President's Update - April 2021

Dear NZ Handball Community

Autumn already, and you can almost smell the aroma of the indoor season just around the corner. In fact, it is even closer than around the corner, kicking off in earnest this weekend with the Queenstown Handball Tournament, followed a couple of weeks later in Wellington by the Hello Handball 2021 event hosted by Victoria University Handball Club. It’s a fantastic lead in to what we hope will be a bumper season of New Zealand indoor handball – thanks to the organisers of those two events for all the effort they have put in to making them happen, and all the best to those taking part.

Speaking of thanks and fantastic events, hats off to Willy Silcock and the team making it all happen at Elmwood Park for a magical beach programme this summer. Congratulations to the North Island Rep Teams for taking out both the Men’s and Women’s Trophies in a hard-fought best of three series. The future of New Zealand beach is looking bright with the depth of talent on display, and we can now just cross our fingers that the planets will align to open up some international beach competition by the end of the year.

The other big news on the Tournament front is that after much debate we have made the call to change the focus of the Auckland regional tournament in May from a high-performance rep team event to an open tournament. The original intention was to kick the season off with a hiss and a roar, with no other openings in the calendar available to hold the Auckland tournament on a weekend other than mid-May. Taking on board feedback received from a number of stakeholders, we have decided to defer the regional rep tournament to much later in the year. This better aligns with the high-performance calendar,  and opening up this pre-season tournament to a wider range of players is also better aligned with the inclusive value we strive to observe.

Keep an eye out for details of the replacement high-performance regional tournament that we hope to be able to confirm in the next update. Meantime, we are looking forward to see as many of the handball class of 2021 from around the country battle it out in Auckland on 15-16 May. Big thanks to Auckland Handball for making this happen.

On the NZHF admin front, two key initiatives to update you on.

First, the proposed changes to the NZHF constitution were circulated last month for feedback before we finalise the final set of changes to put to a SGM before the end of June. If you haven’t already done so, please take the opportunity to have a look, and let us know whether you think we haven’t got any of the changes right or think we have missed something – or let us know if you are happy with what we have come up with!

Second, we made a bit of noise about finally gaining formal recognition by Sport NZ at the end of 2020. One of the opportunities this opened up for us was the ability to team up with the TAB, providing us with a new platform to promote the game of handball to a new set of enthusiasts and further grow the sport. A spin-off from that connection is that we have benefitted from some of the revenue generated from the first couple of months of the arrangement to the tune of a bit over $2,000. That’s more funds available to us to plough back into growing the sport. Exciting times.

That’s it for now. There’s plenty happening, and plenty to look forward to over the next few months as the season swings into top gear. Get into it!

Stay safe

David Ireland
President NZHF

NZHF National Beach Champs - COVID Level 2 Update

Tēnā koutou katoa

The New Zealand Handball Federation Executive met earlier today to discuss the implications of the current national COVID situations with respect to the National Beach Handball Championships. I wanted to share with you the decisions made at the meeting.

Our first discussion was whether or not to carry on with the tournament. Upon discussing options we have decided to CONTINUE with the tournament as scheduled.

With consideration to the level two rule of less than 100 people at any gathering we discussed spectators at the venue. We have decided NOT to allow spectators at the venue. We will however consider fringe cases where spectators have a reason to be at the venue for logistical or compassionate grounds. These spectators will have to go through an approval process. Information on the approval process will be made available as soon as practical. Tournament organisers will be decide if a spectator has legitimate grounds to be at the venue.

We understand that there is risk of community transmission. With respect to that we do have some hard and fast rules when it comes to attendance. We ask you not to attend the tournament if;

  • If you are feeling sick or unwell, regardless of the circumstances.

  • If you are considered a casual contact of any Community Case (i.e. you have been to any of the Current locations of interest listed on the Ministry of Health website)

  • If you have been in contact with someone with is considered a causal contact of any Community Case

The New Zealand Handball Federation understand that in these unprecedented times we require to be nimble with decision making. We will be reassessing this decision informally daily. If there is a change to the National Situation we will meet as early as practical to discuss the implications of this with respect to the National Beach Handball Championships.

The New Zealand Handball Federation is aware that many people would love to watch the tournament we will try our best to make the tournament available through electronic means.

If you have any questions regarding the decisions made or need to discuss your situation please don’t hesitate to contact myself on through my email address below.

To our Auckland community, Kia Kaha, Stay strong we as a community and a nation stand with you and together we can get through this.

Ngā Mihi Nui

Willy Silcock

NZHF Executive Member – Beach Handball Portfolio

beach@handball.org.nz

President's Update February 2021

Half-way through February already, and the handball programme for 2021 is well underway.

First up, we hope you were able to catch some of the action from the recently completed men’s handball world champs live-streamed from Egypt. Some great action and great coverage, with the New Zealand handball community able to have some skin in the games for the first time through our agreement with the TAB. Congratulations to the Danes for making it back to back wins.

Back home, and the programme for the year ahead is taking shape. The first major event on the calendar is the national beach champs in Christchurch at the start of March. The beach programme this summer has been a raging success so far, and the grand finale is shaping up to be a goodie.

