Eight organisations have received SportsMark Quality Awards presented by Sport, Fitness and Leisure Minister Trevor Mallard and Hillary Commission Chairman Sir Brian Lochore at a ceremoney at Parliament this evening.

The organisations are:  Bowls New Zealand  Netball New Zealand  The Scout Association of New Zealand  Archery New Zealand Inc.  New Zealand Judo Federation  New Zealand Ski Council  New Zealand Golf Association  New Zealand Cricket

They join previous recipients Women's Golf New Zealand and New Zealand Hockey.

The awards are given in recognition of good governance among organisations involved in sport and activities.

Trevor Mallard said while the public was well aware of competition among athletes, today’s sport administrators also often found themselves involved in intense competition.

"Running a national sport or leisure organisation has never been more complex and demanding. This is an age where members need to be cherished as customers.

"That’s why SportsMark is so valuable.

"SportsMark is a world first. It gives New Zealand sport and leisure organisations a valuable tool to help them be competitive. If a sport gets it right in the boardroom, then it should attract more members and more revenue.

"An organisation with the SportsMark Award should also be more competitive in international contests. Its athletes and coaches will be part of a winning combination with the management and board," Trevor Mallard said.

Contact: Moerangi Vercoe (Press Secretary) 04 471 9080 or 025 270 9194

Further details about recipient organisations attached Bowls New Zealand

Bowls New Zealand has enjoyed an excellent year in terms of international success, media exposure, coaching development and promotion of the game to attract new players to clubs, social leagues and at secondary school level.

The recent results at the world championships were no fluke. They were the result of excellent coaching and development, which in turn was the result of smart thinking at board level. Bowls New Zealand has also been awarded the staging of the world championships in 2008.

Kerry Clark and his team have developed an excellent system for monitoring active coaches and managing their development. More than 2000 new members joined bowling clubs in the past year, and Bowls has also re-invented itself as a game for all ages. There is a successful junior recruiting programme, which Bowls clubs have supported. This has led to an 84% increase in junior members. A great result, and just a start.

Bowls faces many challenges, but is not afraid of change. It has established a close relationship with ordinary bowlers, restructured their organisation and achieved a strengthened financial position.

Bowls has attracted significant sponsors to be able to lift the profile of the game culminating in winning at the NZ Post Sponsorship awards last year.

Bowls New Zealand is now one of the sharpest acts in sport, and a management success story.

Netball New Zealand

Netball New Zealand is not just the largest women's sport in New Zealand, it is also the largest women's organisation of any type. This presents an extraordinary opportunity, and Netball NZ is grasping it.

Just three years ago Christine Archer led a move to embark on a new direction for the game, following extensive consultation at all levels. This lead to new regional entities and a restructured board which continually investigates new initiatives to grow the game.

Part of the reason netball is in charge of its future is because it is in charge of its finances. It is meeting customer needs and generating surpluses. Netball NZ was a finalist this year in the Annual report of the Year Awards, so it has certainly impressed the accountants !

Netballers set very high standards in organisation - go to any courts on a Saturday and it runs like clockwork. This ethic applies at the top level too. Netball NZ achieved world recognition for its role in organising the excellent 1999 Netball World Championships in Christchurch. The marketing of the sport has been excellent in recent years.

Netball has a strong vision for itself going into the future. It aims to attract more girls and women with new products, such as the Fun Ferns for young players. Achieving these goals will not just be good for Netball, but for New Zealand.

The Scout Association of New Zealand

The success of the Scouting movement can't be measured in championships and titles. It is about young people learning important personal and community skills. Scouting is dedicated to youth development, and producing the next generation of leaders in our community. This is a tough calling, and in many ways society keeps changing the goal posts.

Scouting is an institution, and this carries strengths and challenges. The greatest challenge is to convince the community that this traditional organisation is more relevant today than ever before. Scouting's national administrators know that they must investigate new ways to deliver the benefits they offer. And they must enhance their membership and support the volunteers, who are the backbone of the organisation.

