Congratulations on many years as chair of ONZ. What kept you going over five years? What has made the combined ONZ Board purpose and your role of chair meaningful? The role of Chair has definitely taken a lot of time and energy, so it has needed to have some meaning in order to fuel that. In my case the thing that has helped a lot over the 5 years has been first and foremost a really great bunch of people in ONZ, including the Board (formerly Council), with some really committed and smart people. I am also personally motivated around figuring out better ways to do things, so we have made progress in a number of areas which has been great to see. I have also felt a strong sense of service and giving something back to a sport which I really believe does so much good in the community. This community mindedness is a major driver for me, and I especially respect the many people across the sport that share this and give so much to their clubs and the sport. In terms of the Board purpose and role of Chair, whilst the Chair is a busy role, it fundamentally must operate in a way which represents the interest of the Board. So facilitating, listening, and being representative of Board views is really important. This relationship between Board and Chair, is also reflected in the relationship between ONZ and clubs/members – ONZ must listen, facilitate, and enable – working WITH clubs, and representing their views. This relationship is encapsulated in our constitution, and has been at the heart of the sport since ONZ was established 50 years ago – as a federation of clubs, with a national body representing club interests. There is no place for autocratic leadership in our sport, and this relationship is incredibly important for the Board to protect and uphold going forwards.

How does the board inform itself with club members to harness information? In my time working with this Board we have established some really important practices which ensure we are member led and listen to clubs and members. In fact this was probably the most important thing we tried to focus on and improve from 2019 onwards. One of the things we did was undertake a member survey, and this has been repeated several times since 2019, to capture members views about ONZ, clubs, and the sport in general. We established Club and Presidents’ Forums, and one of the unintended positive consequences of Covid was using virtual (zoom) methods for this – amazingly the AGM in 2020 had the biggest attendance ever, so we realized that this could be a very effective means of engagement, and so AGMs, Club and Presidents forums have been undertaken virtually ever since and have been powerful vehicles for engagement and discussion. The other thing we have established, which may not be fully appreciated by members (despite us communicating it), is a system through which clubs and members inform what ONZ focuses on and prioritises – our strategy and business planning processes are highly consultative and we actively seek member input to ensure what we focus on is informed by members. And of course, the Board, GM and I actively engage with members regularly, either at events, or sometimes even attending club meetings when asked to.

What skills, connections, resources, and expertise do you think you have been able to help with ? Especially navigating ONZ through a pandemic and with these rapidly changing times?
Having been a senior executive, and consultant working with many interesting organisations, I have been fortunate in having skills, experience and insights into what makes organisations tick, how to introduce changes and improvements, and how to work with multiple stakeholders. This, and the diverse skills and experience the rest of the Board bring, as well as the GM and others in ONZ, has given us a string set of capabilities to draw on at a national level. I was also fortunate to have had experience leading member engagement of a major NZ NFP, so had a very good understanding of the practices and approaches which cultivate better member engagement. The thing I have really appreciated is the very positive and progressive mindset that we have cultivated, and a real interest in seeing the sport grow and prosper which is exactly what is needed in times of change. Covid, whilst challenging, was also a really positive time for the sport. It highlighted that there is very effective leadership across clubs, as well as national level, and an ability to adapt and evolve. Coming out of Covid I felt very optimistic about orienteerings future in NZ.

Are there leadership experiences over the last 5 years where you’ve felt the Board and the sport have actively shifted a mindset influencing decision making? As above, we have put a major focus on being member led, and tried to build this into our practices at national level. We have also put an emphasis on ensuring clubs retain ownership of running major events, and are supported in building capabilities that strengthen what they do. Prior to coming on the Board, there was talk about ONZ taking on the running of Nationals – this would have been a huge mistake, as the future health of the sport is very much tied up with first and foremost clubs being strong. This means having the capabilities to run major events, but also the mindset as well. I was really concerned about some of the narrative that was emerging which suggested small clubs were weak and unable to host major events, and I strongly disagreed with this. My experience is that small clubs, given the right support, and with the right mindset and can-do attitude, are more than able to run major events. When clubs do run major events, they build capabilities and with that confidence – so our job as a national body is to help in that process, enabling and supporting clubs to step up and run events, build confidence and capability. That in my mind is a sign of a healthy sport. Interestingly, some of the narrative at that time was about “the big 6” clubs – this was damaging language to use, as it belittled the fact smaller clubs could grow, strengthen and evolve – in fact since then, we have seen many small clubs prosper and grow – Nelson and OBOP for example (not identified in “the big 6”), are now two of the largest clubs in NZ. So language, and mindsets which sits behind that, is incredibly important.  

What are the major risks for tomorrow’s board members in any sporting organisation?. Do you think any of there are risks that could impact orienteering in a specific way? One of the big risks for most sports is the competition to capture peoples’ attention. People are more time scarce than ever, and there is an increasing array of recreation options, include online and virtual ones. So remaining relevant and interesting to participants is important, and means we must continually evolve and develop the sport to avoid entropy and decay. Orienteering has a huge opportunity in that we offer something across the full age spectrum.

In terms of orienteering specific risks, we have had many discussions with clubs in recent years. These include the threat to land access, volunteer burnout, balancing volunteer versus paid roles, increasing compliance, and the increasing complexity and technical skills needed across the sport. All of these risks have informed strategy and business planning, and been discussed in Club and Presidents’ Forums. Because many of these are complex challenges, they won’t be solved through linear or simple problem solving – they require adaptive approaches and the involvement of people across the sport.

Have you any issues or items that you think still need to be considered in the future for orienteering? All of the issues outline above will require ongoing attention, and will not go away, so I would expect these things to be on the radar of future Boards for some time yet.

What is next for you ? What is your next goal – personal &/or sporting?Is there orienteering skill are you still trying to get the hang of? First of all I will be on the Board for at least another year, until 2025. So I will be focused on playing my part as a Board member and supporting Sarah, our new Chair, as she settles into the role. For 2024 I am heavily involved in the organisation of the NZ Orienteering champs which OBOP and Taupo are hosting, and I have some ideas for MTBO as well. On a personal level I have put a real focus on biking in the past year, doing some really great bikepacking events, mountain bike xc racing, endurance events, and of course MTBO, so I have a few goals I am keen to achieve on that front. And on a professional level I need to ensure I commit time to my paid work as well, which has often taken a back seat to my O commitments in recent years!

What is your all-time favourite map – for a foot & MTBO?  A favourite foot map would have to be Canaan Downs (and that was before it was updated!). And I have really enjoyed some of the Aussie rock maps. Favourite MTB map would have to be one of the Alexandra maps, maybe Chatto Creek?

Have you got a favourite or memorable orienteering story for us? Perhaps an eventful search for a ‘control that has wilfully hidden from you?
I have had many memorable times orienteering over the years. In particular some very special, memorable and fun Australian MTBO trips, from which I have developed many very good friendships, including meeting my wife Erin! Katoa Po is always a favourite of mine as well, and in the 2000s prior to affordable LED lights being available. We used to develop our own home built halogen lights running off motorcycle lead acid batteries. One year I got a bit enthusiastic with the size of the halogen bulb I used, which melted into the helmet I used to mount it on, and also completely drained the battery within 20 minutes, leaving me in the dark without a light!