Later in March, we have a final beach camp scheduled to conclude the summer beach programme. Heading into January we were still hopeful of some Trans-Tasman beach action, but the border issues and latest covid outbreaks mean that won’t be happening this summer.

On the indoor front, the Queenstown South Island Open is locked in for 10/11 April, the senior regionals are set down for Auckland 15-16 May, the NZ Club champs will be held in Wellington 10-12 September and the junior regionals will be held in October. At the time of writing this, we were still putting the finishing touches on planning a junior high-performance camp for mid-March, with the extent of competitive action dependent on numbers. It’s a shame we can’t promise any international competition for either juniors or seniors at this stage, but we are looking to make the most of our domestic opportunities meantime, and keeping fingers crossed for whatever may open up later in the year.

Last, on the admin front, we are progressing the NZHF constitution update, with a draft replacement constitution to be circulated for consultation in March. It may not be the most exciting part of what’s in store, but getting the constitutional framework right should set up the long term success of the organisation, so we look forward to a good level of engagement in that process. Big thanks to Dentons Kensington Swan for coming to the party with some pro bono support for the drafting work.

All the best

The NZHF Executive Committee

A win for New Zealand Handball off the Court

Handball New Zealand stands to directly benefit from the International Handball Federation Men's World Championship, which got underway this week in Egypt, thanks to a new agreement with TAB NZ.

"European Handball is a growing sport in New Zealand. While we're not competing at the current World Championship, our agreement with the TAB means we have a better chance of making it there in the future" says New Zealand Handball Federation President, David Ireland.

"With New Zealanders now able to place bets on handball, Handball NZ stands to benefit, meaning we will have more funding to invest in this increasingly popular Olympic sport.

The ability of the TAB to offer handball follows the New Zealand Handball Federation receiving official confirmation of its status as a National Sporting Association from Sport New Zealand.

“Being formally recognised by Sport NZ was a great way to finish 2020. Getting on board with TAB NZ is a superb way to start 2021” says Ireland

The TAB currently offers odds on 34 sports and has a legislated objective to maximise the returns to New Zealand sports from betting.

"Every year the TAB returns around $150 million to New Zealand racing and sport. Handball is a big sport internationally and a great addition for our customers, the speed and flow of the game lends itself well to betting", says Simon Thomas, TAB GM Betting and Customer. "Every bet on sport through the TAB has a direct benefit back to New Zealand. We hope this new partnership helps grow the sport in New Zealand.

Handball has featured at every Olympics since 1972. There are 28,000 handball clubs around the world and over 27 million registered players. New Zealand has played in the Asian Handball Championships in the past, most recently the NZ Men’s Team competing in Kuwait in January 2020, but has yet to make the full world stage.

Media contacts:
David Ireland, NZHF President – 021 343 615, president@handball.org.nz
Daniel Triebsch, NZHF Secretary-General – 021 209 2985, secretary@handball.org.nz
Jun Tanlayco, NZHF Media Officer – 021 681 055, media@handball.org.nz

NZHF Constitution Review

The NZHF Executive Committee is now calling for submissions in response to 15 constitution amendment proposals. The proposed changes cover a range of constitutional aspects, from the rules governing the appointment and term of office of Executive Committee Members, to membership issues and voting rights, to establishing a framework for some key policies. Submissions on the initial set of proposals close on 22 January 2021.

Responses to our Consultation Paper will help inform an Exposure Draft of the updated Constitution that will be prepared in February following the February Board meeting. That Exposure Draft will be circulated to Clubs by the end of March to provide stakeholders with a final opportunity to comment on the proposed changes before they are put to a Special General Meeting of the NZHF later in 2021.

If you are interested in seeing the detail of the proposals and would like to contribute your thoughts to enhancing the framework within which our great sport is governed, please contact secretary@handball.org.nz.

NZHF Executive Committee

President's Update - December 2020

Merry Christmas, New Zealand handball community!

Just a brief update for you to round off the year and a fairly intensive few months of admin input from your Executive Committee.

First up, I am delighted to announce that the NZHF has been granted Sport NZ Investment Eligibility status.

What does that mean, you ask? Good question. In essence, it means we have been officially recognised by Sport NZ as the organisation representing handball in New Zealand. While many might think that is a no-brainer, in order to get that recognition Sport NZ needed to be convinced that we have the organisational attributes it is looking for in its investment partners, and that we have the capability to receive and manage public monies. It took a lot of hard work from the previous and current Executive Committee to get us there, and it doesn’t mean we automatically receive a flow of riches from the public purse, but it opens a lot of doors for us.

The first door that status has opened has been to enable a Sport Betting Agreement with TAB to come into effect. That’s right – pretty soon you will be able to place bets at the TAB on handball games from around the globe, and the NZHF will benefit from some of the revenue TAB generates from that betting activity. We are still working through the logistics of getting that up and running, so look out for further info and a formal launch early in the New Year, hopefully in time for the Egypt World Cup.

Huge thanks to past and current Executive Committee members who played a part in getting the above two key strategic partnerships over the line. Legend.

