From the Chief Executive
Kia ora tātou,
I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with many of you at the Connections Conference and Sport and Recreation Awards in Auckland earlier this month.
As the name suggests, Connections is designed to be a forum for those from across the sport and recreation sector to discuss current and critical topics affecting the sector and connect with one another. This year’s theme was ‘Foundations for a strong and future ready sector’.
What impressed me was the willingness of all those involved to have very candid and challenging conversations in response to that theme. Throughout the conference nobody shied away from the fact that times are tough for the sector with an incredibly difficult commercial market, a reliance on government funding (which itself is subject to tightening fiscal constraints) along with greater competition than ever for engagement (from both fans and participants) and how we balance those challenges with continuing to support our participants and ensure they have a positive experience with sport.
One of the strongest themes that came through was the need to stay connected in the face of the current challenges because one way or another we are all in the same boat and the opportunity is to learn from and help each other. Following up the sentiment with focussed action to share, collaborate and challenge our norms, will pave the way for a strong and future ready sector.
Looking to the very near future – we’re less than a month away from the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The NZ Team is now fully formed with selections for all 10 participating sports announced.
The closer we get to the Games the more it becomes clear how different Glasgow will be to previous Commonwealth Games. The 10 sports will take place across 4 venues, there won’t be an athletes’ village, and many athletes will share accommodation and transport with the public. The NZOC, supported by several of our HPSNZ Athlete Performance Support practitioners are doing a great job of adapting the services they will provide to ensure the NZ Team athletes get all the support they need. It will be fascinating to see how these Games unfold.
And while a reduced number of sports means we won’t see some of our traditionally strong Commonwealth Games sports like Rugby 7s and Squash in Glasgow, the excitement among those sports involved is building as they anticipate the important opportunity the Games provide.
Good luck to everyone involved.
Ngā mihi
Raelene
HPSNZ on the ground support at Glasgow 2026
A five strong team of HPSNZ Athlete Performance Support (APS) staff will be on the ground at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games as part of the NZ Team to support all New Zealand athletes.
The highly experienced Commonwealth and Olympic Games Performance Nutrition lead Christel Dunshea-Mooij and Head of Performance Physiotherapy Jordan Salesa, will join the NZOC Core Support Team along with Physiologist Stephen Fenemor, Performance Psychologist Brent Membery and Performance Health Nurse, Jane Probert.
In addition, a further 11 HPSNZ APS staff will support individual NSOs and their athletes in Glasgow.
Supporting Cycling NZ athletes will be Performance Nutritionist Lucy Trollope, Physiologist Carl Bradford, Performance Physiotherapists Lauren Shelley and Kelsi Parker, Performance Psychologist Rachael Lockhart and Performance and Technique Analyst (PTA) Sam Bremer.
Performance Physiotherapist Louise Johnson will provide support for Athletics NZ athletes while Strength and Conditioning coach Mike Jacobs will be in Glasgow in his capacity as coach of Para athlete Anna Grimaldi.
In addition, Performance Physiotherapist Rebecca Longhurst and PTA Matt Ingram will support the New Zealand swim team and Performance Psychologist Jenna Cowan will be on the ground with Netball NZ and its players.
Also on the ground in Glasgow as part of the NZOC Core Support Team will be HPSNZ contractors, Dr Deb Robinson and Physiotherapists Ben Ardagh and Adina Holder.
The Butcher: Leading his own campaign to LA2028
Fresh from making history as the inaugural Olympic champion in kayak cross at Paris 2024, and building momentum with a 2025 World Cup win, Finn Butcher is already deep into his next campaign.
With the LA2028 qualification cycle underway, Finn is once again at the helm of a high performance campaign he firmly leads himself.
“I’m the CEO,” Finn says simply. It’s a role he has grown into over more than a decade on the international stage, learning not just how to compete, but how to build and steer a world-class team around him.
Boxer juggles Commonwealth Games with study
Wendall Stanley at Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Credit: Matthew Impey / www.photosport.nz
Due to attend his second Commonwealth Games, Kiwi boxer Wendell Stanley is juggling his build up for Glasgow with his university studies which he is undertaking thanks to an HPSNZ Prime Minister’s Athlete Scholarship.
With his eyes set on Glasgow right now, Wendell’s long term plans are focussed on a career in sports psychology.
Wendell, along with fellow boxer Alex Mukuka, are the ‘old hands’ in the recently named seven strong boxing team.
Both Wendell, who competes in the Men’s 70kg division, and Alex who competes in the Men’s 55kg division, made it through to the quarter finals in Birmingham 2022.
The two will be joined by five Commonwealth Games debutantes to compete from 24 July to 1 August at Glasgow’s Scottish Event Campus (SEC).
