NSOs is now about sharpening the focus on their Los Angeles campaigns as we work together and strive to convert potential into performance in two years’ time.
For the next 12 days, however, we’ll be cheering on the NZ Team in Glasgow.
Let the Games begin!
Ngā mihi
Steve
Let’s go Glasgow 2026
Jordan Salesa, Head of Performance Therapy, and Jane Probert, Performance Health Nurse
On the eve of their departure for the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, we spoke with two HPSNZers, seconded to the NZOC Core Support Team, about their preparations and expectations for what will be a “slightly different” Games experience.
Jordan Salesa, Head of Performance Therapy, and Jane Probert, Performance Health Nurse, share their insights in an interview with Sport NZ’s Group Media Manager, Michelle Pickles.
Ready for a different Games: Behind the scenes of Glasgow 2026
When New Zealand’s athletes walk into competition at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, their focus will be on performance. Behind the scenes, however, a dedicated team has spent months solving logistical puzzles to ensure athletes can prepare, recover and compete at their best.
For HPSNZ Head of Performance Nutrition Christel Dunshea-Mooij, who is seconded to the NZOC’s Core Support Team, Glasgow has presented unique challenges.
Christel is an experienced campaigner, having attended four Olympic Games and one previous Commonwealth Games. This year she is half of the two-person Preparation and Recovery Team (PRAT), alongside fellow HPSNZer, Physiologist Stephen Fenemor. She will also wear her performance nutrition hat in the lead up to and throughout the 11-day Games.
“This will be my second Commonwealth Games,” says Christel. “The field of play will be exactly the same, but the way the Games operate behind the scenes is very different.”
HPSNZ refreshes coaching support to strengthen medal campaigns
High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ) has launched a refreshed coaching programme designed to provide more personalised support for the coaches at the heart of New Zealand’s future podium success — those leading medal-potential campaigns and working daily with Targeted Athlete Pathway Support (TAPS) and elite-potential athletes and teams. The programme is built around a simple philosophy: supporting coaches better supports performance.
The new approach places flexibility, connection and coach-centred development at its core. Coaches can access one-to-one support from HPSNZ’s team of five Coach Consultants in a way that best suits their needs, whether through regular engagement across a campaign, quarterly check-ins, or a single targeted conversation.
Support is tailored to each coach’s unique context, challenges and ambitions.
High Performance sport features prominently in Prime Minister Modi visit
Credit: Mark Tantrum Photography
High performance sport was well represented during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to New Zealand earlier this month, with several high performance athletes on hand to showcase some of the innovations that have contributed to New Zealand’s sporting success on the world stage.
Canoe Racing’s Dame Lisa Carrington and Alicia Hoskin (pictured) were joined by Dame Valerie Adams, cyclist Sam Dakin and Para cyclist Ben Westenberg. Three products of HPSNZ’s Goldmine Innovation team – a canoe racing power blade (paddle containing data gathering instrumentation), a bespoke shot put (also containing data gathering instrumentation) and cycling skinsuits designed to reduce drag – featured in the showcase, along with a prosthetic developed by Ben Westenberg specifically for Para cyclist Nicole Murray.
Prime Minister Modi’s visit and the showcase were part of a wider celebration of 100 years of sporting connection between India and New Zealand.
HPSNZ confirms investment for Winter Olympic and Paralympic cycle
Credit: Patrick Smith/Getty Images
High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ) has invested $16.22 million directly into Snow Sports New Zealand (SSNZ) to support its Winter Olympic and Paralympic campaigns through to the 2030 games in the French Alps.
The recently announced investment is an overall increase of $2.26 million from the successful 2026 Milano Cortina cycle.
Chasing success on the water while building a future on shore
As Kate Haines puts the finishing touches on her preparations for next month’s World Rowing Championships in the Netherlands, the New Zealand representative is focused on more than performance on the water.
Alongside the demands of training and international competition, Kate has been building her future career through a HPSNZ Prime Minister’s Scholarship internship with Deloitte, an experience that is helping her prepare for life after rowing while continuing to pursue success at the highest level.
Performance Nutrition: Protect your immune system on the road
HPSNZ Performance Nutritionists Lucy Trollope and Jeni Pearce
“Athletes and staff travelling over more than five time zones have a two to three fold increased risk of illness”
Frequent travel to competitions and camps is a normal part of an athlete’s life and comes with an increased risk of illness. Even minor illness disrupts training consistency and negatively impacts performance. It’s important to support your immune system all year round and this becomes more important during travel. Enclosed, crowded and close contact environments (plane, bus, airport security, dining halls and hotel buffets), and changes in routine, increase the risk of illness further.
Read more about protecting the immune system and travelling ➜
Athlete tips from the Performance Life team: creating a home away from home
Creating a “home away from home” is important because it helps athletes transition from simply coping with travel to performing consistently despite it. The goal is to create an environment where athletes feel settled, confident, and able to focus their energy on performance rather than adapting to constant change.
Performance Life Top 5: Creating a home away from home
This month’s video clip from the Performance Life team:
Top 5 tips for creating a home away from home
Golden Nugget
“The best athletes don’t wait to feel at home—they create the conditions that allow them to perform anywhere in the world.”
Recommended resources
At Home in the World by Tsh Oxenreider is a memoir that navigates the concepts of wanderlust and finding what it truly means to feel at home while constantly on the move.