Comment: Sport Northland’s ode to its ‘phenomenal’ ASB partnership

Sport Northland personnel at the presentation of a korowai. From left: Paul Francis (ASB), Brent Eastwood, Phoenix Ruka and Trina Henare (all Sport Northland), Glen Hardham (ASB), Brent Markwick, Stu Middleton and Anna Markwick (all Sport Northland).

OPINION:

As most people are aware, sponsorship in sport is critical and at Sport Northland, it is no different.

To run the events, activities and facilities that we do to encourage Northlanders to move more, sponsorship is so important.

Quality and enduring corporate sponsors are few and far between, but Sport Northland is fortunate to have a few in this category. Top of that list has been the likes of ASB, Top Energy and Pacific Motor Group, all significant long-term sponsors of the trust over many decades.

ASB’s sponsorship of Sport Northland, in particular, has been a phenomenal partnership that has endured for 30 years.

Beginning in 1992 when ASB was signed up as the trust’s major sponsor, the partnership initially focused on naming rights of the newly established ASB Coaching Team and the ASB Northland Secondary Schools Sports Awards.

Other sponsorship milestones included naming rights to the newly redeveloped ASB Leisure Centre in 2002 and the ASB Northland Sports House in 2010 (both situated at Kensington Park in Whangārei), as well as the ASB Kerikeri Half Marathon and ASB Northland Secondary Schools Sports Event programme in 2015.

In 2017, the Sport Northland/ASB partnership was named a finalist in the Commercial Partnership category at the NZ Sport and Recreation Awards.

Last year ASB announced this sponsorship will not be continuing, after a review by ASB of their sponsorship commitments around the country highlighted a desire to widen its spread of community investments to regions where it does not currently have a presence, or where its investment is light.

To mark the occasion and thank ASB for the fantastic partnership and contribution to the sport and recreation sector in Northland over so many years, Sport Northland presented a taonga to the ASB team in ceremonies recently at both the ASB Head Office in Auckland and the ASB Regional Centre in Whangārei.

A framed korowai (traditional woven Māori cloak) was presented to ASB to signify the enduring relationship between the two organisations. The korowai is symbolic of the aroha and manaaki both organisations have for each other, their people and communities, and the environment.

Sport Northland’s longstanding association with ASB is an amazing example of a partnership that has literally resulted in thousands of Northlanders becoming active through cost-effective participation in sport and recreation events, facilities and activities.

We thank ASB for the outstanding support they provided over the years to Sport Northland, which also benefited the wider sport sector in Northland.

Nga mihi nui ki a koe mo te tautoko nui i roto i nga tau maha ki te takaro ki Te Taitokerau.