Update from Yachting New Zealand CEO Steve Armitage: Membership and affiliation review enters final stage

Dear members of affiliated clubs,

As you may recall, at last year’s AGM we committed to reviewing Yachting New Zealand's national membership and club affiliation model. I'm pleased to report that work is nearing completion — and it's been shaped, interrogated and refined at every step by the people it's designed to serve: representatives from across our club community.

When this review was launched, we acknowledged that clubs across the country are navigating shared pressures - shifting participation patterns, rising operational costs and evolving member expectations. This review exists because of those realities and because we need to build a national system strong enough to support every club through them, whatever their size, shape or location.

This is the most substantial review of its kind in over a decade. It has been guided by a 16-member Membership and Affiliation Advisory Group, made up primarily of club representatives spanning every region, club size, and operating model, alongside youth perspectives and long-serving club leaders.

The process has been purposefully consultative from the outset, with targeted club engagement, open submissions from individual members, and input from other codes who have had to navigate these issues in recent times. From my perspective, this collective input has sharpened, tested and enhanced this work every step of the way.

From a range of models developed and rigorously assessed, the Advisory Group is nearing a final recommendation designed to better reflect the diversity of clubs nationwide and improve fairness, transparency, and long-term sustainability. The advice of the Advisory Group will be presented to the Yachting New Zealand Board on 14 July and will then be shared more widely in advance of this year’s AGM.

One theme came through consistently: the need for greater clarity around what affiliation fees fund and the value they return. That feedback has directly shaped this work, and is designed to ensure that the model we move forward with reflects the shared infrastructure that supports every club, regardless of size or location. This is what a member-focused national sports organisation should do — turn honest feedback into a fairer shared model.

Steve Armitage, CEO of Yachting New Zealand. 

Alongside this review, we're continuing to work on initiatives that reflect value. I want to assure you that I am working on this area with intent. This will include exploring further pilots akin to what we are doing with Hospitality New Zealand, as well as initiating a significant overhaul and upgrade of our IT platforms (to benefit all), as well as more bespoke communication and access to resources. Again, I will be directly fronting into this over the course of the next few months ahead of the AGM.

On behalf of the Yachting New Zealand team, thank you to every club and member who engaged with this process through submissions, conversation and considered challenge. There's still plenty of work ahead, but I believe we are working towards a more equitable model that will serve our clubs well.

Ngā mihi,

Steve