Competition & calendar review group appointed
We are grateful to everyone who applied to be part of our Competition & Calendar Review group. The response from across the water polo community was incredible, with a high number of applications showcasing valuable knowledge and experience.
After careful consideration, we are pleased to announce the appointed members:
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Claire Magness
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Fraser Bickley
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Angie Winstanley Smith
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Anna Scott
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Joe Kayes
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Bridget Layburn
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Roger Scott
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Fabian Wanrooij
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Sharon Geary
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WPNZ representatives: Blake Taylor/Jan Shearer
The working group will be chaired by Jamie Tong, a sports consultant (HT Consulting) with extensive experience in leading community consultation/change projects. HT Consulting will provide a level of independence in gathering the views of the working group and is charged with developing options to improve the competition framework and calendar which will then be provided to the wider community for input.
A face to face working group meeting is scheduled to be held in Auckland on Saturday 13th September.
Review process
- Working group formed
- Discussion paper developed for consideration by working group
- Working group convene to discuss and build out change options
- Change options provided to the wider community for input
- Input collated
- Working group consider community input and make any required changes – confirm change option
- Impact/change process advised to the wider community
Timing
The review will take place over the next 8 weeks with a view to provide initial options to the community by 19th September, and final decisions made by 3rd October. It is expected that any changes made to events or calendar timings will be implemented in 2026, but this will be confirmed once all impacts of any proposed changes are considered.
2026 calendar announcement
This review is set to form a key part of our 2026 competition calendar. The competition calendar for 2026 will be announced no later than 1 November 2025, as per our Championships Bylaw.