Category Archives: New Zealand

Cycling New Zealand chief executive Jacques Landry has resigned after three years in the job.

His resignation comes amid an inquiry into the sport and three months after the suspected suicide of Olympic cyclist Olivia Podmore, who posted on social media about the pressures of high performance sport before her death.

Cycling NZ board chair Phil Holden said Landry has made a major contribution to cycling.

Landry first arrived at the organisation in 2019, after 10 years as the high performance director at Cycling Canada. He will leave for his native Canada at the end of the year.

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Cycling NZ chief executive Jacques Landry has resigned.

His arrival followed the 2018 Heron review that found a lack of accountability and sub-optimal leadership, instances of bullying and a dysfunctional culture in cycling. Within the 83-page 2018 review, Heron made 11 recommendations, including several pertaining to athlete welfare.

READ MORE:* Cycling NZ add management support in the wake of death of Olivia Podmore* Olivia Podmore's family and friends ask: How did Cycling NZ end up here all over again?* Sports bosses say cyclists can engage with new inquiry panel without fear * High-profile women dominate Cycling New Zealand independent inquiry panel

Landry was brought in to implement its recommendations and to oversee the establishment of the Athletes voice committee, and new code of conduct. The implementation of the Heron review is the basis of the independent inquiry currently being undertaken by a panel appointed by Cycling New Zealand and High Performance Sport New Zealand.

The panel includes Heron, leading women in sport academic Sarah Leberman, former Silver Fern Lesley Nicol and Rio Olympic Games rowing silver medallist Genevieve Macky.

The inquiry is set to miss its first major deadline, with panellists unable to meet athletes face to face because of Covid restrictions in Waikato, where the NZ Cycling centralised programme is based. A draft of the findings from the inquiry is now due in February 2022.

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Olympic cyclist Olivia Podmore died in August

Following the death of Podmore in August, Landry said Cycling NZ would be questioning this for a long time.

There will be a time for us to review and look at if and where we had missteps, or if we didnt act properly, he said.

Landry also facilitated the Cycling NZ Athlete Voice committee, which includes past and present riders. In a meeting in August, before the death of Podmore, concerns were raised about a lack of transparent communication around selection criteria, and the wording of athlete agreements.

The August meeting also addressed the lack of gender equity in selection panels and possible media training to strengthening the image of cycling within NZ.

Phil Holden said Landry had role-modelled the values we aspire to.

He is highly regarded within Cycling New Zealand and the wider cycling community, and has deepened the relationship with our four member organisations, sponsors and funding partners, Holden said.

Under his watch Cycling New Zealand has also completed its 2021-28 High Performance Strategic Plan, put in place an overarching strategic plan and initiated other major changes including the integration of Para cycling into the organisation.

Holden said that Landry indicated his departure in June, but has stayed on until now to help set up the independent inquiry.

CHRISTEL YARDLEY/STUFF/Waikato Times

Jacques Landry, (right) with High Performance Sport NZ chief executive Raelene Castle at a press conference following the death of Olivia Podmore.

He has been unable to leave the country and visit his family overseas for over two years because of ongoing delays in assessing his residency application, and there is no certainty at all over when the situation might be resolved. For his own personal wellbeing and that of his family, Mr Landry has made the difficult decision to leave, and we fully support him in that.

Landry will continue to make himself available to the inquiry panel after his departure from the organisation, Holden said. He also said that the board had worked closely with Mr Landry on the transition period.

A search is now underway to find a replacement, and the organisations chief operating officer will manage the day-to-day operations in the meantime.

Sport New Zealand chief executive Raelene Castle said it was disappointing to learn of Landrys resignation, but understands the reasons behind it.

The difficulties and challenges of being separated from family and friends for such a long period of time, due to the pandemic, cannot be underestimated, she said.

Sport NZ would like to thank Jacques for his contribution and his commitment to the sport of cycling over the last three years, and we wish him all the best for his return home and for the future.

In October, Cycling NZ appointed Dr Monica Robbers to the newly created position of chief operating officer, to allow Landry to concentrate on all the work related to the inquiry, as well as the parallel coronial inquiry, a statement on the Cycling NZ website said.

