Issue date
A handful of changes will be made to Yachting New Zealand's regional support officer programme following a review towards the end of last year.
Dunedin clubs liks Macandrew Bay Boating Club will have Ian Gardiner as their RSO.
A shortfall in funding for the RSO programme prompted the Yachting New Zealand board to implement a review. A few changes will be made and the most significant is the move from five regional support officers to four. These will comprise of the following:
The north of the northern region (Kim Admore)
The south of the northern region (currently recruiting for this position)
Central region (Wayne Holdt)
South Island (Ian Gardiner)
Affected clubs can expect to hear from their new RSO soon who will work out the best way to continue to support each club and understand their future needs.
"Unfortunately, funding pressures is something all sports are facing and yachting is no different," Yachting New Zealand chief executive David Abercrombie said. "With fewer resources for the programme, we will need to modify the way we work and make better use of the communication tools available, like Skype, Messenger and WhatsApp.
"We need to be more targeted about face-to-face visits to make sure each club gets the greatest amount of value which will involve greater forward planning. It makes more sense for you to know the RSO is visiting a few weeks in advance as opposed to the last minute and they are only a phone call away.
"What came through clearly during the review process was how much value the regional support officers add to the clubs and I want to assure you we are fully committed to the programme."
