1 2 ANNUAL REPORT Officers President Fatulatetele Tolo Board Nicki Zande (Chairperson) Fiona Cassidy Gayle Hare Karen Harvey Anthony Karauria Belinda Wotton Danielle Hannan Frances Duffin Leigh Graham Amelia Wheeler (Board Youth Intern) Staff General Manager Sue Geale Games Coordinator Kylie Tuffery Netball Development Coordinator John Neho Finance Administrator Renee Savai’inaea Emerging Talent Officer Sandra Edge Life Membership Committee Dale Wortman, Christine Archer, Pat Maddocks, Fatulatetele Tolo Life Members Mrs D. Wortman (MNZM), Mrs C. Archer, Miss P. Maddocks, Miss M. Munro, Mrs M. Perry, Mrs H. Verry, Mrs D. Wilson-Young, Ms M. Haggie, Ms W. Taumaunu, Ms F. Tolo, Ms M. Taru, Mrs B. Brider, Mrs B. Reweti, Ms. S. Edge Service Award Holders Mrs P. Cleland, Mrs J. Prankerd, Mrs K. Doyle, Mrs M. Dixon, Mrs J. Patchett, Mrs G. Hare, Mrs D. Morris, Mrs F. Maurirere, Mrs M. Bradshaw, Mrs A. Hay, Mrs S. Raemaki, Ms V. Mitchell, Mrs K. Greaves, Ms C. Meredith, Ms K. Herbert, Ms K. Lloyd, Mrs P. O’Reilly, Mrs D. Mills, Ms D. Patchett, Ms J. Minchin, Mrs R. Aiono, Mrs L. Cournane, Ms S. Sullivan, Mrs S. Geale, Ms E. Dorricott, Mr R. Hogan, Ms C. Kirkpatrick, Ms P. Semu, Ms F. Solia, Ms T. Wood, Mrs L. Collier, Ms K. Firmin, Ms M. Bertram, Mrs S. Kupuri 3 CHAIR’S MESSAGE When the country went into Lockdown in March, I thought that given our season didn’t start until May, we would be all good to go! When the season was set to start on 27 June and we were back in Level 1, I was extremely thankful and continued to be thankful each and every week that we were all able to play the game we love. Having a plan for when we went to Level 2 meant it was a seamless transition. Looking back over the last couple of years, netball had fantastic years due to the Ferns winning the World Cup in 2019 and in 2018 NWC celebrated our Centenary. In 2020, netball had a fantastic year purely due to the fact we were able to play at a local level, the ANZ Premiership went ahead albeit not in front of fans for all games, and we were able to be there in person to watch our Silver Ferns take on England. As well as having our shortened season, it was exciting that we were able to introduce a modified representative programme accommodating more players than we normally do in Under 14 (8 teams) and Under 16 (6 teams) age groups. I would like to give my utmost thanks to our very committed Board who have made sure we govern our Centre in a professional and supportive fashion. Our President, Fatulatetele Tolo, and Board members Belinda Wotton, Karen Harvey, Fiona Cassidy, Anthony Karauria, Leigh Graham, Danielle Hannan, Francis Duffin and Gayle Hare have made sound decisions so that our Centre is financially sustainable and successful. It was a pleasure to have Amelia Wheeler on the Board this year as our Board Youth Intern. I would like to express our thanks to our outgoing Board members at this AGM. Frances Duffin, who has been on the Board for the past two years - thank you for your time and energy. Karen Harvey who is our Board Lawyer and over the years has spent many hours working on our behalf, most recently updating our Rules of Incorporation - thank you for your efforts and also for your sound netball knowledge. I have enjoyed working with you both. For those remaining or coming onto the Board, I look forward to working alongside you in the coming year. NWC continues to be financially sustainable, and was able to access the Government Wage Subsidy and the Sport Wellington Community Resilience and Return to Play funding. The future for funding will continue to remain tight and competitive. We believe that our brand is strong and while we should achieve most of the funding we apply for, we are also looking at different funding streams. Our staff were amazing during this uncertain year. On behalf of the Board, I want to say a huge thank you to Sue and her team for ensuring that so many programmes and competitions were implemented and functioned effectively and smoothly. Netball Wellington Centre has many to thank and I wish to recognize the continual work of our Life Members, Service Award holders and those who volunteer their service and support for Netball Wellington Centre and the great game of netball. Finally, to all our Netball Wellington Centre members, I thank you for all your efforts during this unprecedented year and I wish you all Season’s Greetings and a prosperous New Year. Nicki Zande Chairperson, Netball Wellington Centre 4 NETBALL OPERATIONS What a year 2020 has been! It will be one that we remember for a very long time and not necessarily for the netball game itself but for the challenges we overcame with the Covid-19 pandemic, to try and salvage some sort