To achieve this the organisation has focused on continuous improvement at all levels. It has a strategy and clear views on what it must achieve in the next few years. It has turned around a very poor financial position in recent times, and is very well placed to provide excellent services to its members.

Archery New Zealand Inc.

Archery is not one of our high profile sports, but it is a sport that display's outstanding leadership in many areas. It has to, because it has limited resource and is completely made up of volunteers. The board has no staff to hand the work to.

Despite this, these men and women always hit their targets.

There are many small businesses that can give the large corporates a lesson in management. Archery New Zealand is a perfect example to other small sports. It continues to achieve good success at the highest level. It continues to accredit growing numbers of coaches and officials, and its junior development work remains a priority

Archery New Zealand is setting standards in planning and administration structure that achieve and produce the results it wants. You can't do more than that.

New Zealand Judo Federation

This mainly volunteer organisation is fortunate to have a strong board which has a clear strategic plan.

Sometimes it is an advantage to be a small sport. Judo has exploited this, by ensuring that its members played a central role in developing its plan. Now the athletes, coaches and officials have buy-in to the direction of the sport, which in turn makes the management easier and more effective.

Judo has a very well developed volunteer structure, an excellent development pathway for participants from entry level to international competition, and a very strong junior development programme.

The international programme is well established and is getting results, with 4 athletes qualified for the Olympics.

Judo's training systems for coaching, officials and administration are of the highest standard, and it has just introduced a new coaching qualification system to further improve these standards.

New Zealand Ski Council

The New Zealand Ski Council is the first genuine joint-venture in New Zealand sport. The Council is made up of five member organisations representing the industry, sporting and recreational interests. In many ways the Council is a 'model federation'.

Ski is an organisation that has built up an excellent relationship with its partners, particularly the snowboard industry. Ironically for a business that's going downhill, it has positioned itself for solid growth and achievement. It is a win-win-win for the organisation, the members and the industry. This relationship helps put over a million kiwis on the slopes every year.

So ably led by Miles Davidson, the New Zealand Ski Council provides excellent management services for members. It works with members to develop comprehensive coaching plans and strategic plans to ensure sustained results in all of its priority areas.

New Zealand Golf Association

In terms of playing numbers, Golf is undoubtedly the national game of New Zealand. Nearly half a million men and women are regular golfers. This doesn't happen purely as a result of marketing activities and broadcasts overseas. It happens because the national body is on the ball, and the standard of customer service in every golf club is very high.

The NZ Golf Association has long set high standards in administration and management. The results are plain. Player numbers are up. Kiwi golfers perform with distinction overseas. And children are given every chance to swing a club and join a club. Golf places particular emphasis on junior development. Large numbers of volunteer coaches are trained, and each year around 66,000 kids experience KiwiGolf.

The leadership of golf are not resting on their laurels. They are always looking for different ways of attracting people to their sport. An example is the new slope handicap system. Another initiative is "adopt-a-school". "Kids and clubs" is a programme for disadvantaged children. How long before one of them goes on to beat the world ?

In many ways this award tonight is the legacy of our friend Grant Clements. His approach to running a sports body was exemplary. But it is also testament to Neil Woodbury and his board, who drove the vision, and to Philip Aitken, who has picked up where Grant left off.

New Zealand Cricket

Cricket has long been one of our high profile 'icon' sports. It can now claim to be one of our most professionally and expertly managed and governed sports. There is a very high standard of administration and planning within the national organisation. In recent years cricket has dramatically changed the way it operates and has grown its income four fold in as many years.

NZ Cricket has worked hard at achieving a relationship with its many members. Its soon to be released strategic plan is the product of wide consultation, as the organisation aimed to call on the vast experience of its membership to help shape the future.

New Zealand Cricket holds centre stage during our summers, and public expectations of success are always high. The board and management cannot take the field with the players, but they have provided a high performance programme and academy that is considered as being one of the best in the cricket world.

New Zealand Cricket is strongly managed and led by a highly skilled board. It is another organisation that focuses on continual improvement in all areas and has built a solid blend of skills within management which complement each other and offer the chance of success.

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