Kia ora koutou
After a jam-packed handball schedule leading up to the Regional Associations stakeholder meeting in October, the past month has seen a bit of the pressure come off from an NZHF Exec perspective. Not that there hasn’t been a swathe of handball-related activities to keep on top of!
The main initiative we are working on at present is refreshing the NZHF strategic plan to help us prioritise efforts over the next few years, building off the great engagement we had at last month’s Regional Associations meet. The next step is to follow up that session with a regional strategy workshop to help each region plan for the year ahead and minimise any re-invention of wheels. There’s some great stuff going on out there, but it is clear that the future health of New Zealand handball is reliant on a small number of passionate volunteers to keep things moving. Our task is to harness that passion to maximum effect and minimum waste. Keep an eye out for further developments: once things have progressed we will publish an updated strategic plan for all to share.
Another key initiative we are well advanced with is finalising a schedule of nationally focused handball events for the year ahead. The timing of many of those events is reliant on being able to book venues so some dates are provisional only at this stage. However, we recognise this is a priority concern for everyone. We are committed to early communication of timing for events and visibility of the national programme to help everyone plan the year ahead around the handball opportunities on offer.
The Beach programme is already largely finalised (See pre season update here), however, the OCHF have decided on the qualifying host and it looks like our national rep squads will be packing their bags to head across the ditch in April to contest the qualifiers that will determine Oceania Handball’s representatives for the World Beach Games in Bali in August. While we are disappointed our own bid to host those qualifiers in Christchurch was not successful, it’s shaping up as another exciting year ahead on the sand.
What is more exciting right now is the Men’s Youth and Junior Teams IHF Trophy Oceania qualifiers being held in Rarotonga from 5-9 December. The teams may be among the best prepared squads we have ever sent to an Oceania qualifying tournament, but there is going to be some high quality opposition to get past. We wish Thomas, Jack, Hayden and the boys all the very best – time for all your hard mahi over the past year to pay off.
The next cab off the rank is the female youth and junior IHF Trophy qualifiers to be held in 2023 – time for your mahi in preparation for that to start! Keep an eye out for further comms on that front, and please encourage any female teenage handball prospects out there to get in touch with secretary@handball.org.nz or womenshandball@handball.org.nz.
That’s all for now – Regional Association reps, keep an eye out for communications as we look to lock in a strategic planning workshop with you this side of Christmas.
Ngā mihi
David Ireland
President, New Zealand Handball Federation