Stuff understands Cycling NZ and High Performance Sport NZ have also engaged Wellington crisis management communications company BRG following Podmores death.

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Cycling NZ CEO Jacques Landry quits after three years in job - Stuff.co.nz

With the series sealed following the seven-wicket win at the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi on Friday, it is expected that India could make a few changes for the final tie against New Zealand on Sunday at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. However, former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir is looking forward to just one change in the XI, opining that the wicket in Kolkata will suit this bowler.

Talking to Star Sports after the second T20I, Gambhir felt that India might want to rest Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who played both the games, and rather bring in Avesh Khan, who was the second-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2021 after Harshal Patel, with 24 wickets in 16 matches at an economy rate of 7.37.

Also Read | 'People have already written him off': Gambhir explains how Hardik Pandya can make a comeback in India's T20I squad

"From a bowling point of view they can actually rest Bhuvneshwar Kumar and look at Avesh Khan. It will suit him especially the wicket in Kolkata, it's got pace and bounce. So I would definitely want to see Avesh playing that game. He has got pace and you got to test him on the international stage when you got the series in your bag. So that is one change they can look towards," Gambhir said.

India have so far handed the debut cap to two players - Venkatesh Iyer in the first game and Harshal Patel in the second. Iyer, who is looked at as a replacement for Hardik Pandya, did not get an opportunity to bowl but scored 16 runs in two games. Harshal, on the other hand, picked the Man of the Match award for his impressive debut in the Ranchi game where he finished with 2 for 25.

Also Read | 'One match is hardly opportunity' - Aakash Chopra questions India team selection in New Zealand T20Is

The veteran cricketer also advised India to still be ruthless in the third game despite the series win and not opt to bat first if they win the toss.

"You still have to be ruthless and try to wrap up the series 3-0. But no point putting pressure on yourself," he added.

Dew has been a major factor in T20s off late with chasing teams having the advantage. In the ongoing series, India opted to chase in both the matches and won both in convincing manner.

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'Wicket in Kolkata will suit him': Gautam Gambhir looks forward to one change in India's XI for 3rd T20I vs New Zealand - Hindustan Times

More than 1.1 million digital Covid-19 vaccine certificates have now been created and the Ministry of Health says the system has been going smoothly.

Once New Zealand enters the new traffic light system, the My Vaccine Pass will be required to enter hospitality venues and access community, sport and faith-based gatherings.

Retail outlets are allowed to opt in to the new system and request proof of vaccination from their customers if they wish, although access to essential services such as supermarkets and health services will not require a pass.

As of 9am today, about 1,128,000 requests for a My Vaccine Pass had been processed.

The ministry said the system's capacity has been increased and people should to go to MyCovidRecord.health.nz to book their My Vaccine Pass to be ready for summer.

The spread of Covid-19 to the regions was a reminder that everyone needed to heed the advice to keep communities as safe as possible this summer, it said.

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Live Covid-19 updates for 22 November - all you need to know - RNZ

New Zealand Cricket wants the Black Caps to be the All Blacks of world cricket, sitting at the top of the game year after year after year.

As it pursues that goal of sustainable success, it has commissioned lawyer and former board member Don Mackinnon to conduct a review of how the national mens cricket team got to where it is today.

Such reviews normally come when things arent going well for sports teams and organisations, but this one comes at a time when the Black Caps are in as good a place as they have ever been.

LAWRENCE SMITH/Stuff

Black Caps Matt Henry, Henry Nicholls and coach Gary Stead leave managed isolation in Auckland.

They made the final of the 2021 T20 World Cup, losing to Australia last weekend; the final of the inaugural World Test Championship, beating India in June; and the final of the 2019 ODI World Cup, losing to England only on the boundary countback tiebreaker. They are ranked No 1 in the world in tests and ODIs and No 4 in T20s.