Also legendary was the great work of Willy Silcock and the beach handball volunteers in pulling off a well-attended beach handball training camp in Christchurch on 19 and 20 December. It’s a fantastic non-beach sand stadium in the Garden City for those who haven’t seen it before, and seeing 50-odd beach enthusiasts train and play some pretty decent beach handball was a real pre-Xmas treat. A huge success, and augurs well for the great programme Willy and the team have in place for the next few months.

The other plan for the next few months we will kick off shortly after Christmas is the NZHF Constitution Review. I know you have all been hanging out for this, and you will be able to fill your boots with considering key aspects of our constitution over the New Year holidays. Don’t say we didn’t give you something for Christmas. The review proposals will be posted on or just after Boxing Day, and you will have a few weeks to get your feedback to us to inform the drafting of a replacement constitution. I’m excited about it, and I hope you are as well.

That’s it for now. While it’s a shame we couldn’t get more handball in over the course of 2020 and much of the 2021 international programme is uncertain, we can celebrate the opportunities we have been able to enjoy of playing our great sport and watching it live. Constitution review aside, we’re working hard to make next year’s handball programme as exciting for you as we can. Travel safe these holidays for those heading away – make sure you keep yourselves safe to be able to enjoy all that handball has to offer in 2021!

All the best

David Ireland
President, NZHF

 

Beach Handball Update - December

Tēnā tātou!

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Willy Silcock and I am currently in charge of the New Zealand Handball Federation's Beach Handball portfolio. I wanted to give you a quick update on how we are expecting the current summer’s Beach Handball programme to proceed.

Beach Handball already has a strong regional showing this season with regular games in Dunedin, Auckland and Canterbury and we wish to leverage the growth in the last few years to strengthen our presence on the international scene.

Our approach to achieve this is to create a high performance calendar to compliment the great work that is happening in the regions. The calendar has 3 components. Training camps to help develop skills, a North vs South series to develop healthy competition within New Zealand and a National championships to give all players something work towards.

The training camps are available to any players who have a passion for Beach Handball. Experience is NOT a prerequisite. All camps are based in Canterbury. For more details see the Facebook events below.

Camp 1 (19th December)

Camp 2 (29th – 31st January)

Camp 3 (5th March)

Camp 4 (20th - 22nd March)

Each player who is interested in attending camps NEEDS to fill out the THIS FORM. This form is also required for the North vs South series explained below.

The North vs South Series will give all players in New Zealand a goal to aim at as well as a competitive environment to thrive. Any player can put their names forward for their respective squads. Which squad they will represent will be decided based on which club they are registered to in New Zealand. Note that players who attend camps will be prioritised. Any player wanting to considered for the series OR attend camps NEED to fill out the form above.

The peak of the Beach Handball season is the National championships. This will be run as a two day tournament from the 6th and 7th of March. It will provide competitive and social environments to suit all players. To register individual interest please see the Facebook event. It is requested that at this early stage a representative from each region register approximate team numbers using this form so we can start to correctly shape the tournament format.

Lastly a couple of other events of note in the calendar is the Canterbury Handball Mixed Social Tournament and the Wellington Beach Fun Day these are open to all so go have a look and see if you or any of your players would be interested.

I have a passion for Beach Handball so if you want any more information, help on getting Beach Handball embedded in your handball community please reach out to myself via beach@handball.org.nz.

Ngā Mihi,

Willy Silcock

Executive Board Member, Beach Handball Portfolio

New Zealand Handball Federation

Call for applications ... NZ Senior Women National Coach

The New Zealand Handball Federation is calling on all interests in applying for the position of Head Coach for the Senior Women’s national team and the supporting team required to run an effective programme.

The NZHF sees the following positions as necessary for the overall management of the senior women’s team:

  • Head Coach

  • Assistant coach

  • Goalkeeping coach

  • Team Manager

  • Any other position you have passion and experience for and want to help with the success of Women’s handball in New Zealand for New Zealanders.

New Zealand Handball High Performance is looking to appoint a Head Coach with the following experience:

  • Experience in working with and leading a group of coaches and managers.

  • Understanding of New Zealand handball levels and situation

  • The ability to create a high performing team environment.

  • Previous coaching experience in International handball or high-level club coaching overseas (desired but not crucial)

 The responsibilities of the role include but not limited to:

1) Directing and inspiring Women’s Handball at the highest level of handball in New Zealand.

2) Creating a competitive internal environment where player and team success is the priority for everyone involved

3) Scouting and recruitment of new players

4) Attending national tournaments

5) Travelling with the team to games and tournaments.

The term of the coaching committment will be through until February of 2023. Focussed on preparing the Women’s for the next Asian Championship scheduled for the end of 2022.

Please be aware this work is voluntary, unpaid positions. You will also need to have the right to live and work in New Zealand until the end of the coaching term.

The NZHF does not have the capacity to support Visas for any of these roles.

Please complete the following attachment to register your interest, applications close 22/12/2020.  

https://forms.gle/PxfajY9CLJcZKAvh7

 

Kind Regards,
High Performance NZHF.