PROGRAMME
| 9.00am | Registration |
| 9.45am | Welcome / Whakatau |
| 10.00am | Context of Performance Summit 2025 Raelene Castle, Group CEO, Sport New Zealand |
| 10.15am | Keynote: Leading from the edge: Proactive performance in an era of disruption What separates those who merely respond to change from those who shape it? In this dynamic opening keynote, Holly explores how high performance cultures maintain their competitive edge by actively leaning into discomfort and anticipating challenges before they arise. Drawing from conversations with pioneering leaders and cutting-edge organisations, she'll reveal practical frameworks for developing your peripheral vision, conducting effective pre-mortems, and building proactive leadership muscles within your teams. Through interactive exercises and compelling case studies, you'll leave with actionable tools to strengthen your foresight capabilities, a renewed commitment to modelling the change you seek, and practical strategies to position your organisation at the leading edge of sport's next revolution. |
| 11.15am | Morning tea |
| 11.30am | Keynote: Enhancing performance, embracing inclusive environments When you lead an environment that has talented individuals who are aspiring to reach their performance potential the support structures and deliberate practices you put in place are essential. In this session we will gain insights from outside of sport on the importance of holistic development, inclusive environments, creating pressure and learning from failure underpinned by a creative and learning ecosystem. |
| 12.15pm | Keynote and panel: If "tech" is the answer, what is the question?
Facilitated by Jenny May Clarkson |
| 1.00pm | Lunch |
| 2.00pm | Keynote panel: Athletes leading change Panel:
Facilitated by Sarah Cowley-Ross, Chair Athlete Leaders Network An Athlete Leaders Network led panel session on the importance of athlete voice mechanisms and the need for authenticity and effectiveness. |
| Sport workshops | |
| 3.00pm | Workshop 1 – Navigating complexity – Insights from the New Zealand Defence Force CAPT Drew Kingi and FLTL Api Taiapa Facilitated by Alex Anastasiou Captain Drew Kingi and FLTLT Api Taiapa from the New Zealand Defence Force share key insights in to developing systems-level approaches to navigating complexity in high stakes environments. The workshop will aim to assist those working in high performance sport to develop practical tools and processes to prepare for, compete in and recover from challenging environments. The session will be a blend of presentation and facilitated discussion. |
Workshop 2– Communication that connects: Tailoring your message for maximum impact This interactive workshop equips performance leaders with advanced communication strategies that drive engagement, understanding and action. Holly will guide participants through a practical exploration of how to adapt your storytelling approach and information delivery to match the motivational drivers of diverse audiences. You'll discover evidence-based techniques for identifying communication preferences, crafting messages that resonate across different stakeholder groups, and leveraging languages of appreciation to build stronger connections. Through hands-on exercises and collaborative discussion, you'll develop a versatile communication toolkit that enhances both everyday interactions and high-stakes conversations. Leave with a personalised framework for tailoring your communication style, practical techniques to increase message retention, and renewed confidence in your ability to inspire action through strategically crafted communication. | |
Workshop 3 –Transitions Panel:
Facilitated by Isa Nacewa, HPSNZ A facilitated conversation with the panellists sharing insights and experiences from their different perspectives on the various transitions throughout High Performance Sport. | |
Workshop 4 –The impact of inclusive leadership on team dynamics Panel:
Facilitated by Helene Wilson, HPSNZ This session looks deeper into people’s inherent biases and explores ways of working better together to ensure planned outcomes are achieved. Focusing on how we can bring our individual ‘uniqueness’ to decision making and delving into key behaviours that create ‘belonging’, we will hear from leaders who are actively exploring an inclusive leadership approach to their high performance practices to shift opportunities for all. | |
| 4.00pm | Workshops 1 - 4 above repeated |
| 5.15pm | Pre-dinner drinks |
| 6.30pm | Performance Summit 2025 dinner |
| 9.30pm | Close of day 1 |
| 9.00am | Welcome | Karakia |
| 9.05am | Reflections on day 1 and context for day 2 Jenny-May Clarkson, MC |
| 9.10am | Keynote: Leading for performance edge Having worked in the AFL, Olympic sports, international rugby union, NFL and MLB, Adam has brought his unique perspective to each organisation and shares his thoughts with us on: why a shared understanding of a team’s vision/mission is critical for success; the role of the modern high performance director; the evolution of athlete autonomy within team structures; how to increase collaboration and reduce organisational silos and value of differing opinions and perspectives; biases; and more. |
| 10.00am | Keynote panel: Pinnacle events Panel:
Facilitated by Raelene Castle, CEO Sport NZ Group Unpacking key insights from leaders and decision makers on future pinnacle events. What are leaders seeking as key outcomes from these events? What new initiatives might we see in future events and are we still seeing the level of engagement and inspiration for these large-scale events to remain relevant in a time of competing privatisation and alternate means of entertainment? |
| 10.45am | Hon Mark Mitchell, Minister for Sport and Recreation |
| 11.00am | Morning tea |
| Campaign learning workshops: Preparing for pinnacle events | |
| 11.15am | Workshop 1 – Coach lessons from campaigns Panel:
Facilitated by Daryl Gibson, HPSNZ A facilitated conversation with the panellists sharing their insights across different campaigns from the Paris cycle. |
Workshop 2 – Unpacking the campaign plan This facilitated conversation between Adam and Paul will generate valuable insights regarding various aspects of campaign planning. They will candidly delve into Adam’s extensive high performance experiences across a diverse range of sports. Adam’s unique viewpoints from his experiences in high pressure domains such as the NFL, MLB, AFL, and International Rugby will provide a rare external perspective for the audience that will help broaden our horizons and perspectives regarding the decision-making processes and behaviours involved when planning for pinnacle events – whether it be across a single season, a World Cup cycle, or an Olympic Quadrennial. | |
Workshop 3 – Selections Panel:
Facilitated by Neena Ullal, HPSNZ A facilitated conversation with the panellists sharing their experiences and insights on the topic of selections. | |
Workshop 4 – Athlete and coach Paris reflections Panel:
Facilitated by Paul Smith, HPSNZ As a first time Paralympic Games campaign, Peter and Myk share their unique journey to and from the Paris Games. | |
Workshop 5 – Games time reflections Panel:
Facilitated by Mike Taylor, NZOC A facilitated conversation with the panellists sharing their reflections on the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games and key learnings from their various lenses for consideration as we head towards Milano Cortina 2026, Glasgow 2026 and LA28. | |
| 12.00pm | Lunch |
| 1.00pm | Workshops 1 - 5 above repeated |
| 2.00pm | Closing remarks Raewyn Lovett, Chair Sport NZ Group Steve Tew, Director of High Performance, HPSNZ |
| 2.45pm | Closing Karakia |
| 3.00pm | Summit concludes |
| 3.30pm | Airport shuttle departs |