Keynote Speakers
Rod Oram
Rod Oram has more than 30 years' experience as an international business journalist. He has worked for various publications in Europe and North America, including the Financial Times of London.
Rod and his family emigrated from the UK to New Zealand in 1997.
He is currently a columnist for the Sunday Star-Times; a regular broadcaster on radio and television; and a frequent public speaker on business, economics, innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship, in both NZ and global contexts.
For more than a decade, Rod has been helping fast-growing New Zealand companies through his involvement with The ICEHOUSE, the entrepreneurship centre at the University of Auckland's Business School.
Penguin published in 2007 his book on the New Zealand economy, Reinventing Paradise.
He was named the Landcorp Agricultural Communicator of the Year for 2009.
Last year, Rod was the winner in the individual category in the 2010 Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards and was Columnist of the Year in the consumer category in the national magazine awards for his columns in Good, a consumer sustainability magazine.
John Reid
John joined Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC) in 2005 as Senior Advisor Talent Development and was responsible for the implementation of the Talent Development Framework and development of the NZ Sport and Recreation Pathway.
In 2008 John was appointed General Manager of the Community Sport and Recreation Team and is responsible for delivering SPARC's approach to ensuring that all New Zealanders have the opportunity to participate in quality sport and recreational activities.
John has over 20 years experience in coaching and administration in the sport of Cricket and represented New Zealand at test and one day level from 1979-1986. He has coached at all levels of cricket from entry to sport level (5-7 year olds) to international elite level performing roles as coach of the National Men's team and Assistant National Women's Team Coach. He was also a national under-age football representative and has coached at club level in this code. John has a passion for the sports turf industry and has been a long serving Board member of the New Zealand Sports Turf Institute.
Prior to entering SPARC, John spent 10 years as Cricket Operations Manager and High Performance Manager for New Zealand Cricket and 10 years at Auckland Cricket Association, comprising 3 years as Coaching Director and 7 years as CEO. John has a MA in Geography from Auckland University and also spent time as a secondary school teacher in the early 1980's (1980-1985).
Abstract
Sport or Recreation – What a lot of Hogwash
This presentation discusses the philosophical underpinning of SPARC's support of the sport and recreation sector and challenges the view that sport and recreation have to be viewed as separate and competing activities. It will outline the participant centered approach being adopted by SPARC with its investment and advisory support functions.
The presentation will also outline from SPARC's perspective some key challenges for recreational organisations and Territorial Authorities in the future and how they might operate differently in order to tackle them.
An opportunity for questioning, comment, and discussion will be provided.
Robyn Cockburn and Esther Bukholt
Robyn is the director of Lumin, a Wellington-based consultancy focusing on the recreation, arts and sport sectors. With more than 25 years experience in these sectors, she works with individuals, organisations, communities and sectors to develop their effectiveness and action. To achieve this she uses a range of collaborative approaches, sound analysis and strategic thinking. She is keen to consider creative solutions to systemic problems. Robyn is an experienced governor across the arts, recreation and education sectors and provides formal and informal mentoring for people working in recreation.
She wishes she had more time for playing with her kids and in her garden and finding more geocaches!
Esther is the Senior Community Recreation Advisor, Wellington City Council.
Esther has worked in the field of community recreation and development for the past 25 years in both the public and voluntary sector. She has won numerous awards for innovative community and recreation programmes, all of which have relied on her ability to build successful working relationships. A key to this work has been to build trust with communities by understanding their people, their strengths and their potential. Esther's favourite recreation is going bush with her family.
Abstract
The you and I of community
As providers of recreation, our work goes far beyond running facilities, events and programmes.
In the Royal Commission on Social Policy (1988) Cushman and Laidler stated, Recreation is a social institution socially organised for social purposes. In providing recreation we need to understand the social purpose of the recreation that we are facilitating, and engage with the community we are working with.
Community engagement is a transformative process it requires us to be bold enough to seek out and listen to the community – the "you" – to their hopes and aspirations and to hear what they have to say about us.
It requires us to respond by reflecting on ourselves – the "I" in community – and be ready to change, to develop new attitudes, understanding and approaches.
This process can be assisted through careful planning and research, authentic community engagement, and a respect for and understanding of the wisdom of the community.
We will use the process and results of the Searchlight; Community and Market Analysis project undertaken with Recreation Wellington as a case study.
The outcome of the presentation is a clearer understanding of information, networks and other social institutions that intersect with and can inform recreation.
John Prendergast
John lives in Invercargill with wife Donna, and daughters Meg (17), Ella (16), and Grace (9).
Since 1998 Chief Executive of the Community Trust of Southland, a community owned philanthropic organisation. The Trust has global investments of $180 million, and distributes $9-10m each year in grants for projects which will benefit the Southland community.
A chartered accountant, previously worked for Coopers & Lybrand, in Invercargill and also in Birmingham in the UK, spending two years there managing company receiverships. Has also held senior finance roles in the banking, railroad, and electricity industries, as well as having worked for the Department of Conservation, Lands & Survey Department, Rural Bank, and the Housing Corporation.
John is currently:
Abstract
We've Got It Covered.
We've got what covered? The physical ground? The business case for the new facility? Ongoing operating costs? Local v regional v national priorities?
Funding for recreational facilities and infrastructure can be a tricky business. John Prendergast will provide a funder's perspective on some of the factors funders think about when asked to provide funding contributions to recreational infrastructure – be it physical or human infrastructure, one-off capital project funding or ongoing operational funding.
Bob Gidlow and Grant Cushman
Bob is an Associate Professor in Sociology at Lincoln University, New Zealand. His major research interest is in leisure-work-family connections, but he works closely with colleagues on a number of other topics of mutual interest, including, with central reference to New Zealand, leisure research strategy development and ethnic and migrant leisure. With Grant Cushman, he is currently the co-editor of the World Leisure Journal.
Abstract
A New Zealand Leisure Research Strategy: An Idea Whose Time Has Come?
Building on research work with colleagues Grant Cushman, Stephen Espiner, Michael Toohey and Michael Annear, this presentation will review: the current context of leisure research in New Zealand; motivations behind the research on 'Developing a New Zealand leisure research strategy' (NZLRS) in 2009-2010; methods adopted for the study; and some of the study's main findings. Using 'leisure' as an umbrella term for arts, outdoor recreation, sport and community recreation, it will then set the scene for subsequent Conference discussion by raising a number of questions.
1. In 2011, what do practitioners and academic researchers identify as the strengths and weaknesses of current leisure research in New Zealand? (How much agreement within and between these groups exists?)
2. Would a NZLRS help to overcome any perceived weaknesses of current leisure research while not detracting from the strengths?
3. Would a NZLRS represent a 'Win-Win' for different stakeholders or must it result in a 'Win-Lose' scenario?
4. How would a NZRS be resourced (meaning: providing a 'home base' plus ongoing funding/staffing arrangements);
5. What are possible-to-likely opportunity costs of this initiative?
6. How would it be instigated and by whom?
7. In terms of the NZ economy, is this a good time to push ahead, even if the initiative were seen to be commendable 'in principle,' or should it be put on hold to await a more favourable opportunity?
8. Would/How would the 'world' look different from an NZRA perspective, if this initiative went ahead? (This is a key question to be considered, of NZRA is to pick up and run with this initiative.)
Grant is Professor of Parks, Recreation and Tourism at Lincoln University, New Zealand. His major research interests are in national leisure participation research and leisure and public/social policy. Research with colleagues also includes leisure research strategy development, ethnic leisure and male leisure. With Bob Gidlow, he is currently the co-editor of the World Leisure Journal.