President's Update - July 2024

Tēnā koutou, Aotearoa Handball Whānau

We are now heading towards the business end of the New Zealand Handball calendar, with plenty on offer over the next few months for everyone with a thirst for Handball.  In this month’s update I wanted to take a sneak peak at what we have to look forward to, and confirm a special opportunity for our female youth beach players that has been locked in for mid-next year. But first, let’s recap on a what has gone on since my May update.

Auckland Open

Another great tournament was successfully hosted by Auckland Handball on 8-9 June. Numbers were down a little on past years with travel costs proving an increasing challenge for many, but the competition was just as fierce and the camaraderie off the court just as strong – always a great environment for our community to get together. Congratulations to Auckland Handball for making it happen, and we look forward to next year’s edition.

Regional connect + new Inclusion & Respect Policy

A forum was held with representatives of our Regions at the end of June to exchange news and views from around the nation. Thanks to those who were able to take part. These forums help inform the strategies we need to put in place to continue to develop Handball in New Zealand, and ensure initiatives and events are coordinated. Much of the conversation centred around the logistics for Handball League Aotearoa, and it is pleasing to see the buy-in to that initiative and ongoing support from the Regions. The key message we have heard is the need for certainty in planning for next year’s running of the League, and we will be doing our best to lock in timings for 2025 as early as we are able to.

Another topic of discussion was the new Inclusion & Respect Policy that the NZHF Executive Committee has developed. That Policy is intended to provide all our stakeholders with a touchstone to ensure everyone is on the same page when it comes to matters of player safety and respect for our match officials, and ensuring everyone sees Handball in New Zealand as a safe space in which they can participate and contribute.

That Policy has now been adopted by the Executive Committee and appears on our website. You can access it here. We encourage all our stakeholders to take the time to go through it and put it into practice. Please let us know if you have any queries or feedback to share.

Youth Handball update

It was exciting to see two intermediate school-age tournaments successfully conducted in Auckland in June. There will be a similar-aged festival taking place in Wellington on 16 August. We are delighted to be able to support the future of Handball in this way, and look forward to assisting with similar initiatives in other centres. As always, if you would like a hand with any Handball development initiative aimed at our younger players, or want to contribute, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Frank at play@handball.org.nz

Moving up the youth age grades, the men’s Under 18 and Under 20 campaign is gathering steam as the boys look to book themselves a spot in next year’s Intercontinental Championships. The first leg of that journey is the Oceania IHF Trophy qualifiers booked in for Tahiti in mid-December, with a busy few months ahead for the squad as they prepare themselves. To find out more, and how you can support the team, contact Thomas and Olly at youth@handball.org.nz.

To round out the excitement for our youth players in this month’s update, we have just received confirmation that our Under 17 female beach handball players have been nominated to join the American Samoan girls in representing Oceania at the Under 17 Beach Handball World Champs in Tunisia in June 2025. This is an amazing opportunity for the rising stars of our female game, and provides them with a real focus for their training over the summer ahead.

Club Champs & Regional Champs

We are getting down to the wire on the registrations deadline for Clubs to participate in Club Champs in Wellington on 6-8 September. We are expecting a bumper turnout this year, with five Australian club teams expected to join in to add a distinct international flavour to this year’s competition. If your Club has yet to do so, please ensure you register here by 31 July to guarantee your place.

Tracking forward another month and we have the Regional Champs taking place in Christchurch  on the weekend of 12-13 October. This year the event will double as the finals weekend for Handball League Aotearoa, providing a fitting climax to the 2024 Indoor Handball calendar. We hope to see good numbers front up both on and off the court to support their Region take home the silverware.

Referee course

We have another referee training course scheduled to take place over the course of August, as part of the lead up to Club Champs. This is an essential refresher for those likely to find themselves on the end of a whistle on a Handball court – but is also highly valuable for all players to provide you with a better understanding of the rules and expectations. Please contact Antoine at referees@handball.org.nz for further details.

Handball at the Olympics

Before our own annual Handball tournaments take place, there is of course the small matter of Olympic Handball dominance to be settled, now underway with preliminary round games already appearing on Sky Sport. There is also a beach handball showcase Olympic satellite event available to be viewed. Check out our Facebook page for further details – we will keep that updated as further information becomes available, and do our best to keep our supporters informed as to what is available to be viewed.

AGM 29 September

To finish this update on a real highlight, we are currently looking at holding this year’s NZHF AGM online on 29 September. As always, there will be spots available on the Executive Committee for individuals who feel they have something to contribute. If that’s you, please liaise with your Club to get yourself nominated. As part of the lead up to that, we are also hoping to find a space in the schedule for Club Champs to hold a rare in-person forum for our community to exchange views. Further details on that will follow once the Club Champs schedule has been finalised.

