From the Chief Executive
Kia ora tātou,
As we transition from the initial investment decisions made at the end of last year through the early part of this year, our strategic focus has been firmly anchored in supporting our sport partners to deliver high performance athlete campaigns for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
With these campaigns now established, our attention is shifting toward the pre-High Performance (Pre-HP) athlete space and the long-term development opportunities that will underpin success at Brisbane 2032 and beyond.
Over the past three years, we have collaborated with NSOs to deliver Pathways Pilot projects across the country. These initiatives have created valuable regional connections and provided young athletes with access to regional pods and support networks—resources that were previously unavailable in their home environments. This work has laid the foundation for a more inclusive and geographically distributed performance system.
As the pilot phase concludes, we are now working closely with NSOs to identify athletes in the Pre-HP space who are demonstrating the performance progression and readiness to transition into High Performance within the next 12–18 months.
Looking ahead, we are committed to partnering with sports to explore how we can collectively support the development of athletes and coaches to achieve sustained podium success from Brisbane 2032 onwards. This includes refining entry criteria, benchmarking against each sport’s Picture of Performance, and ensuring that support is targeted toward those with the highest potential.
This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of New Zealand’s high performance system. As always, collaboration will be critical. By working together, we can build a repeatable, values-based system that empowers athletes to thrive in sport and life, and delivers enduring success on the world stage.
Meanwhile, in this HPSNZ Update we continue our build up to Milano Cortina 2026 with a look at performance nutrition planning for Kiwi athletes heading to the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.
We reveal another of the innovations that contributed to the NZ Team’s success in Paris last year with a look at HPSNZ Goldmine Innovation’s Roverseas project for Yachting New Zealand.
Head of Performance Psychology Dr John Sullivan puts the spotlight on performance expectations in sport and how to manage them.
And we hear from two of our newest Te Hāpaitanga participants as they reflect on the coaching programme’s recent residency which brought the current cohort together for the first time.
Ngā mihi
Raelene
Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic perspective – Britt Hawes
Britt Hawes and her family
In this issue of HPSNZ Update, Britt Hawes, Communications and Media Manager for Snow Sports NZ, recalls her personal Games experiences and how that experience contributes to her current role.
Passionate about skiing from a very young age, Britt was a 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympian in freestyle skiing (half pipe), is a qualified ski instructor and freeski coach.
Fuelling for cold climate competition
Carolyn Cruden in Cortina
Opening a snack bar with ski gloves on, blurring goggles with sticky fingers and frozen water in a drink bottle are just a few of the practical challenges facing Winter Olympic and Paralympic athletes as they look to fuel for the physiological demands of snow sports.
So says HPSNZ Performance Nutritionist for New Zealand’s Winter Olympic and Paralympic athletes, Carolyn (Caz) Cruden, who has recently returned from an exploratory visit checking out Milano Cortina 2026 facilities in Livigno, the venue for the park ‘n pipe, and Cortina, base for alpine events for the likes of Alice Robinson and our top Paralympians, Adam Hall and Corey Peters.
Different journeys, same connections for Te Hāpaitanga participants
While Te Hāpaitanga’s programme began earlier this year, the recent residency marked the first in-person gathering for the class of 2025/26.
Programme lead Jody Cameron, alongside a talented group of facilitators, welcomed eight women coaches into a three-day immersive experience designed to strengthen identity, connection and strategic capability.
For the first time, the residency was shaped through a Pasifika lens, offering a culturally grounded and reflective approach to high performance coach development.
Roverseas goes overseas in yachting’s Paris build up
Isaac McHardie of New Zealand. Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing in Marseille, France on 31 July, 2024. (Photo by World Sailing / Sander van der Borch)
In the second of a three-part series, we reveal the details behind some of the technical innovations that led to New Zealand’s outstanding success at Paris 2024.
A second generation device that enables the transfer of data captured on boats during training sessions was a key tool for Yachting NZ’s coaches and sailors in the lead up to their successful Paris 2024 campaign.
The Roverseas was developed to enable coaches and sailors to transfer data from different training locations, both domestically and overseas.
Development of a unique hard case, complete with PC and wifi unit, and connected to Rovers (boat GPS units) brought together the expertise of HPSNZ’s Goldmine Innovation team and Performance & Technique Analyst (PTA), Alex Anastasiou.
Goldmine Innovation’s mechanical, software and hardware engineers provided the tool which enabled Alex to do additional analysis from New Zealand. He was able to feed back information to the on-the-ground Yachting NZ team that was usable across multiple squads and was not constrained by geography.
The Power of Inclusive Leadership – stories of our people part 2
The second of the four-part series of journeys which showcase the value and power of inclusive leadership features the story of Cycling NZ’s Elyse Fraser, entitled A Coach’s Journey, as told to Suzanne McFadden.
Navigating a path to excellence: Cycling’s coaching approach with heart and strategy tells the story of Elyse and her journey from elite athlete to coach within Cycling NZ’s high performance programme.
Paralympians forging connections
Paralympians Matthew Britz and Michael Johnson
What do you get when a first time Paralympian meets up with a multiple Paralympic Games athlete? Connections, storytelling and cross sport learning, according to the facilitator of the meeting, HPSNZ Performance Life Coach, Nicola Lewis-Clifford.
Following an event last month to present Para Table Tennis Paralympian Matthew Britz with his Paralympic number in recognition of his selection for the Paris 2024 Games, six-time Shooting Para Sport Paralympian Michael Johnson met with Matthew to share his personal insights and learnings with the rookie Paralympian.
Balancing the pressure: Managing performance expectations in sport
PARIS, FRANCE – SEPTEMBER 07: Anna Grimaldi of Team New Zealand celebrates with friends and family after winning gold in the Women’s 200m – T47 Final with Team New Zealand Chef de Mission Raylene Bates on day ten of the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games at Stade de France on September 07, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Franco Arland/Getty Images for IPC)
By Dr John Sullivan, HPSNZ Head of Performance Psychology
In the fourth of our series on specific areas of mental health and performance, John discusses the impact of high expectations on athletes’ mental health and provides tips for building resilience and maintaining balance in high-pressure environments. Links to further helpful information are provided at the end of the column.
National sport facilities strategy
The Sport NZ Group is developing a strategy to help guide planning and investment for New Zealand’s national-level sport facilities, stadiums and high performance training venues.
We have begun engaging with stakeholders and plan to share a draft of the strategy by August 2025. Thank you to the NSOs who have contributed to the thinking so far. Updates will be available on the Sport NZ website and in this newsletter.
Visit the National Sport Facilities Strategy page on the Sport NZ website for more information about the development of this strategy.
HPSNZers part of sporting history
RNZ is running a podcast series featuring New Zealand sports stars of the past as part of its NZ Sporting History segment.
So far three HPSNZ staff have featured in the series – Performance Life Coach Anna Simcic, Performance Team Leader Katherine Oberlin-Brown and Te Hāpaitanga Lead Jody Cameron.
Check out their interviews with RNZ’s Jesse Mulligan in these links:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018969144/nz-sporting-history-anna-simcic
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018983682/nz-sporting-history-katherine-oberlin-brown
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018986322/nz-sporting-history-jody-cameron
