INDEPENDENT NEWS

SportsMark Awards of excellence

Published: Thu 6 Jul 2000 07:24 PM
Thursday 6 July 2000 Media Statement
SportsMark Awards of excellence
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.
ENDS

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