That’s it for this month. All the best for your Handball endeavours, whatever they may be, and thanks for your ongoing interest in New Zealand Handball.

David Ireland

President, New Zealand Handball Federation

Play Handball - Everyone, Everywhere!

The New Zealand Handball Federation is excited to introduce our new video series, "Play Handball." This series demonstrates how to enjoy the game using everyday equipment and spaces, and simplifies the rules for easy understanding.

Our first video, "Introduction to Handball," is designed to engage Kiwi kids, along with their teachers, parents, and caregivers, encouraging everyone to give handball a try.

Future videos in the series will feature shorter clips focused on enhancing your handball skills. These include training exercises that coaches and players can watch together before practicing on the court. You'll find essential skills covered, such as shooting, defense, goalkeeping, and team play.

We hope these videos inspire more handball activity in schools across New Zealand. We recognize that many children have yet to discover handball, and we believe this series will make this fantastic Olympic sport more accessible for all.

The video series will be under our new YouTube channel - Play Handball NZHF

We would like to thank our talented volunteer presenters, Anaiwan Ojala and Lara Johns, who were assisted by Martin and Chloe Augueux. The camera work is the handiwork of our amazing Jun Tanlayco, and the tasks of directing, graphics, and editing were handled by NZHF's own Youth Development Coordinator, Frank Stoltenberg.

We would also like to acknowledge our clothing partner, Select Sports. Additionally, we are grateful to Mt Cook School in Wellington for hosting us.

President's Update - May 2024

Tēnā koutou, Aotearoa Handball Whānau!

End of May, and the Indoor Handball season is now in full swing. And now less than two months until the Paris Olympics, providing a rare opportunity (hopefully!) for international Handball to appear on mainstream Kiwi sports media. More on that in the lead up to the Games, but for now, let’s focus a little closer to home.

Handball League AotearoA is go!

What a fantastic weekend of high performance handball to kick off Handball League Aotearoa at the start of May!

With the scramble to get the opening round together it would be fair to say we were a tad nervous about how it would pan out – but we couldn’t have been happier with the outcome. Eight high quality games played with real intensity, and all four of our regions represented by full(ish) strength male and female teams with a great turnout of volunteers and supporters. Good to see our Women’s National Training Squad taking the opportunity presented by having everyone in one place to hold a training session.

After the opening round we had Auckland Women and Otago Men leading the standings – but it’s early days with plenty more points up for grabs in the months ahead.

Auckland HC Women’s team

Massive thanks to Canterbury Handball for managing the logistics and to Ted & the HLA organising group for pulling it all together. Thanks also to those who completed the HLA stakeholder survey – we will be digesting the outputs of that over the coming weeks and then let you know what we’ve learned and how that impacts on the way we administer the League.

Next up for HLA we have the intra-island clashes, with Auckland taking on Wellington and Canterbury taking on Otago, and a hard-fought first leg of the Southern Shield having been held in Waimate on 25 May.

Auckland Open & Auckland Youth

Moving away from official High-Performance Handball and with more focus on the social side of Handball, but without any drop in passion for our great game on Court, the Auckland Open is all set for the weekend of 8-9 June. Another opportunity for our community to get together to celebrate all that is good about Handball, with thanks to Auckland Handball for all their efforts in ensuring this event remains an annual highlight on the Handball calendar.

Perhaps even more exciting than the Auckland Open (if that is possible!) is the launch of an Intermediate age inter-school tournament in Auckland next month. We have a Boys’ tournament taking place on 7 June (think of it as a form of warm up event for the Auckland Open) and then a girls’ tournament on 21 June (with a big thank you to Balmoral School for hosting that). We are super excited about this new investment in the future of Handball, and hoping to replicate the experience in other centres around the country. Huge effort by Frank and his volunteer group to make that happen. For more details, reach out to play@handball.org.nz

Club and Player register

Hopefully all our affiliated Clubs will have now seen and responded to the survey sent out earlier this month for Clubs to confirm their registration details with us, as well as provide updated players’ details to ensure they are correctly recorded on our database. A lot of effort has been put into developing a new NZHF registration system that will work for our environment, but that system will only work if all our stakeholders respond and ensure we have a proper record of everyone involved. Thanks in anticipation of your co-operation with this important initiative.

