A message from our board chair

Sport Bay of Plenty is one of 14 regional sports trusts across New Zealand that are challenged to educate their communities as to what they do. Many people know who we are but does everyone understand our role in the community?

It only takes a quick review of the 2017-21 Strategic Plan, that we are now halfway through, to see the breadth of involvement that Sport Bay of Plenty has in the community. Key words are partnerships, opportunities to participate, focussed communities, expertise and technology.

The activities that the Sport Bay of Plenty team has been participating in are applications of these key words. Highlights include the very successful 50th anniversary of the annual Bay of Plenty Sports Awards – a brilliant evening celebrating regional sporting success along with past winners; the Māori advisory group, ongoing workshops for team managers, increasing participation in Play in the Bay recreation activities, and more.

The ongoing work with the spaces and places strategy, a refreshed website, movement of IT resources to the cloud, progression to a new CRM system etc all demonstrate improved accessibility to information and resources for staff and stakeholders.

The renewed focus on engaging women and girls for participation and leadership is welcomed. We know that strong outcomes in these areas are important to the mental health of our community and improving diversity at the board table.

Financially, we continue to be in a strong position. A small deficit has been reported for the year that was close to the budgeted deficit, and overall cash flow has reduced as funds have been spent on the intended activities. However, the board is confident of the ongoing prudent management of funds by the senior management team whilst continuing to retain a nominal level of reserves to ensure financial stability is maintained.

Whilst Sport NZ provides around a third of the trust’s income, it is important to acknowledge the essential contribution of all our partners including the local and regional authorities, BayTrust, NZCT, the district health boards and primary health organisations in the Bay of Plenty regions, along with the many schools and sports clubs we work with. These contributions are vital, and provide vindication of the value of sport in the general community.

It is also critical to acknowledge the many volunteers that continue to serve sport in the region. Their tireless efforts (often without thanks or reward) reflect the needs of the athletes that participate and who would struggle without the support and dedication of volunteers.

The board has had an enjoyable year for 2018/19. We reluctantly farewelled Jo Tisch who has been a great contributor on the board for the last six years, but have welcomed Sarah Elliot as her replacement, and Casey Haumaha as a trustee advisor, to come on to the board at a future date. All board members have continued to provide invaluable input and guidance into the direction of the organisation, and their dedication to the success of the organisation is greatly appreciated.

This year we have embarked on the Sport NZ Governance Mark process, and whilst achieving accreditation is not necessarily the desired outcome, it has been important to start the process to ensure the governance body is providing the best guidance to the organisation, and that the appropriate policies, resources and tools are available to do so.

There is an excellent amount of good work being done by chief executive Heidi Lichtwark and her dedicated team at Sport Bay of Plenty - too much to really give credit to this report. Suffice to say the board thanks all the Sport Bay Plenty staff for their efforts to make the community more active and healthy.

Ngā mihi maioha kia tātou katoa!

Paul Wollaston – Sport Bay of Plenty board chair