October 2025 Issue No. 26
Koutou ngā matanga nō te ao hākinakina, tēnā koutou,
Welcome to the October 2025 edition of Coaches Kōrero.
Coaches Kōrero was established to create a forum to connect, support and celebrate our Performance Coaching Community in New Zealand.
In this issue we profile two special coaches inMyka Nuku, the coach of bronze medal winning para waka arma athlete Peter Cowan and Basketball coach Kat Jones.
We also have Andy Longley present some thoughts on wellbeing. Coaching at the high-performance level is demanding. The pressure to perform, time away from loved ones, and the constant intensity can all take a toll.
At Te Korowai, we know that supporting your wellbeing is essential if you’re to thrive both in and out of your sport. That’s why we’ve created a wellbeing support offer designed just for you. If you would like a confidential wellbeing discussion you can contact us on [email protected].
On the membership front, we continue to grow our membership. We now have88 members.
If you are not a member we would love to hear from you.
To join, please click here to complete the membership form.
If you would like more information about Te Korowai or support services you can contact Andrew Gaze on [email protected] or 021 443 523
Ngā mihi,
Tom Willmott
Chair
Myka Nuku
For a long time, Myka Nuku and Peter Cowan were accustomed to putting their heads down and doing their own thing to drive Cowan’s performance in para waka ama.
Winning a Paralympic bronze medal changed that.
For the years leading into last year’s Paris Paralympic Games, Nuku (Ngāti Mahu, Ngāti Kahungunu) had a plan for Cowan’s competitions and training, making their own tweaks along the way with limited resources. Now, while their support has increased, so have the expectations, especially on the planning front. “We’re now doing our first attempt at a full four-year cycle,” Nuku says, noting their campaign is also the first of its kind for Waka Ama NZ. “This is all new ground for us, but the plan is by the end of next year, we’ve got all the tweaks sorted to qualify for the next Paralympics. Having a budget certainly helps!”
Kat Jones
Although Kat Jones wasn’t raised in basketball surroundings, it’s a sport which is now very much part of the family. Husband Phill and their three children, Maia, Ava and Hayden all heavily involved in the sport, with Kat being the head coach for the New Zealand 3×3 U23 women’s side.
Growing up in Dunedin, it was netball and hockey that were the more prominent sports, but Jones and her best friend enjoyed basketball. Jones successfully trialled for an U16 team and things developed from there. She moved from St Hilda’s Collegiate to Logan Park High School in her final year where she was coached by Carl Dickel who had built up an impressive resume at the school, with the girls winning two national championships in the mid-80’s and the boys finishing as runners-up three times; Dickel would go on to coach the Tall Ferns for a decade, including at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
Te Korowai Wellbeing Support
Confidential Help When You Need It
Coaching at the high-performance level is demanding. The pressure to perform, time away from loved ones, and the constant intensity can all take a toll. At Te Korowai, we know that supporting your wellbeing is essential if you’re to thrive both on and off the field. That’s why we’ve created a wellbeing support offer designed just for you.
The month that was… September 2025
ATHLETICS – WORLD ATHLETICS DIAMOND LEAGUE FINAL. ZURICH, SWITZERLAND
- James Sandilands coached Hamish Kerr – 1st in the High Jump.
- Hayden Hall coached Tom Walsh to 5th in the Shot Put.
- James Mortimer coached Zoe Hobbs to 6th in the 100m’s.
ATHLETICS – MANCHESTER INVITATIONAL. MANCHESTER, UK.
- Scott Simpson coached Olivia McTaggart to 1st in the Pole Vault.
CYCLING – UCI MTB CROSS-COUNTRY WORLD SERIES. FRANCE.
- Sam Thompson coached Sammie Maxwell to 3rd.
CYCLING – UCI PARA-CYCLING ROAD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS. BELGIUM.
- Brendon Cameron coached Nicole Murray to 3rd in the C5 Time Trial & 4th in the C5 Road Race and Rory Mead to 4th in the H2 Road Race & 4th in the H2 Time Trial.
WEIGHTLIFTING – COMMONWEALTH CHAMPIONSHIPS. INDIA.
- Tina Ball coached David Liti to 2nd in the110kg+..
CANOE RACING – 2025 ICF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS. MILAN, ITALY
- Jernej Regent coached Aimee Fisher to 4th in the K1 500.
SQUASH – PSA LONDON SQUASH CLASSIC FINAL. NORTHERN LONDON, LONDON.
- Robert Owen coached Paul Coll to 2nd.
TENNIS – US OPEN WOMEN’S DOUBLES FINAL. NEW YORK, USA.
- Neil Carter coached E. Routliffe (NZL) & G. Dabrowski (CAN) to winners of the US Open.
ATHLETICS – WORLD ATHLETICS CONTINENTAL TOUR. BEIJING, CHINA.
- Mike Schofield coached Maddie Wesche to 4th in the Shot Put.
HOCKEY – VANTAGE BLACK STICKS MEN OCEANIA SERIES.
- Greg Nicol coached the Black Sticks Men to first.
Vantage Black Stick Men have qualified for the 2026 World Cup
HOCKEY – VANTAGE BLACK STICKS WOMEN OCEANIA SERIES.
Phil Burrows coached the Black Sticks Women to first.
Vantage Black Stick Women have qualified for the 2026 World Cup
CYCLING – MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS. Valais, Switzerland
- Sam Thompson coached Sammie Maxwell to 2nd in the Cross Country Olympics & 5th in the Cross Country Short Course..
- Christian Stauser coached Sam Gaze to 12th in the Cross Country Olympic & 5th in the Cross Country Short Course.
NETBALL – Taini Jamison Series. Auckland, New Zealand
- Yvette McCausland-Durie coached the Silver Ferns to a series win against South Africa.
CYCLING – UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. Lenzerheide, Switzerland
- Sam Thompson coached Sammie Maxwell to 6th in the Cross Country Olympic & 5th in the Short Course.
CYCLING – UCI BMX World Cup. Santiago del Estero, Argentina
- Kurt Pickard coached Rico Bearman to 5th & 11th and Megan Williams to 11th & 12th
SWIMMING – World Para Championships. Singapore
- David Hayden coached Gaby Smith to 2nd in the100m Breaststroke SB9
ATHLETICS – World Championships. Tokyo, Japan
- James Sandilands coached Hamish Kerr to 1st in the High Jump.
- Dathan Ritzenhein coached Geordie Beamish to 1st in the 3000m Steeplechase
- Mike Schofield coached Maddie Wesche to 3rd in the Shot Put.
- Hayden Hall coached Tom Walsh to 4th in the Shot Put.
- Kirsten Hellier coached Tori Moorby to 7th in the Javelin.
- Scott Simpson coached Olivia McTaggart to 8th in the Pole Vault.
- Kirsten Hellier coached Connor Bell to 10th in the Discus.
- Scott Simpson coached Imogen Ayris to 10th in the Pole Vault NZ placed 5th= on the medal table.