READ MORE:* Black Caps vs India: Hosts power to series victory in Twenty20 game two in Ranchi* Tom Blundell ready to fill BJ Watling's big gloves in the Black Caps test team* Black Caps all-rounder Rachin Ravindra enjoying 'special' tour of India * Mark Chapman grasps chance as Black Caps narrowly lose T20 opener to India

They have had a remarkable rise over the past nine years, since the nadir in early 2013, where they were humiliated in South Africa, all out for 45 in the first innings of the first test in Cape Town. At the end of that tour, they were ranked No 8 in tests, No 9 in ODIs, and No 8 in T20s.

The challenge for NZ Cricket is to keep that success going once the current playing group moves on. Taylor, Kane Williamson and in white-ball cricket Martin Guptill will sit among the countrys greatest batsmen when their careers end, while Trent Boult, Tim Southee, and Neil Wagner will be regarded as some of its greatest bowlers.

NZ Crickets high performance manager Bryan Stronach feels the relationship between players performing at that level and the Black Caps success is a circular one, and readily acknowledges they are untested when it comes to maintaining results while bringing a new generation through.

If you look at our system and our structures and our support, how much have we added to Kane Williamson? I'm not sure it's that much. He is an amazing player and always wouldve been, and it's just his mindset and growth and how he goes about things.

JOHN DAVIDSON/Photosport

NZ Crickets high performance general manager Bryan Stronach says it wants sustainable success for the Black Caps.

Those generational players are amazing, and we're a little bit untested around this, but our hope and our hunch and what our information is saying is that we feel we are doing a far better job of supporting that next tier of players to be even better now.

The immediate impact of players such as Kyle Jamieson and Daryl Mitchell over the past two years is a sign that hunch is correct, while the consistency provided by Guptill, Taylor, and Williamson over a long period has helped the likes of Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, and BJ Watling to flourish as well.

Stronach has been around the Black Caps for more than a decade, starting as a strength and conditioning coach. He was there at the end of the 2000s and the start of the 2010s when the success at the end of the 2010s and the start of the 2020s would have been unimaginable. Theres undoubtedly room for improvement the fact that they lost two of the three recent finals says it all, as does the fact that they made the test and ODI deciders by fine margins but its clear he relishes the challenge of ensuring it continues to the greatest extent possible.

We've climbed the ranks, and we've got to where we are now, which is still not where we want to go, he said. We still want to go a little bit higher, but that's not the goal. The goal is to get there and stay there, and that's our untested bit at the moment.

We have a whole lot of systems and processes and a whole lot of decisions that we make according to that, and sometimes we're actually sacrificing the short term of the Black Caps or the White Ferns in the now to make sure we get that stuff set up for the future, but it is untested, and that's our challenge, and that's probably the exciting bit for me.

We've made the improvements we have, but we want that sustainable success. We want to be up there year after year after year. We want to be the All Blacks of the cricketing world and there's no reason why we can't do that if we get it right.

No-one has hit more T20 sixes this year than Black Caps batsman Glenn Phillips.

That is where the work Mackinnon has been doing is set to be a tremendous help. NZ Cricket had been considering taking a broader look at the Black Caps for a while, but once they qualified for the World Test Championship final, they delayed the start of the review until after it. A report is due in the next couple of months and Stronach is eager to dive into it.

Whenever you do something, naturally humans look at the negative what have we done wrong? But we figure the most important thing for our sustainable success, to look forward and try to achieve that analogy of the All Blacks of the cricketing world, is to actually recognise the things we've done well, whether that's been planned or whether that's been luck and just come about, because there's always a bit of that.

Because then things become sustainable as opposed to forgetting that stuff that's gone well or somehow missing it and going on to the next big thing, where you create this cycle where yes, you might be getting better at different things, but you're not actually improving overall. The key for us is embedding what's actually going well, then worrying about the next thing.

We see this as a 101 to really get right and leverage off and that'll be the piece, hopefully for us, that carries on when most of us are gone, for whoever else is sitting in my role and the board's role and the CEO's role and so forth to understand and recognise and carry it on.

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New Zealand Cricket wants the Black Caps to be the All Blacks of the cricketing world - Stuff.co.nz

Auckland, New Zealands largest city, will relax many virus restrictions nearly 12 weeks into its lockdown, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced at a news conference on Monday.

