An Olympian, a Women’s Rugby World Cup Black Fern and coaches from two new sports are among the eight women selected for the fifth Te Hāpaitanga group.
Rowing Olympian turned athletics coach, Sonia Waddell, joins Black Ferns’ Carla Hohepa in the group who have been selected for the high performance women’s coaching programme.
The two new sports – squash and skateboarding – will see Squash coach, Emma Millar, join the programme as the sport eyes up its first time Olympic inclusion at LA 2028, along with Skateboarding coach, Amber Clyde, who will be targeting an Olympic qualification.
The other successful candidates joining Sonia, Carla, Amber and Emma are:
Paula Smith – Netball
M J Araroa – Netball
Kat Jones – Basketball
Gabryel Oloapu – Waterpolo
Te Hāpaitanga programme lead, Jody Cameron, says the successful candidates were carefully chosen based on their potential to excel in high performance coaching and their alignment with the programme’s overarching goals of growth, leadership and capability within the coaching space.
“The group highlights the broad reach and inclusivity of Te Hāpaitanga with the eight women coming from diverse coaching backgrounds,” says Jody.
“While the coaches won’t come together until the new year, they have already demonstrated their individual readiness to embrace new challenges and opportunities which sets the stage for a collaborative and impactful journey.”
A key element of Te Hāpaitanga and its carefully structured programme components will enable the participants to building strong professional networks, supported by mentors and peers, to enhance their influence within their respective sports.
Jody will meet with the group online in the new year with the aim of holding the first residential workshop in April.
Carla Hohepa
