From the Director of High Performance
Kia ora tātou,
Yesterday we had the privilege of hosting IOC President Kirsty Coventry (pictured above with Sport NZ Group CEO Raelene Castle) at HPSNZ.
It was an opportunity to welcome her to our headquarters in Auckland and chat to her informally about our partnership and investment approach with NSOs the NZOC and Paralympics NZ as well as our strategic priorities, with a particular emphasis on women athletes, coaches and leaders in high performance sport.
We often talk about HPSNZ, peak bodies and NSOs making up the three wheels of a tricycle and that came through strongly in our discussion yesterday as a key contributor to the performance progression for New Zealand’s high performance sport system over the past 15 years.
It was a pleasure to meet Kirsty Coventry, who was very personable and genuinely interested in what we are doing. She is someone who is very people and athlete focussed and clearly sees sport as the essence of the Olympic movement. She also expressed a strong desire for the Olympics to remain relevant and affordable into the future.
Her visit to Auckland this week has also been an opportunity to look ahead to LA28, now just over two years away. With that in mind, we’ve seen some encouraging recent results from the likes of our new yachting 49er world champions Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush, Aimee Fisher at the latest ICF Canoe Racing World Cup, the men’s and women’s team pursuit at successive UCI track cycling world cups, to name a few.
The track cyclists will be among New Zealand’s medal hopefuls at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in a couple of months.
We are continuing our focussed work on Glasgow 2026 with the NZOC and the 10 sports involved, working together to ensure, any logistical obstacles are mitigated, and New Zealand athletes are best placed for success come July, in what will be a very different Commonwealth Games.
One notable initiative over the past month has seen High Performance Directors from Glasgow 2026 and LA28 campaign sports come together for a High Performance Leaders Forum at HPSNZ. These forums are a response to high performance leaders indicating that they value the opportunity to network, learn and problem solve with their peers.
The forums are designed to leverage learning and expertise to optimise preparation for, and performance at, pinnacle events and will continue as we build towards LA28.
Ngā mihi
Steve
Building towards Glasgow: Shaping New Zealand Swimming’s podium push
As New Zealand’s swimmers track towards the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ) is playing a pivotal role behind the scenes, helping shape a programme designed not only for success in Scotland, but also aiming for a return to the Olympic podium at LA 2028.
Central to this effort is HPSNZ Coaching Consultant Craig Palmer, whose work alongside Swimming New Zealand’s high performance coaches – Graham Hill, Michael Weston and Simon Mayne – is providing both structure and challenge across the cycle.
First ever Women in High Performance Sport Coaching Summit
Women coaches from HPSNZ and Sport NZ women’s coaching programmes Te Hāpaitanga and Aspire, along with Women in High Performance Sport (WiHPS) Residency Experience coaches, will gather in June at the inaugural WiHPS Coaching Summit.
The summit has been designed by women, for women and will focus on connection, reflection and shared learning grounded in the lived experience of coaching in high performance.
HPSNZ Te Hāpaitanga lead and joint summit organiser, Jody Cameron, says it will be a fitting reflection of what has been an eight year journey to grow and develop women coaches in the New Zealand high performance system.
Joining Jody as conference organisers are Helene Wilson, Women in HP Sport Manager, and Angie Dougal, High Performance Coaching Consultant.
The Coaching Summit will feature working sessions, keynote speakers and the Te Hāpaitanga Gallery which will showcase and highlight stories of women in high performance sport.
Jody says the Gallery, an exciting new initiative, has been compiled from all the Te Hāpaitanga cohorts and will combine photography and audiovisual content of the coaches reflecting on aspects of their time on the programme and the impact it has had for them.
Look out for the Gallery which is planned to tour to major centres and universities to further showcase the work and the people in high performance women’s coaching.
Powering Rowing’s breakout Men’s Pair
When Rowing NZ coach Mike Rodger reflects on the rise of elite Men’s Pair Ben Taylor and Oliver Welch, he is quick to point out that their World Championship gold in 2025 didn’t happen by chance. It was built through alignment, trust and a tightly connected support network working in step behind the scenes.
“At its core, it’s about being aligned,” Mike explains. Weekly meetings bring athletes, coaches and Athlete Performance Support (APS) staff together, ensuring clarity across the programme. “Multiple voices in, but one voice out,” says Mike
That “tight team” includes physiologist Damian Wiseman, performance nutritionist Lucy Trollope and performance psychologist Brent Membery, alongside S&C, PTA, biomechanics and medical support.
Around them, Rowing NZ’s APS Lead Justin Evans ensures the system functions as one.
“It’s about linking coaches and providers so we’re delivering world-class support,” Justin says. “There’s a team approach where everyone contributes.
Read about the physiologist, the psychologist and the nutritionist ➜
Performance Nutrition: Food variety and performance
By HPSNZ Senior Performance Nutritionist Julia Bone, PhD
“Eating a wide range of foods gives my body what it needs to train hard, recover well, and stay healthy across the season.”
They say variety is the spice of life and when it comes to training and performance it may also give you that extra edge. One of the best predictors of performance is good training availability, being able to keep athletes on the track, in the pool or on the field by minimising injury and illness.
Last month’s Performance Nutrition column introduced why it is important to fuel for the training work done. While energy is the fuel for the body’s engine, think of food variety as the oil, making sure the body runs smoothly. There is no one food that provides every nutrient that a body needs, which is why it’s key to mix and match from different food groups.
Exploring the promise of leadership: Te Hāpaitanga alumnae workshop
Earlier this year Te Hāpaitanga alumnae from across Aotearoa came together for a two-day workshop designed to deepen leadership capability and connection across the high performance sport system.
Building on the success of Te Hāpaitanga, which has supported 60 women coaches since 2020, the alumnae workshop marked an important next step in strengthening leadership pathways for women in high performance sport.
Triathlete gains behind-the-scenes perspective through PM’s Scholarship internship
For Olympic triathlete Ainsley Thorpe, the HPSNZ Prime Minister’s Scholarship internship programme offered the chance to step outside high performance sport and into the fast-paced world of event delivery, gaining valuable insight into a potential future career.
Completing her internship with Mighty River Domain Lake Karapiro, Ainsley quickly transitioned from athlete to event professional. With a degree in event management and a strong interest in logistics, she was well placed to make the most of the opportunity however the reality of the role came quickly.
Athlete tips from the Performance Life team: Navigating challenging times
The Performance Life team focusses on navigating challenging times in this month’s tips and video for athletes, along with the monthly golden nugget and some additional reading.
Navigating challenging times
Managing a dual career is more challenging when we are travelling to international competitions, budgets are tight, the cost of living is increasing, and we have deadlines to meet. Understand what you can control, what you can influence and what you need to accept.
Performance Life Top 5: Navigating challenging times
This month’s video clip from the Performance Life team:
Come back stronger – Top 5 tips to overcome adversity
Golden nugget
“Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you.” Walt Whitman
Recommended resources
Do Hard Things by Steve Magness – real toughness isn’t about pushing harder at all costs, but about developing the self-awareness, adaptability, and inner strength to choose the right hard thing in the moment.