From the Director of High Performance
Kia ora tātou,
Firstly, congratulations to all of our athletes who have performed so well over the past month. That success has been highlighted by our Athletics and Snow Sports athletes.
A big congrats to the Snow Sports NZ athletes, who have just completed an unprecedented season of success which saw New Zealand as the leading gold medal winning nation at last month’s Park and Pipe World Champs. Zoi (Sadowski-Synnott) achieved her fifth consecutive podium finish and third World Champ Slopestyle title, Luca (Harrington) took out the Big Air Freestyle title and Fin Melville-Ives took out the Freeski Halfpipe in his debut World Championships. Zoi and Luke earned Crystal Globes (the overall points leader for the season) and Alpine skier Alice Robinson narrowly missed out on a Crystal Globe of her own.
Snow Sports NZ General Manager of High Performance Luke Hetzel talks about the significance of these and other results for Milano Cortina 2026 and beyond in this edition of HSPNZ Update.
Congratulations also to Tom Walsh for his World Indoor Athletics Championship shot put win and to Hamish Kerr for his silver medal in the high jump.
Last month also saw CEs, HPDs, coaches, athletes, support staff and others from the New Zealand high performance sport system come together for Performance Summit 2025. It was fantastic to see everybody connecting and taking up the opportunities to learn from the presentations and workshops as well as from each other.
Opening keynote speaker Holly Ransom gave us plenty to reflect on, with her contention that we have moved on from IQ and EQ to AQ (Adaptability Quotient) and it is the ability to adapt that leads to high performance. She also used a dice as a reminder that there are many sides to something that we may not see from where we sit, and that we need to challenge ourselves to keep as many sides as possible in view.
Her top tip when it comes to performance was to ‘get comfortable about being uncomfortable’ because the things we are most afraid of are the things we need to do. Another key point that resonated with me is that change only moves at the pace of trust, underlining the critical importance of trusting relationships in high performance.
In this bumper edition of HPSNZ Update we highlight a selection of Performance Summit 2025 presentations and discussions, including reflections on Peter Cowan and Myka Nuku’s unique Paris Paralympics campaign, the role of technology in sport, looking ahead to Brisbane 2032, and the advocacy role of young athletes.
We also present the first of four long form stories from LockerRoom’s Suzanne McFadden, featured in The Power of Inclusive Leadership showcase at Performance Summit 2025 while the latest column from HPSNZ’s Head of Performance Psychology highlights the importance of athletes breaking the stigma that has surrounded mental health issues.
Ngā mihi
Steve
Season’s results bode well for Milano Cortina 2026
A medal winning programme is one of the key priorities for Snow Sports NZ and results from the just completed northern hemisphere season are very encouraging for the Milano Cortina 2026 cycle.
Snow Sports NZ General Manager High Performance, Luke Hetzel says results from the campaign have been excellent and are a good sign for Milano Cortina 2026 and for the 2030 pipeline of snow sport athletes.
“Across the season the results have been outstanding and are reflected in achievements at the Park and Pipe World Champs.” says Luke.
“We were the number one gold medal winning nation, Zoi (Sadowski-Synnott) achieved her fifth consecutive podium finish and third World Champ Slopestyle title, Luca (Harrington) took out the Big Air Freestyle title and Fin Melville-Ives took out the Freeski Halfpipe in his debut World Championships.
“In addition, Zoi and Luke earned Crystal Globes (the overall points leader for the season) and Alpine skier Alice (Robinson) was a few turns away from joining them as a Crystal Globe winner.”
Those are just some of the results Luke points to from the exciting group of snow sport athletes.
Looking toward Brisbane 2032
While much of the high performance sport sector’s recent emphasis has been reflecting on the successes of Paris 2024 and turning attention towards LA 2028, a panel discussion on pinnacle events at Performance Summit 2025 looked further ahead to Brisbane 2032.
Facilitated by Sport NZ Group Chief Executive, Raelene Castle, the high-powered panel included Rebecca Frizelle, whose impressive bio includes serving on the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games Organising Committee and the board of Paralympics Australia, Duane Kale, deputy chair of Sport NZ and HPSNZ as well as a member of the IOCs Coordination Committee for LA2028 and Brisbane2032, and Nicki Nicol, CEO of NZOC.
The panel discussion roamed across a broad range of pinnacle event questions including the outcomes and legacy Brisbane 2032 is seeking to achieve for competitors at both Olympics and Paralympics, and the learnings from Sydney 2000, the last Games hosted in Australia.
Young athlete voices being heard
Canoe slalom athlete Nick Collier is one of a growing number of young athletes putting their hand up to be part of athlete voice forums.
Nick, a pre high performance athlete, joined a panel at a Performance Summit 2025 session Athletes Leading Change, facilitated by Athlete Leaders Network (ALN) Chair, Sarah Cowley Ross.
