Kevin Smith

Coach Profile

As he turns 70 years of age, Kevin Smith shows no sign of slowing down. In fact, quite the opposite; in some respects he’s just getting started.

Smith has been involved in lawn bowls since he was 17 years old, when he watched his brother pick up a national title. Since then he’s done pretty much anything and everything the sport has to offer; playing, administrating, mentoring, coaching. The fact that for that entire period of time, he has mixed it with his other great vocation in life, mental health nursing, makes Smith’s achievements even more incredible.

Smith’s nursing career has taken him to many parts of the country, including Dunedin, Christchurch and North Harbour and involvement in bowls has been side-by-side next to all those career decisions, as he played representative bowls for many regions, winning plenty of titles along the way.

Coaching for Smith evolved about 15 years ago when Greg, a totally blind man in his mid-30’s walked into the Browns Bay bowling club with his wife who was a nurse practitioner at Starship hospital. Smith was club captain and although he wasn’t at the club at the time, someone rang him up and asked if the club could help him. It was an easy decision and, led by Smith, they put on a social practice for Greg that weekend.

“My whole ethos of life and nursing and bowls and coaching was really about making a difference and helping people,” Smith says.

“That started my journey of the para and visually impaired world. I’d never been involved with vision impaired players before so I started coaching him, but I quickly became heavily involved with New Zealand blind bowls and then in later years with the para bowls world.”

Smith is currently the Para High Performance Lead for Bowls New Zealand and has been a key member of the New Zealand Blackjacks since the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Smith was there as a director (i.e. a guide for a blind player) for a B2 vision impaired bowler but his vast experience was integral to the team’s management group as well. Smith now leads the para space which includes physically impaired bowlers as well as vision impaired bowlers and is looking forward to the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, following the recent confirmation that para bowls will be part of the programme in late July next year.

“For me, it’s really around making a difference. How can I assist and support people, and so being involved with the para and vison-impaired world is pretty natural for me in some ways,” Smith says.

“Our culture in the Blackjacks is very strong, it’s routine focussed, it’s very balanced. It’s a fun culture where we have got each other’s backs. When we coach bowls we want everything in life to be right.”

Smith says that Bowls New Zealand has a philosophy of looking after and developing their people – it’s people first. It’s not just about the sport; they are interested in the whole package when it comes to their athletes. They want everything to be right, whether it’s their relationships, their workplace, any children they may have, nutrition, and of course, ensuring that they are having fun. It’s a very inclusive approach which matches Smith’s longstanding approach to life.

Smith is heavily inspired by the late, great American basketball coach John Wooden, who is well known for his insightful and motivational quotes. One in particular resonates deeply with Smith and his coaching work in the blind and para space.

“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”

Smith knows that when coaching those with disabilities, it’s a deeper relationship, a deeper understanding that’s needed, with huge trust required.

“I work with people’s abilities, not their disabilities,” he says.

“One of the key drivers I have to work through is how do we adapt to play the sport to their very best level given what they can or can’t do. These people are inspirational. Despite what goes on for them in their lives, they will get out there and accept the challenge to improve, develop and achieve.”

Following receiving the award of Canterbury’s Coach of the year in 2022, just three months later, Smith was named Bowls New Zealand’s Coach of the Year for 2022 and, as is typical of the man, he is modest about the achievement and still has no idea who nominated him.

“It blew me away because it came out of nowhere. I remain honoured. I get huge pleasure out of seeing these people grow,” he says.

At a point in life where many start to take time for themselves and look at other, often new pastimes, Smith’s dedication to his current athletes remains as strong as ever, as he looks forward to new challenges and helping even more people embrace and love the sport that’s been such a big part of his life.

“I continue to learn and grow. The people I’m working with in the Bowls New Zealand high performance group, Sport New Zealand’s core knowledge group, to rub shoulders with other coaches and hear and share their stories, my learning is continuing at an enormous rate.”

Why did you get into coaching?

Somebody asked and that’s what happened. The blind man came into the bowling club and needed help. I’d already been an informal coach with able bodied people but that started me. It was in response to Greg’s needs really and Greg became 50 people.

Who inspired/inspires you as a coach and why?

John Wooden. I also think immediately Graeme Rees. He’s the national director of coaching and he has a vast overview of the processes of coaching, individually, nationally, through to internationally. I really respect his world view. I do really like Mike Kernaghan’s approach in what we’re trying to do is attend to people. We are blessed to work closely with mental skills coach John Quinn who works with many athletes across many sports. When John speaks I listen.

What has been your biggest learning as a coach?

I need to be constantly listening to people’s needs. I need to remind myself it needs to be player driven not coach driven.

What are you most proud of as a coach?

I like to think I’ve made a difference with dozens if not hundreds of other people along the journey to assist them to get them to where they are now, including beginners right now that are just starting in the game.

What is the biggest challenge you have had as a coach?

The disability world is one that lives every day with stigma and discrimination and as a human being and a coach I am aware of that. I have to care for the players and I’m dealing with education all of the time, beyond the sport.

How do you want to be remembered as a coach?

I’d like to be remembered as a coach as somebody who made a difference.