Women in High Performance Sport lead Helene Wilson and High Performance Coaching Consultant Tristan Collins delivered the 360-learning circle profile work at the start of the course which several coaches ‘circled’ back to in their final presentation.
HPSNZ Head of Coaching and programme lead, Daryl Gibson, says Kia Manawanui truly distinguished itself from other HPSNZ Coach Development programmes by offering each coach the opportunity to host the group at their own sport venue and coach in front of their peers.
“The majority of our participants came from aspirational and individual sports like 3×3 basketball and table tennis, which not only enriched the diversity of experience but also created valuable opportunities to share and support coaches who juggle dual careers and carry a heavy workload”
“The hosting element was a unique part of Kia Manawanui,” says Daryl. “No matter how experienced the coaches are, it’s still a pretty daunting task to coach while being observed by other high performance coaches.
“For me, what made it special were the feedback sessions. Coaches walked away with actionable insights they could immediately apply which really helped them sharpen their coaching practices.
“Having that diverse range of perspectives from the group gave every coach valuable insights which really helped them fine-tune their strategies and overall coaching practices. Most importantly it led to noticeable improvements for everyone involved.”
National diving coach James Hardaker says he has lots of highlights and fantastic memories from the 18 month programme.
“To sit in the same room with coaches who are at a similar level was a real benefit,” says James.
“Being able to have conversations that roamed far and wide and to listen to others talk about their coaching approach was invaluable.”
A particular highlight for James was the session with HPSNZ Te Tūāpapa Coach Accelerator lead, Christian Penny.
“Christian led a great session on the three different types of learning – listen to reply, listen to fix, which is where most coaches sit, and most importantly, listen to learn.”
James says the spirit and bonding within the group was another highlight. “There was a lot of taking the mickey which, as a bloke from the north of England, is the highest mark of respect.”
Biathlon and Cross Country skiing head coach Jason Sklenar sums up the most valuable learning from the programme in just one word – communications.
Like James, he points to the importance of active listening – listen to learn – and equally the effectiveness of good questioning. “Engaging communications is the most important tool for a coach and I think all the coaches in the programme increased their understanding of just how valuable good communications is,” says Jason.
Building strong relationships with other high performance coaches, getting to know the person behind the athlete, sometimes a hard thing to do, and being able to give an athlete clear guidance and feedback are some of the key skills Jason says he learnt from Kia Manawanui.
“Kia Manawanui is a great programme and I have made some good friends and professional contacts,” he says.
Daryl reiterates James and Jason’s comments that, after 18 months, the group of coaches built a strong bond, building a safe space where they could have honest, open discussions. “They shared their vulnerabilities, leaned on each other for support and used the group as a sounding board for ongoing challenges. The cross sport learning was a big win.
“One of our key objectives as a coaching team is to build a connected, collaborative network of New Zealand coaches. By sharing knowledge and learning from each other we can fully leverage our unique advantage as a small, agile nation, maximising our competitive advantage. Kia Manawanui has definitely achieved that for our 21 coaches in the satellite and residential programme.”
A second intake of Kia Manawanui is planned for the end of 2025.