Milestone event for Women in High Performance Sport coaching
Four of New Zealand’s women Olympic and Paralympic coaches – (from left) Elyse Fraser, Raylene Bates, Kirsten Hellier, Angie Dougal
Four of New Zealand’s women Olympic and Paralympic coaches – (from left) Elyse Fraser, Raylene Bates, Kirsten Hellier, Angie Dougal
Around 30 coaches from the Te Hāpaitanga programme, 20 Sport NZ Aspire coaches and Women coaching in High Performance — approximately 80 in total — gathered earlier this month for the inaugural Women in High Performance Sport Coaching Summit, a milestone moment for the sector and a powerful reflection of the growing strength and depth of women in coaching.
Bringing together participants from across HPSNZ and Sport NZ programmes, the summit created a unique opportunity for connection, reflection and shared learning across a wide range of sports, with representation spanning at least 23 sports through Te Hāpaitanga alone.
Athletics NZ and Canoe Slalom NZ building stronger pathways
Athletics Rotorua development camp. Credit: Cam Graves
HPSNZ’s pre-HP Development Initiative Support Framework continues to gain momentum, with investment now allocated across nine national sporting organisations. The initiative is supporting sports to strengthen key strategies within their pathways, with a deliberate focus on long-term impact through to Brisbane 2032 and beyond.
With previous features on programmes initiated by Swimming NZ, Rowing NZ, Cycling NZ, Yachting NZ and Equestrian NZ, the spotlight turns to Athletics New Zealand (Athletics NZ), an HPSNZ podium sport, and Canoe Slalom New Zealand (CSNZ), an HPSNZ campaign focused sport. Both are using the investment to deliver targeted initiatives aimed at improving how athletes are identified, developed and prepared for future high performance campaigns.
Changes coming to the 2027 Sports Anti-Doping Rules
The Sport Integrity Commission Te Kahu Raunui has opened its consultation on the 2027 Sports Anti-Doping Rules.
These rules help keep sport fair, protect athlete health and build trust in competition. With major global changes coming in 2027, it’s important they work for Aotearoa New Zealand – and your feedback can help.
Consultation closes on 19 July 2026.
Learn more and have your say at sportintegrity.nz/haveyoursay2027
National Sport Facilities Strategy paused
Work on a new long-term strategy to guide planning and investment in major sport facilities across New Zealand has been paused. The future of this work will depend on decisions made by the Government after the election.
As part of the work to date on the strategy, Deloitte has prepared a report on how fan expectations of live sport are changing. This report explores shifting preferences throughout New Zealand and globally – from social and digital experiences to smarter, more sustainable venues – and what this means for future sport facilities planning.
Performance Nutrition: Trust your gut: Fuelling from the inside out
HPSNZ Performance Nutritionist Katie Schofield
“Eating a wide range of foods gives my body what it needs to train hard, recover well, and stay healthy across the season.”
Training and fuelling muscles is often the focus to improve performance, but the gut plays a key role too. It’s not just about digestion, the gut helps absorb nutrients, manage hydration and support immune health. It also influences energy levels, and communicates with the brain.
A big part of this is the gut microbiome, which is made up of trillions of beneficial bacteria living in the digestive system. These bacteria help break down food, regulate inflammation, and support overall health. When the microbiome is diverse and well supported, largely through consuming a wide variety of plant fibres, athletes are more likely to feel well, energised and focused on training and competition. When gut health is off, symptoms like bloating, discomfort, reduced appetite, illness or fluctuating energy can start to impact performance.
Coaching Female Athletes takes shape through collaboration and learning
HPSNZ’s Healthy Women in Performance Sport Programme (HWiPS) has initiated a Coaching Female Athletes workstream and is gaining strong momentum, with workshops evolving organically through collaboration with coaches and practitioners across the high performance system.
Sitting as a core element of the HWiPS strategy, this work focuses on utilising the strength of the coaching relationship to better support female athletes.
While significant effort has gone into developing Health Basics resources, HWiPS Lead Sue Robson says this initiative recognises that knowledge alone is not enough. Instead, it aims to support coaching environments grounded in athlete voice, safety and choice with a clear goal of increasing coaches’ comfort and confidence in this space.
Continue reading the evolution of the Coaching Female Athletes work ➜
Athlete tips from the Performance Life team: Necessary conversations
This month the Performance Life team discuss necessary conversations and provide a top tip and video, along with the monthly golden nugget and additional reading.
Courageous, necessary, performance and Open to Learning conversations can mean the same thing. They ask us to step into discomfort with clarity and intent—being honest about what we think and feel, while remaining genuinely open to others. Yet even when we try to communicate well, it’s easy to slip into defensiveness, assumptions, or a fixed mindset that limits understanding.
The Open to Learning model helps guide us through these moments by encouraging curiosity over certainty—supporting us to share our views transparently, listen deeply, and examine both our own thinking and others’ perspectives so that conversations become a space for growth rather than conflict.
Performance Life Top 5: Necessary conversations
This month’s video clip from the Performance Life team:
Top 5 Tips for Necessary Conversations
Golden Nugget
“The conversations that take the most courage – those in which you speak candidly and listen openly – are those which make the biggest impact.” — Leigh Branham
Recommended resources
Fran Kershaw TEDxTalk
“Dare to Lead”. Author – Brene Brown