Brent Eastwood: Sport Northland board acknowledged with Governance Mark award

The Sport Northland board being presented the Governance Mark award by Sport NZ. Left to right: Vince Cocurullo (Trustee), April Rawiri (Trustee), Jacqui Apiata (Sport NZ), Kath Wharton (Tangata Whenua Co-Chair), Sharon Carroll (Board Intern), Libby Jones (Tangata Tiriti Co-Chair), Rachel Birch (Board Intern), Anne Cooper (Trustee), Tony Morris (Trustee) and Brent Eastwood (Chief Executive).

OPINION

Sport New Zealand announced recently that the Sport Northland board has been awarded the Governance Mark for Play, Active Recreation and Sport.

Sport Northland is the first Regional Sports Trust in Aotearoa New Zealand to receive the mark twice, after first receiving it in 2018.

Sport Northland co-chairs Kath Wharton and Libby Jones are delighted to have retained the Governance Mark.

“While we are thrilled to have had the mark presented to us for a second time, it’s the process of going through the reassessment and the continuous governance development that has been invaluable for us as a board.

“We are very grateful to Sport NZ for once again undertaking the process and for recognising how important effective governance is in the success of sport and recreation organisations across Aotearoa New Zealand.”

The Governance Mark is awarded to organisations that are clear about how they intend to use their time and money. Recipients of the mark have a considered process for the development of strategy and an ongoing regime for monitoring the efficacy of that strategy. The business of these organisations is conducted within a clear ethical framework, the board understands the strategic nature of its role and meeting processes result in time well spent, primarily on the future, not the past.

The award is also a great acknowledgement of the legacy of past Sport Northland chairmen Richie Guy, Chris Biddles and Nigel Brereton, who were all instrumental in developing the governance processes and systems of the board.

Solid strategic governance is essential if sports organisations are going to have any chance of achieving their strategies. The mark acknowledges this capability at Sport Northland and recognises that the board is well-positioned for the future.

Sport New Zealand chief executive Raelene Castle says Sport Northland should be proud of their achievement. “We’d like to congratulate Sport Northland on becoming the first Regional Sports Trust in Aotearoa to be awarded the Governance Mark for the second time.

“The process for being awarded the mark is a rigorous one, and this achievement is a reflection of Sport Northland’s hard work and strong leadership in our sector.”

The mark assessed Sport Northland’s alignment with the Governance Framework for play, active recreation and sport in New Zealand. That framework covers the key areas of clarity and cohesion, people, boardroom processes and integrity and accountability. The mark requires complete alignment with the mandatory elements of the framework and 80 per cent alignment with the core elements.