A "cream of the crop" of players - from areas including Auckland, North, Manawatu, Wellington, Christchurch and Southland - made a high-performance cull to play Australia during the Oceania Championship at North Harbour from February 12 to 18.
Another 18 were selected for a second-tier team.
"None is from Hawke's Bay," says Hitchcock but stresses Jacob Young, of Meeanee club, is an under-15 to watch.
The 34-year-old champions the arena as an ideal hub for future programmes, including the gym downstairs, as well as the facilities available at the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) across the road.
"I'm amazed more sporting organisations aren't using the EIT programmes for athletes and teams."
Its teaching fitness centre, capable of accommodating large groups, is a breath of fresh air compared with commercial gyms that also have to cater to their daily clientele.
"Hawke's Bay is a great low-cost accommodation option."
Badminton, he says, is in a happy place.
"We know where we'll be and where we're going to go."
Last year its new Shuttle Time programme, geared towards primary children, enticed 42,423 enthusiasts compared with 12,345 youngsters who engaged in its Racqueteers programme in 2013.
The code is building towards its Skycity NZ Badminton Open, from April 28 to May 3 at the North Shore Events Centre, offering US$120,000 ($164,000) in prize money ( a boost from last year's US$50,000) and carrying the weight of Badminton World Federation grand prix gold status.
"It's a significant tourney in the international circuit and will have the world's top 20 players," he says, revealing 250 players will compete under 75 coaches and management support staff from 18 countries.
IMG TV coverage will capture a global audience of about 222 million households.
"It'll be a fantastic promotion of New Zealand, televised to Asians during the semifinals and finals," says Hitchcock, emphasising it will be a major shift from a common perception that it is a sport that is primarily staged in high school gyms and community halls.
The highest-ranked Kiwi player is Michelle Chan, of Auckland, coming in at world No37 in the women's singles.
Oliver Leydon-Davis (Waikato) and Kevin Dennerly-Minturn (Auckland) also are world No37 in the men's doubles.
Sport New Zealand boosting the coffers of badminton, from $115,000 from 2012-13 to $196,000 from 2013-14, is pivotal, pushing it five places above to the 25th rung in the national pecking order of codes commanding funds.
Hitchcock says he had to convince the board in 2013 the Bay was ideal for badminton as an HQ with a shift from Hamilton. It helped trim the operating costs by 75 per cent and dispelled myths that metropolitan centres, such as Auckland and Wellington, are obligatory.
The Bay's Roger Dury, founder of Zero Accounting software business, showed that with smart decisions it could "operate from just about anywhere".
"I live just a few minutes away from my office," says Taranaki-bred Hitchcock whose wife Rochelle is from the Bay.
The couple, who lived and worked in Vancouver, Canada, for three years, returned to the Bay to have their children, Laura, 4, and 2-year-old Aiden.
"We wanted Kiwi kids," says the man who worked for Sport Hawke's Bay from 2002-2007 as sport operations manager.
"Colin Stone [outgoing Sport HB CEO] gave me my first real job," Hitchcock says with a laugh.
