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Kia Ora {contact.firstName}, 

Newsletter Update from our Chief Executive for January 2024

Kia ora koutou, 

Happy New Year. We hope you all managed to have a relaxing break over the summer and enjoyed some of the amazing weather we’ve been having. The team is back and we're all geared up to make this year the absolute best season yet.
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Here's to the possibilities and adventures that lie ahead. Welcome, 2024!
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Ngā mihi nui
North Harbour Hockey Association ​
NHHA COMMUNICATION METHODS
We've kicked off the new year by continuing the development of our Strategic Plan.  We received some valuable feedback in the survey and workshops regarding NHHA's communication methods, prompting a thorough review.

In response, we've crafted a plan for 2024 to make sure we have clear messaging across our various platforms. Additionally, there are exciting developments within the hockey community that we want to make sure you don’t miss out on.

To stay well-informed, we encourage you to check that you're connected to the platform that suits you best. All our communications are run through three main channels:
Facebook
Instagram
Newsletter - If you know someone who would like to receive our monthly newsletters, please scroll to the bottom of this newsletter and click the 'Forward to a Friend' link.
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CE ANNOUNCEMENT
We are excited and pleased to announce that the North Harbour Hockey Association (NHHA) Board has appointed Michelle Bentham as our CE.

Following the immediate departure of Brad Clark in September, the Board were grateful for Michelle accepting and stepping into an interim CE role putting our community, commercial partnerships, and our team at the forefront. Having shown a huge amount of passion and loyalty to Harbour Hockey, this has already brought about some fantastic progress in these areas.

Professionally Michelle brings a wealth of business expertise, serving as a professional director, governance advisor, business consultant, and mentor. Her experience spans various business sectors and organizational structures, ranging from startups to medium-sized SMEs. She specialises in governance, strategic development, performance improvement, and advisory and development roles. Additionally, she has over 20 years of successful business ownership experience, offering valuable practical insights relevant to the NHHA role. Michelle holds an MBA with Distinction, is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors and holds a Diploma in Business Management.

Although not a hockey player herself, Michelle’s four children are active players and her involvement through them was initially with Western Districts Hockey Club for 18 years as a committee member and manager of the P1 Women’s team for 5 years. More recently Michelle has been a board member for NHHA since late 2019.

The Board believe that Michelle's leadership and governance experience will prove immensely valuable over the next 12 months, especially as we are in the process of developing our strategic plan for 2024-2029. We will focus on ensuring the financial sustainability of the Association through exploring commercial and funding opportunities, providing support to our Clubs, and continue fostering player-centric conversations to evolve and strengthen player pathways. We are confident in our ability to navigate the challenges of the upcoming year, armed with the relevant expertise and knowledge.

The Board would like to take this opportunity to again thank Michelle for stepping into the interim CE role on short notice, while simultaneously managing other work commitments. We also commend the NHHA team for their ongoing dedication, delivery, and support to our association through this transition.

Michelle’s role as CE will be on a fixed-term employment agreement through until 31 December 2024. We wish Michelle and her team all the best for the 2024 season ahead.

Dave Kosoof
NHHA Board Chair
[email protected]​​​​​​​
NHHA PROGRAMMES
We are very excited to be re-introducing our Harbour Development Clinics. For the first time we will also be including our youngest players – our Year 1 and 2 as we prep them for the first time in our Winter Competition.

North Harbour Year 1 - 4 Clinic $80 for 6 weeks
North Harbour Year 5 - 8 Clinic $95 for 6 weeks

Times:
Year 1 to 4 – 4:30pm – 5:30pm
Year 5 to 8 – 5:30pm – 7:00pm
(Please note that the ages will be split into the following groups: Year 1 and 2, Year 3 and 4, Year 5 and 6, Year 7 and 8 – this will be in accordance with our winter competition therefore players will train in their respective year groups)

 Applications close 1st March 2024

Our Development Clinic is committed to fostering an environment where each player can reach their potential.

Join the Harbour Development Clinic by clicking the Register Now button below.

There is no pay on registration like we have had in previous programmes, so book your spot now!
UMPIRES & OFFICIALS
Winter season is creeping up fast and umpire registrations are now open for new and returning umpires. Please register via the link under the Umpires and Officials - Registrations tab on our website (Linked below).

We have 2 Introduction to Umpiring courses coming up, registration is via the Umpires and Officials – Development Offerings tab on our website (Linked below).

Please see below for key dates:

Season Briefing
Thursday 5th March 7pm or
Thursday 14th March 7pm

Introduction to Umpiring
Monday 4th March 7pm or
Wednesday 3rd April 7pm
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