The easing of restrictions comes as the country records some of its highest daily case numbers since the pandemic began, with a record 206 cases reported on Saturday.

Starting before midnight on Tuesday, Auckland will allow the reopening of nonessential retail outlets and of public facilities like libraries, museums and zoos. Patrons will not be required to be vaccinated, though masks and physical-distancing restrictions will be in place. Up to 25 people will be permitted to gather outdoors, as well as for funerals and weddings.

Auckland, home to roughly a third of New Zealands population, went into a snap lockdown on Aug. 17 after a single case of the Delta variant was identified in the city.

The resulting outbreak has proved impossible to quash, prompting an end to the Covid-zero strategy that for most of the pandemic had allowed New Zealanders to live with few restrictions. The outbreak is largely contained to Auckland.

As of Sunday, more than 90 percent of eligible people ages 12 and older across the Auckland region had received at least one dose of a vaccine, Ms. Ardern said. The government expects to hit its target of 90 percent fully vaccinated around Nov. 29, she added, allowing it to move to a new system in which vaccination certificates will be required to access many services in the city.

It will mean all businesses can be open and operate, it will mean we will manage Covid safely, but differently, Ms. Ardern said.

Some health professionals had called for restrictions to remain in place, citing the disproportionate effect of the virus on New Zealands Indigenous Maori population, which makes up 37 percent of all cases in the outbreak despite constituting less than 17 percent of the wider population.

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New Zealand's Biggest City Is to Ease Lockdown Restrictions - The New York Times

DUBAI, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Two years since going toe-to-toe in a thrilling 50-overs World Cup final, England and New Zealand will again seek to deliver a knockout blow when they face each other in the semi-finals of the Twenty20 global showpiece in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

The clash pits contemporary cricket's most dominant white-ball team England against arguably the most consistent cross-format side New Zealand, who have reached the final of three of the last four major global tournaments.

The most dramatic of those finals was at Lord's in 2019 when Eoin Morgan's England were crowned 50-overs world champions via a now-scrapped boundary countback rule after the match ended in a tie.

Kane Williamson's team finally shed their bridesmaid's tag by winning the inaugural World Test Championship earlier this year and, like England, are now bidding to become reigning champions in two formats.

New Zealand coach Gary Stead said their heartbreak at Lord's would have no bearing on their Twenty20 World Cup encounter.

"I'm not sure they're will be anything from the 2019 game that will really come into it," Stead told reporters ahead of the clash at the Zayed Cricket Stadium.

"They are a quality side and I guess we just look forward to the challenge of playing the best side."

New Zealand were stunned by Pakistan in their Group II opener but went on to win four straight, with Trent Boult leading a sublime bowling unit backed up by twinkle-toed fielders delivering terrific catches.

With bat in hand, Martin Guptill has been the aggressor and Williamson the anchor, though their ability to chase down big totals remains untested.

TOP-ORDER REJIG

Opponents England looked the form team until being beaten in their final Group I game by South Africa, that defeat felt even more keenly with the loss of opener Jason Roy due to a calf injury.

Roy's absence will force a top-order rejig with Jonny Bairstow likely to partner an in-form Jos Buttler, though the 2010 champions have plenty of other options in an explosive lineup.

"It is a massive blow, not just because of the way he bats but also because of what he brings to the field, and around the boys," all-rounder Moeen Ali said of Roy's absence.

The defeat by South Africa could also serve as a wake-up call to Morgan's team, ridding them of any complacency that may have crept in after four easy wins on the trot.

England will also have to cope with the absence of 20-overs specialist Tymal Mills, who was ruled out with a thigh strain suffered against Sri Lanka, and could be tempted to beef up their attack by including bowling all-rounder David Willey.

"You can bring in (James) Vince, you can bring in (Sam) Billings, you can bring in a bowler," Moeen said.

"The great thing is there's loads of options and loads of combinations that we can go with."

Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in Dubai; editing by Peter Rutherford

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Another global showpiece, another England-New Zealand scrap - Reuters UK

A plucky migrating godwit that captured New Zealands attention after it was forced to make a dramatic U-turn back to Alaska after 33 hours of non-stop flight has finally touched down in the country.

