Search

Sport and Recreation Minister, Murray McCully, says New Zealanders can look forward to seeing more kiwi winners on the world stage with the National Training Centre for high performance athletes opening today.

High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ) is based at the AUT Millennium Campus on Auckland’s North Shore.

Its new National Training Centre was officially opened by the Minister and the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Jacques Rogge, who is in New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup.

The Minister for Sport and Recreation, Murray McCully, has welcomed the Waikato region winning the tender process to build the national cycling centre of excellence.

“This has been a careful tender process managed by SPARC. They have advised the Waikato’s Home of Cycling Trust that it has won the tender process since it received the support of the Waikato Regional Council today,” said Murray McCully.

Minister for Sport and Recreation, Murray McCully, has announced the inaugural board of directors for the new organisation “High Performance Sport New Zealand.”

High Performance Sport NZ has been formed by merging the SPARC high performance unit with the two New Zealand Academies of Sport into a streamlined unit.

It will develop high performance athletes with an annual spend of $60 million dollars and further develop world-class training facilities in partnerships with the private sector.

Sport and Recreation Minister Murray McCully has announced the appointment of Olympian Sarah Ulmer to the Drug Free Sport New Zealand Board.

“Sarah will provide a valuable contribution to the board with her experience as a high performance athlete, and also from her work with sports agencies,” says Mr McCully.

Ulmer became the first New Zealander to win an Olympic cycling gold medal when she won the 3000m individual pursuit during the 2004 Olympics at Athens. She also smashed Olympic and World records during those games.

Sport and Recreation Minister, Murray McCully, has congratulated the New Zealand under-20’s team for winning the junior Rugby World Cup overnight.

The New Zealand Baby Blacks successfully defended their title by defeating England 33-22 in a closely fought final played at Padova in Italy

“It was a good win against a strong opponent. It also means coach Mark Anscombe and the team have built an impressive record,” said Murray McCully. 

Minister for Sport and Recreation Murray McCully has today personally congratulated a talented group of sports people awarded Prime Minister’s Sport Scholarships at a ceremony for South Island recipients in Christchurch. Ceremonies are held throughout the year to present certificates to recipients.

The Minister of Sport and Recreation Murray McCully is welcoming the agreement in principle to form a new entity to focus on high performance sport. The proposal to merge the high performance unit of SPARC and the two New Zealand Academies of Sport is the result of discussions between the three bodies over recent months.

Sport and Recreation Minister Murray McCully today announced the athletes, coaches, officials and support team members from 32 sports that will benefit from more than $4 million in Prime Minister’s Sport Scholarships in 2011.

The Prime Minister's Sport Scholarships help sportspeople pursue tertiary study or professional development while continuing to strive for sporting success. The programme is administered by Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC), which receives applications through national sport organisations and the New Zealand Academy of Sport.