of season for our members. We are proud to say we made it happen due to the hard work of our Board, our staff and our people. Firstly a hearty thank you to our community for their support throughout this year. Without them working with us and by our side, netball would not have happened. Our volunteer community within the clubs, and Sports Coordinators in the schools, really had to step up and they did their clubs, schools and us as a Centre proud. The risks we all mitigated and the changes we put in place at very short notice were accepted and implemented with very little controversy. Some changes were difficult with one in particular being the ‘no spectator’ ruling. We pride ourselves in having a wide netball whānau and to say that some of our whānau could not be courtside was hard. The way in which teams improvised with live streaming to private Facebook pages and messenger certainly helped to extend the game to our wider audiences. We have reviewed the year that has been and we will be taking some learnings through to 2021. What we have discovered is that sometimes it takes a little something unexpected to force change that may not have been identified without being challenged. Some key learnings: - Injury statistics were lower this year and we have analysed this to understand the ‘why’ and ensure we can carry this stat through to future seasons. - Resounding representative programme success this year. In particular with the younger age group where we ran a seven week programme that included a one-day local tournament. The programme catered for 65+ players compared to 12 players when selecting one age group team in the past. The learning gained and opportunity to upskill in this environment was incredible. We believe our programmes should be all about empowerment for this age and stage of netball, and for our coaches. - Strong relationships and communication skills are key to surviving unprecedented times and challenges. The way the Wellington regional and NZ wide communities came together and happily shared successes was incredibly powerful and invaluable. - Virtual interaction can be truly effective, reduce administration time and reach a wider audience if well planned and structured. The ability for people to quickly adapt to this new norm showed that we can be flexible and adaptable if we embrace new ways of functioning. This new norm opened us up to continuing to look at what our wide and diverse community needs are so that we can offer as many touch points as able through our delivery and programmes/competitions. Our community needs come from the work that our Satellites - Motu Kairangi, Northern Suburbs and Wellington West - administer in the Year 1-8 age group, what our schools and clubs offer, and what we provide at ASB Sports Centre and Hataitai. I say this every year, but it is by no means a repetitive message without meaning. We have a solid base of volunteers, sports directors, knowledgeable and skilled staff and Board members, and a wide and diverse community that keep Netball Wellington Centre strong and sustainable. We operate efficiently and effectively due to the contribution these individuals bring with them. You are all integral members of our netball whānau and your involvement in the game of netball is appreciated immensely and provides the backbone of who Netball Wellington is. Sue Geale General Manager – Netball Wellington Centre 5 FACILITIES Hataitai Park Hataitai continues to be the home of our winter competition minor collegiate grades (4 to 8) and the inter-satellite intermediate competition, coach and umpire development workshops, centre and club meetings, representative team trainings, spring and summer Twilight Competitions, junior fun fests, plus showcasing the history of Netball Wellington Centre. Our Hataitai Pavilion facility has been spruced up and provides a variety of spaces available for hire including a large upstairs area, an upstairs boardroom, small meeting room and a downstairs room. Hataitai is perfect for hosting events such as prize-givings, private functions, seminars & workshops, indoor trainings, planning meetings, general meetings, Christmas functions, club welcomes, and team bonding sessions and sports exchanges to name just a few. It would be wonderful to see this facility put to greater use - please get in touch with our staff to enquire. ASB Sports Centre The Centre remains one of the higher users of the ASB Sport Centre as we fully utilise 12 courts as part of our Saturday winter competition and trainings for our Premier, Premier Reserve, Senior and Collegiate 1-3 grades. We occupy courts three nights a week for our social twilight, intermediate and College leagues and walking netball.