Every year, the Eastern bar-tailed godwits, or kuaka in Mori, make one of the longest avian migration flights in the world, travelling from their breeding ground in the Arctic, across the Pacific, to New Zealand.

About 80,000 godwits arrive in New Zealand each year, and move into harbours and estuaries across the two islands. Typically, the flocks are welcomed in September, sometimes to the sound of Cathedral bells.

This year, a female godwit, identified as 4BYWW by the bands on her legs, was confirmed as having made the longest flight ever recorded by a land bird. She travelled non-stop from Alaska to New Zealand, a journey of 12,200km that took eight days and 12 hours at an average speed of 59km/h.

But one unlucky godwit, an adult male known as 4BWRB, was forced to take a large U-turn over the Pacific Ocean, finishing up back at its Alaska take-off point after 57 hours of constant flight.

4BWRB took off from tidal flats in Alaskas Yukon-Kuskokwim delta on 11 September before encountering strong winds 2,000km into his journey and turning back after 33 hours of outward bound flight, the Department of Conservation reported.

It spent 11 days back in Alaska before giving the journey another try. It made it to New Caledonia, then spent five weeks resting before taking off again destination New Zealand. In a feat of stunning perseverance, it arrived in the North Islands Firth of Thames just after midnight on Tuesday morning.

The manager of the Pkorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre, Keith Woodley, said the unlucky 4BWRB which also had to stop in New Caledonia last year had failed to do the non-stop flight three times in the past year.

So I mean, you wouldnt want it to buy you a Lotto ticket. But now its back here, its got time to recover, its got time to do the feather moult and time to get all the preparations on track.

Woodley has a particular fondness for the extraordinary efforts godwits go to before migration. They replace all their feathers to ready themselves for the next migratory flight and undergo physiological changes to enable them to store fat more efficiently.

Over the next few days he will be out scouring the estuary to try to spot 4BRWB and welcome him back.

The Pkorokoro Miranda Naturalists Trust was formed in 1975 and built its centre in 1990 to promote awareness of coastal ecology and shorebirds. Most of the godwits fitted with tracking devices are caught in Pkorokoro, with the trusts help.

4BWRB is one of 20 godwits fitted with radio transmitters. Monitoring the species helps scientists to assess the impact of weather on ultra-long-distance migration in real time, and to understand how migrating godwits adapt to changing weather.

Woodley said climate change was a problem for godwits at every point of the compass. In New Zealand, sea level rise is reducing habitats and foraging grounds; in Alaska, rising temperatures are changing the breeding environment and arrival of insects, which the godwit relies on for food. Unpredictable weather conditions across both hemispheres are affecting their flights.

Everywhere you look, these birds are likely to be affected by climate change, Woodley said.

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New Zealand finally welcomes godwit two months after it was blown 2,000km back to Alaska - The Guardian

Eoin Morgan has said that beating New Zealand in Wednesdays T20 World Cup semi-final would be a hell of an achievement given the injuries that have forced five key players out of his squad and the last-minute tactical rethink forced upon him after Jason Roys withdrawal on Monday with a torn calf muscle.

Morgan confirmed that within the group weve made a decision on who will open the batting with Jos Buttler, and without identifying the player chosen said the choice had not been a difficult one. He said, however, that further success in this tournament would be all the more impressive because of the absences of Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Sam Curran, Tymal Mills and now Roy.

It would be a really strong representation of what the white-ball side has achieved since 2015, Morgan said. We had a glimpse of that [depth] during our summer when we had to replace 15 players against Pakistan and they ended up beating Pakistans strongest ODI team 3-0. I think that was a good [demonstration] of the next generation of English cricketer.

I think its a compliment to the changing room and all the players and maybe more the support staff and the coaching staff, who create an environment where young players can come in and thrive. Its seemed to work for us for some time. Weve always talked about having strength in depth within our squads. But if the right environment isnt set up, it doesnt matter what XI you pick.