The panel featured athletes and former athletes at either end of the experience spectrum including Olympic sailing double medallist, Jo Aleh, touch rugby’s Reihana Soutar-Finch and former athlete and ALN board member, Angela Walker-Subramaniam.
At just 21 years old, Nick’s athlete voice journey is the continuation of his involvement as a youth advocate and voice since his school days at Alexandra’s Dunstan High School.
If tech is the answer, what is the question?
A technology keynote speaker and high performance sports panellists discussed the role of technology in sport at one of the Performance Summit 2025 sessions with what might be described as surprising results.
Rowan Simpson, involved in some of New Zealand’s leading technology companies including TradeMe and Xero as well as being a former board member of HPSNZ and Sport NZ, discussed the growth and role of technology in all its ubiquity and concluded with some salient points which were picked up by his co-panellists – Gordon Walker, Technical Director and Women’s Lead Coach at Canoe Racing NZ, and Paul McAlpine, Head of Performance and Technique Analysis at HPSNZ.
“Technology affects every organisation,” said Rowan. “But it’s not what the software, does, but what the user does. Technology is a tool to address and solve problems. The big difference in the use of technology in sport is its horizontal application.”
Inside a unique Paralympic medal winning campaign
PARIS, FRANCE – SEPTEMBER 08: Peter Cowan of Team New Zealand celebrates finishing third during the Men’s Va’a Single 200m VL3 Final on day eleven of the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games at Vaires-Sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on September 08, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images for PNZ)
Coming together as a coach and athlete team for the first time in 2021, Paris 2024 Paralympic Para Canoe (Waka Ama) athlete Peter Cowan and coach Myka Nuku returned home with a bronze medal and a journey to the podium that has been unique.
The Hawke’s Bay based pair shared their journey at Performance Summit 2025, with Peter saying he hoped to prove athletes like himself can perform on the world stage. “I’ll give you something to talk about,” he says as he describes the two-year journey he and Myka undertook.
The Power of Inclusive Leadership
Four journeys which showcase the value and power of inclusive leadership were the feature of The Power of Inclusive Leadership display presentation at Performance Summit 2025.
HPSNZ Update will feature one story for each of the next four months, providing insights into the journeys and their outcomes for the individuals, their sport and the wider community.
In this first of the series, the story of Weightlifting NZ’s Kelly Ihaka-Pitama, entitled Raising the Bar and as told to Suzanne McFadden, looks at her HPSNZ Residency Experience and the role it has played in driving meaningful change at Weightlifting NZ.
Read Kelly’s full story here.
Breaking the stigma: Athletes speaking up about mental health
Simone Biles (USA) – Gymnastique Artistique – Artistic Gymnastics, Final Women’s Team Artistic Gymnastics event, during the Olympic Games Paris 2024 || 294344_0024 2024 artistic feminin femme gymnastics jeux olympiques jo JO2024 paris paris2024 sport woman
By Dr John Sullivan, HPSNZ Head of Performance Psychology
In the third of our series on specific areas of mental health and performance, John looks at the way in which athletes speaking up about mental health struggles is helping to break the stigma. Links to further helpful information are provided at the end of the column.
Athlete health resources launched
Three new athlete health focussed knowledge resources are now live. Part of the HPSNZ’s Healthy Women in Performance Sport (HWiPS) programme, aiming to give athletes a better understanding of their health, wellbeing and performance, the resources include new athlete education infographics, a pilot Athlete Performance Library and induction pamphlet
HWiPS programme lead, Dr Sue Robson, says the outcomes have been a collaborative effort across HPSNZ and the wider community. “I want to acknowledge the input from a range of other stakeholders across the high performance sector including tertiary institutions and NSOs.”
Two of the initiatives are a first, including the new Athlete Performance Library and athlete education infographics, especially for women’s health.
In addition, HPSNZ has announced a new research partnership with the University of Canterbury and the Matatū (Super Rugby Aupiki franchise) which aims to break new ground for women in sport.
Olympic rowing medallist embracing PM Athlete Scholarship opportunity
Separate conversations with fellow Olympic rowing medallist Emma Twigg and HPSNZ Performance Life Coach Tina Manker led rower Phillip Wilson to embark on what he describes as a life changing course, thanks to a Prime Minister’s Athlete Scholarship.
Two-thirds of the way into a FIFA Masters, an International Master’s in Management, Law and Humanities of Sports, Phillip feels he’s found his future direction in sport management after several years pursuing a course in Sport and Exercise.
A member of the gold medal winning eight in Tokyo and the men’s pair in Paris, Phillip shared his thinking about taking a year away from the sport after Paris with his Performance Life Coach, Tina. But then there was the question of his years after sport.
