Kia ora koutou, New Zealand Handball Whanau
Summer might be just around the corner, but that doesn’t mean there has been any let-off on the handball admin front – and for those with a Beach Handball focus, another action-packed season has just got underway! The Beach Programme can be found on our website at High Performance Beach - New Zealand Handball Federation, with the next planned event a National training camp in Christchurch on 4-5 December. Contact NZHF Beach Handball beach@handball.org.nz if you would like more details.
On the indoor front, the end of a season that promised so much ended up full of disappointment, with all our planned events cancelled one by one as a result of the ongoing Covid alert level restrictions. Ironically the last formal ‘indoor’ tournament of the year, VUW Club’s Hurra Handball event was held outdoors at Wellington’s Waitangi Park on 20 November. Meantime, it is great to hear of the hard core enthusiasts still continuing with Club trainings around the country.
For those feeling starved of NZ Handball gossip, please check out the NZ Handball Korero YouTube channel for some great chats. We are hoping to load more content over the coming months, so if you have some handballing news you would like to share, get in touch and we will sick intrepid NZ Handball Korero interviewer Cam Ross onto you. Huge thanks to Cam and the amazing Jun Tanlayco for pulling that together and keeping us all entertained – as well as those who have put their reputations on the line to be interviewed!
Thanks also to the Regional Association and Club reps who took the time to take part in a State of the Nation and 2022 hui last month. It was really encouraging to hear about all the initiatives planned or under way in each of the regions. We are currently constructing a calendar of events for 2022 to help our community plan for the year ahead. Hopefully there will be something in it for everyone, although the youth programme will be a key focus for us over the next 12 months. On that note, lock Easter Saturday and Sunday into your diaries for the Junior Cup, to be held as an Under 18 tournament at Wellington’s ASB Centre. This is planned to be a club-based event, allowing more than one team to take part from each region. Subject to the borders opening up in time, we also hope to be able to host some international participants for that. This is all part of the plan to prepare for the next running of the intercontinental IHF Trophy, with details to follow next year.
There’s another major development currently being put in place that has the potential to completely change the face of New Zealand Handball. We are super excited about what this could mean, and hope to be able to report further next month.
Last, speaking of the face of New Zealand Handball – you may have seen the odd person around sporting a NZ Handball facemask. These are now available for purchase at NZHF-sanctioned events for $10. Keep an eye out for your chance to snaffle one before we run out of stock – and before the next wave of Covid hits.
Stay safe out there
David Ireland
President, New Zealand Handball Federation