Issue date
Hi
It’s been a while since I’ve been in touch so thought it was time to provide an update.
Raynor Haagh and I will be travelling around the country to visit clubs to talk about our new Yachting New Zealand strategy, starting with several in the South Island this week. This is a good chance for you to better understand the work we are doing and some of the things we will focus on over the next few years. It will also be a good chance for you to bring your own strategy and see how it aligns with ours.
It’s appropriate today is World Ocean Day and I encourage you to think about how you can improve your own environment. It’s worth talking to councils about how you can work together and making sure members are environmentally aware around things from local haulout areas to collecting rubbish. We are presently working on a number of resources to help clubs in this area and we’ll share them with you soon.
We’re delighted to announce that Aon Insurance and Lawson’s Dry Hills recently renewed their partnerships with Yachting New Zealand and we look forward to further developing our relationships with these businesses. Members of affiliated clubs can access a 20 percent discount and free delivery on Lawson’s Dry Hills through our member card programme and the Aon club insurance renewal is taking place at the moment. I encourage you to get in touch with your local broker if you have any questions.
It’s important for all of us to support our sponsors, whether these businesses are your club’s sponsors or Yachting New Zealand’s, and let your merchant know you’re shopping there because of their sponsorship. The relationship has to work both ways so we can continue to enjoy the events and programmes we do presently.
Aon have been terrific supporters of ours for some time and sponsor our youth programme. The latest Aon national youth clinic attracted record numbers and Yachting New Zealand women’s sailing manager Rosie Chapman recently held an Aon girl’s high performance clinic, which featured a series of workshops as well as the opportunity to try foiling as an introduction to another aspect of the sport. We are very optimistic about the talent coming through.
It’s not long now until the Tokyo Olympics. Preparations have been disrupted by the ever-changing environment we are having to adapt to but it’s something New Zealanders are very good at. We are fortunate to have a very experienced team and we’re confident that, once they get to Japan, they will give it their best and build on our rich history of Olympic success. Congratulations to Josh Junior for earning selection in the Finn class, which rounds out our team for the Games.
Josh and Andy Maloney were part of the New Zealand SailGP team who competed in the latest round of the SailGP in Italy over the weekend. The team have done a fantastic job to be well placed in the series, especially as they are a new team in their first season.
Now that the club season is slowing down, it’s a great opportunity for clubs to look into boat maintenance and the MOSS exemption process if you haven’t done it yet. You should also spend some time reviewing your health and safety systems.
I’d like to conclude by thanking those clubs who participated in our new schools programme, Kōkōkaha – Powered by the Wind. We have completed our review of the first term, which I’m happy to share with you, and any additional feedback is welcomed. Overall, it has been huge success and the challenge now is to make it a more sustainable programme. We’re looking to secure more funding because it would be a massive shame if the momentum that has been gained is lost.
I hope everyone has an enjoyable winter and, if you’re a skier, you get a good season.
Kind regards
David Abercrombie
Yachting New Zealand chief executive