An update will be provided later in the year. For any queries on our database in the meantime, please reach out to Julien at membership@handball.org.nz

Exec update 

Last up for this month, a slight changing of the guard on your Exec. With a brand new Handballer scheduled to enter the world in a couple of months, Rowan has decided to step aside from Secretary-General duties to focus on her next big role. I am delighted to announce that Kylie Carter (KC) has agreed to step into the gap and take on the duties of acting Secretary-General for the NZHF until this year’s AGM. Rowan and KC will be working together to ensure a smooth transition.

Thanks for all you have done for New Zealand Handball as our Secretary-General, Rowan, and we look forward to welcoming you back on Court with your expanded whānau in tow real soon!

Yours in Handball

David Ireland

President, New Zealand Handball Federation

President's Update - April 2024

Tēnā koutou, Aotearoa Handball Whānau!

Hard to believe it is the end of April already – a third of the year gone, but plenty of Handball action still to pack into the remaining two thirds of the year.

Handball League Aotearoa

Perhaps one of the most significant initiatives we have undertaken in recent years, Handball League Aotearoa throws off on 4-5 May (Super Weekend) in Christchurch. Played at two separate full court venues (Celebration and Mainpower Stadiums) and featuring representative teams from all four of our recognised regions, Canterbury Handball has served up a fantastic launching pad for this bold new competition concept. Super exciting to have locked in a high performance competition that involves the entire nation with games spread from May to October!

Thanks to all of our volunteers from around the regions who have bought into the concept and supported the launch going ahead.  We acknowledge the challenges faced and appreciate the commitment of our wonderful Handball community to make it happen. We also appreciate your ongoing commitment to fill in the blanks between the book-end League weekends in Christchurch, with the winners in October able to claim bragging rights as New Zealand’s premier competitive Handball region for 2024 in either the Men’s or Women’s division (or both!).

If you can’t be there in person to witness the historic opening weekend, catch it on NZ Handball Live livestream.

Gathering the cream of New Zealand’s Handball talent together for the weekend to launch the League also provides opportunity for our National Women’s Team to get together for some early season training with their recently appointed coaching and management team https://handball.org.nz/news/2024/4/15/announcing-coaching-and-support-team-for-the-womens-national-team,  and for our senior Men to get together to reflect on what they achieved at this year’s Asian Champs. But the immediate representative focus for us is on the future…   

Junior and Youth Squads

Our coaches and management structure has now been confirmed for the Men’s Youth (Under 18 at the start of 2024) and Junior (Under 20) Teams to represent New Zealand at the Oceania IHF Trophy qualifiers at the end of the year (https://handball.org.nz/news/2024/4/13/announcing-coaches-and-team-delegation-for-mens-youth-and-junior-national-teams) We are now looking to build up those squads – while we hope to see many return from the previous campaign, there are plenty of openings for new faces to join the ranks. If you hold a New Zealand passport, were under 20 at the start of the year, and are interested in being considered but have not yet been in touch with the coaches, please check out the EOI registration details (https://handball.org.nz/news/2024/4/20/eoi-for-youth-and-junior-boys-high-performance-squads) or contact high-preformance@handball.org.nz.

We currently have EOIs out for those keen to be involved in the Women’s Youth and Junior squads, in either a playinghttps://handball.org.nz/news/2024/4/26/eoi-for-youth-and-junior-girls-high-performance-squads or coaching/managementhttps://handball.org.nz/news/2024/4/23/eoi-for-youth-and-junior-womens-coach-and-management-team capacity. We were thrilled with the depth of talent that came through last year for the IHF Trophy qualifiers held in New Caledonia, and are looking to build on that with an eye on 2025.

Queenstown and development

Of course, Handball is not just about High Performance. The traditional annual Social Tournament was once again successfully held in Queenstown 13-14 April, with over 40 players taking part. It is one of the more iconic events on the Handball calendar, much fun and camaraderie and a great opportunity for our Indoor handballers to celebrate all there is to enjoy about Handball in a stunning setting. The Sunday mash up of quick-fire, shortened mixed teams games was a particular highlight this year. Thanks to Queenstown Lakes District Council for its generous support of the event, Britt and the team at the Queenstown Events Centre for all their help, the Locker Room for its fine hospitality for the Saturday night social, and Leo and the rest of the Queenstown Handball community for hosting such an enjoyable event.

There are some great development initiatives happening around the country, from Invercargill to Auckland. In the past month NZHF has fielded requests to support new youth training initiatives in Taranaki, Wairarapa, Rotorua and Auckland, which is super encouraging – as is the depth of talent being grown out of Christchurch and Dunedin, in particular.