The New Zealand captain, Kane Williamson, also highlighted the depth of talent available to England when asked about the missing players. I think one of the strengths of the England side is their depth that theyve managed to produce over a period of time, he said. Having spent some time at the Birmingham Phoenix and being a little bit involved in the Hundred, you can tell that theres a huge amount of talent. Theyre still very much a strong side who have been playing some really good cricket.

Since the 2015 World Cup, the 50-over tournament where New Zealand thrashed England by eight wickets with more than 37 overs to spare, the nations have met at the 2016 World T20, the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy and twice at the 2019 ODI World Cup, with England prevailing on each occasion including in the final.

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Weve played each other a number of times. Weve had some really good games in really good series, Williamson said. The evolution of the England white-ball side has been significant over a number of years. As a collective, theyre playing some really good cricket. We know its a nice challenge that were looking forward to.

This format is fickle in its nature and both teams will look to put their best foot forward and what will be will be at the end of it. Weve been ticking over reasonably nicely and watching from afar England have been doing something very similar, so it should be a really good contest.

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Eoin Morgan admits England injuries favour New Zealand at T20 World Cup - The Guardian

WELLINGTON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - New Zealand's foreign minister said on Wednesday that China's investment in the Pacific was creating economic vulnerabilities and she called for partnerships that would bolster resilience as the world emerges from the coronavirus pandemic.

Nanaia Mahuta, outlining New Zealand's approach in the Pacific, said the region was becoming increasingly strategic for big powers that were exercising their influence and pursuing their interests.

"It is a concern in terms of the way in which investments in the Pacific is occurring and creating quite a significant level of economic vulnerability and debt," Mahuta said when asked about China's growing influence in the region after her speech at the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs.

"That's an area that creates its own complexities," she said.

Mahuta said New Zealand offers partnerships that could strengthens the region's resilience, especially as the world recovers from the economic impact of COVID-19.

Her speech at the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs focused on the government's "Pacific Reset" that links New Zealand's future to a safe, secure and prosperous Pacific.

Mahuta said New Zealand's relationship with China was one that was respectful, predictable and consistent, but recognised the assertion of China within the Indo-Pacific region.

"We are very clear around things we can work together on, and we are increasingly becoming very clear about the things we do not and cannot agree on, much of which was in the human rights space," Mahuta said.

New Zealand's parliament in May declared that severe human rights abuses were taking place against Uyghur people in China's Xinjiang region. Chinese embassy criticised the declaration as interference in internal affairs. read more

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said differences between New Zealand and its top trading partner were becoming harder to reconcile. read more

Reporting by Praveen MenonEditing by Robert Birsel

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New Zealand warns of economic vulnerabilities in the Pacific - Reuters

Ireland will hope to continue their hot streak of form when they face New Zealand in Dublin this weekend.

Andy Farrells men have won their last six matches, including three Six Nations clashes and encounters with Japan and USA.

The Irish move on to a huge test against the All-Blacks but will be determined to give a strong account of themselves against elite opponents.

New Zealand are among the most in-form rugby teams in the world right now having lost just one of their last 14 matches stretching back to the end of 2020.

In that winning run, they have dispatched Australia three times, South Africa once and demolished Six Nations champions Wales 54-16. Ireland will need their wits about them to get anything from this match.

RadioTimes.com has rounded up everything you need to know about how to watch Ireland v New Zealand on TV and online.

Ireland v New Zealand will take place on Saturday 13th November 2021.

Check out our Autumn Internationals on TVguide for the latest times and information for every match.

Ireland v New Zealand will kick off at 3:15pm.

There are several Autumn Internationals rugby games taking place this week including England v Australia.

Good news! Ireland v New Zealand will be shown exclusively live in the UK on Channel 4.

That means free-to-air rugby will return to your screens this weekend.

Coverage begins at 2:45pm, presented by Lee McKenzie.

You can tune in to watch the match via All 4 for free online and on the move.

Fans can access the streaming service on a range of devices from TV apps to laptops to smartphones and tablets.

Ireland:TBC

New Zealand: TBC

If youre looking for something else to watch check out ourTV Guideor visit ourSporthub for all the latest news.

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What channel is Ireland v New Zealand Autumn Internationals match on? Kick off time, TV and live stream - Radio Times