We are also currently working on some Introduction to Handball modules and coaching resources that we hope to be able to make available later in the year, as well as getting some competition underway amongst selected clusters of Intermediate Schools.

Beach

Sadly, the 2023-24 Beach campaign has now drawn to a close. Another strong showing on the sand, thanks to all those involved, particularly the new faces to the management team who made that happen. The domestic highlight had to be the North v South Championships held at the end of March, with a great turnout of our passionate Beach Handball community. Congratulations to the North Men and Women for a Strong showing retaining the Silverware for another year. Another highlight was hosting our first international side in the “Dirty Pigeons” at our New Zealand Champs. Thanks to the Australian-based side for coming over the ditch and we hope to extend our hospitality further over Oceania in the future. Having a number of teams go over to the Gold Coast to compete in the Australian Beach Handball Champs 18-21 April, with a couple of national team exhibition games against the Australians, was a great way to wrap up the summer of Beach.

At this stage we are still hopeful of getting teams together to represent New Zealand at the Oceania Under 16 Beach Handball qualifiers, currently planned for Rarotonga at the end of August. There are a few logistical challenges to overcome for that to happen, but fingers crossed that will go ahead. If you want to find out more information on this please see our Expression of Interest here (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSccS1hYSWNr-g79OLeJ5Bw34K7bMpRAa96gON5qKaDGUx1dTA/viewform)

Auckland Open and Club Champs

Once the Handball League Aotearoa opener is out of the way, domestic attention switches to the Auckland Open, taking place on 8-9 June. It’s not far away now, and we look forward to seeing another great turnout of the New Zealand Handball Community on the North Shore.

 Looking further ahead, Club Champs is all go for 6-8 September in Wellington. There has already been a lot of interest from Australian Clubs wanting to come over and take part, and this year’s NZHF showcase event is shaping up to be our best ever. Club registration details will be coming out soon. Make sure you lock it into your schedule!

We look forward to catching up on a handball court somewhere soon

David Ireland

President, New Zealand Handball Federation

EOI for Youth and Junior Girls High Performance squads

The NZHF is excited to kick-off the Youth and Junior Girls High Performance squads for 2024/25 seasons. These squads are open to all players born after January 1st 2004. We strongly encourage any young player with aspirations to play for New Zealand or be part of the training squad to improve their performance. We are also keen to hear from talented athletes from other sports who may want to accelerate a switch to handball.   

Application Deadline: 31 May, 2024

Register your interest now. Further information can be found in the form.

2023 IHF Trophy Oceania - Junior

2023 IHF Trophy Oceania - Youth

EOI for Youth and Junior Women's Coach and Management Team

The NZHF is excited to kick-off the Youth and Junior Girls High Performance squads for 2024/25 seasons. We are seeking motivated applicants to form the team management that will be responsible for developing the level of performance within the squad as part of the NZHF high-performance strategy.

We are seeking applicants for the following positions:

• Head Coach 

• Assistant Coach 

• Goalkeeping Coach 

• Team Manager 

• NZHF delegate liaison

Applicants are required to complete the information requested in the form and provide a supporting CV and cover letter no later than 19th of May 2024 (extended to 31st of May 2024). 

Please contact Karl Fitzpatrick at high-performance@handball.org.nz for more information. 

2023 IHF Trophy Oceania - NZ Youth and Junior Womens Teams

EOI for Youth and Junior Boys High Performance squads

The NZHF is excited to kick-off the Youth and Junior Boys High Performance squads for 2024/25 seasons. These squads are open to all players born after January 1st 2004. We strongly encourage any young player with aspirations to play for New Zealand or be part of the training squad to improve their performance. We are also keen to hear from talented athletes from other sports who may want to accelerate a switch to handball.   

Application Deadline: May 19, 2024

Register your interest now. Further information can be found in the form.

2022 NZ Mens Youth Team - IHF Trophy Oceania, Second Place

2022 NZ Mens Junior Team - IHF Trophy Oceania, Third Place

Announcing Coaching and Support Team for the Women's National Team

New Zealand Handball Federation is proud to announce the coaching and support team for the Women’s National Team.

Leanne Dawson : Manager 

Emilio Munoz : Strength and conditioning coach

Olivia Hodgson : Massage therapist

Aaron Bell : Media manager / Photographer

Justin Cope : Goalkeeper Coach

Ezer Handelsman : Assistant coach

Cyprien Pesques : Head coach

The team released the following statement.

The New Zealand women's handball staff team comprises a diverse group of volunteers dedicated to the future development of women's handball in NZ.

Cyprien Pesques - Head Coach

Leading the team is Coach Cyprien, who brings extensive experience from his 12-year career playing in France and more recently playing in New Zealand. With over six years of coaching experience in France and two years in New Zealand, Cyprien also holds a master’s degree in physical activity and coaching. Assisting him is Ezer Handelsman, from Israel with international playing experience. Ezer is enthusiastic about sharing his playing expertise and contributing to the team's coaching efforts and the vision for the team. Supporting the coaching staff is Manager, Leanne Dawson, Goalie Coach, Justin Cope, strength and conditioning coach, Emilio Munoz, a physiotherapist, massage therapist, Olivia Hodgson, and media manager, Aaron Bell. Together, they form a support network dedicated to the success and well-being of the women's handball team.

The primary objective of the 4-5 year campaign is to reintroduce New Zealand women onto the global stage of handball, with the aim to secure the team’s first win in an international competition. The ultimate goal is to participate in the World Cup in 2029.

2024 Training Camp

The coaching staff are also dedicated to raising the profile of handball and contributing to the development of local players who are passionate about the sport and capable of competing at an international level. Our primary goal for this year is to create a squad of players committed to improving their indoor high-performance technical and tactical skills. The intent is to foster a supportive and enjoyable learning culture among the team, with 5-6 training camps scheduled over the 2024 year.  

Across New Zealand, we have a small pool of talented individuals who are eager to develop into international-level players. Despite NZ handball having a relatively small pool of active players, the existing players demonstrate great commitment, a strong work ethic and a supportive team culture. The current squad are excited for the up-and-coming campaign,

With the NZ Handball Federation’s commitment to growing handball across NZ, and the introduction of the Handball League Aotearoa to support player development, we will likely see an increase in participation of women playing handball competitively.

Presently handball operates on a self-funded basis, common for minority sports. However, to compete on the international stage effectively, the team needs to establish mechanisms and pathways that provide financial support to playing, ensuring fairness and accessibility across the sport.

2024 Training Camp

Announcing Coaches and Team Delegation for Men's Youth and Junior National Teams

New Zealand Handball Federation is proud to announce the coaching staff and team delegation for the Men’s Youth and Junior National teams.

Youth Team Head Coach - Frédéric Han

Youth Team Assistant Coach - Paul Pringot

Junior Team Head Coach - Hayden Juranovich

Junior Team Assistant Coach -  Jack Gallagher

Goalkeeper Coach for both Teams - Alex Brown

Manager for both teams - Olly Donaldson

Head of Delegation - Thomas Schmider

Following a successful 2022-2023 campaign were the Junior team placing third and the Youth team finishing second at the 2022 IHF Trophy Oceania - representing Oceania at the 2023 IHF Men’s Youth World Championships. We wish the delegation more success in the future.

2022 IHF Trophy Oceania

Frédéric Han - Youth Team Head Coach

Fred formerly coached the Senior Mens National Team before moving his focus to youth development.

“The main goal is winning the next IHF trophy and look at opportunities on International Handball scene.”

In order to achieve the goal, the team needs to grow and for players to develop skills and confidence .

“Recent International campaigns have demonstrated that there is a future for NZ Handball. This future will need to be built with new players so it is a chance for them to show what they are capable of! We have a great pool of young athletes but most of them are just discovering Olympic Handball. We ought to continue recruiting talent as early as possible and giving them opportunities to perform.”

Hayden Juranovich - Junior Team Head Coach

Hayden has been the head coach for 3 years. He was the head coach of the youth team that played at the 2023 IHF Men’s Youth World Championships in Croatia. He plans to build on the progress that was made last year with the squad that participated in the world championship and qualify for the next IHF intercontinental phase.

“The current pool of players is talented and hard working. They have so much enthusiasm and passion for the game which is great to see.”

“The local handball community has been a major contribution to the team. Without their support and dedication to the sport , none of this would be possible. They put so much effort in each region to provide the best for these players.”

EOI - Under 16 Youth Beach Handball Oceania Qualifiers

Calling men and women youth beach handball players.  Interested in representing New Zealand in Youth Men's and Women's Beach Handball?  If you are born after the 1st of January 2008, register your interest.  The Oceania Qualifiers will be held in Rarotonga, Cook Islands.  Winners will represent Oceania at the IHF Youth Beach Handball World Championship.

Registration closes 30th March.

2017 Youth Beach Handball Oceania Qualifiers

You can hear from 2017 youth beach handball representatives - Paul Ireland and Gus Hamilton.  Learn their journey from youth representative to becoming a member of the Senior Men's National Team.  The interview starts with Senior Men's Captain Jimmy Cochrane.