Women in Sport Aotearoa, in partnership with Sport Bay of Plenty, Aktive Auckland and ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup hosted 20 young women and 9 wāhine toa in a back-to-back one day leadership workshop as part of the Bats for Six series in Tauranga and Tāmaki Makaurau.
WISPA co-chair, Professor Sarah Leberman MNZM facilitated both workshops virtually, a first-time hybrid experience for the 20 kōhine aged 14-18 years.
On Friday 18 March, the second Bats for Six Tauranga workshop took place at Trustpower Baypark. 10 young women joined from high schools across the Bay of Plenty region to discover how their values, strengths and passions can support them in their leadership development on and off the ‘field’.
In attendance, our Tauranga host included Sport Bay of Plenty, Women & Girls Lead Melanie Giles; WISPA Co-chair & Tennis NZ CEO Julie Paterson and WISPA He Wāhine Toa Kei Te Kokiri member Mere Rangihuna. Following the workshop, our kōhine enjoyed an afternoon of hospitality at Bay Oval during the West Indies v Bangladesh #CWC22 game. The group received an exclusive tour and behind the scenes look of Bay Oval. This was a special opportunity to expose the group to the operational delivery of a major event. A couple of our participants were also interviewed on the big screen after the first innings of the match.
The following day, Bats for Six headed back to Tāmaki Makaurau on Saturday 19 March for our third workshop series at AUT City Campus ahead of the Australia v India Women’s cricket game. Sarah tuned in virtually and delivered the workshop to a group of 10 high schoolers from across Auckland (Kaipara, Avondale, Onewhero, North Shore).
Kōhine key takeaways included:
- Leaders are not only those in positions, believing in myself and my values and speaking out is also leadership.
- To relate my strengths with another person’s strengths, to be more united and efficient.
- Combine my strengths and passions with others to achieve a common goal.
During the match, our kōhine were hosted by wāhine toa Aktive Auckland Chief Executive, Jennah Wootten; Communications & Marketing Manager, Joanna Redfern-Hardisity; Sport Waitākere CEO Lynnette Adam; The Shift Foundation Co-chair Maddi McLean; Basketball NZ Tall Ferns Assistant Coach Jody Cameron OLY; and NZ Cricket, Event Manager Lizzie Dooley. An unexpected highlight for our kōhine in Auckland was meeting Olympic Gold Medalist Emma Twigg OLY.
We loved being part of this opportunity to support a new generation of leaders. Special thank you to our partners at Sport Bay of Plenty and Aktive Auckland for supporting this kaupapa.
We look forward to our next Bats for Six series in Hamilton alongside our partner, Sport Waikato:
Tuesday 22nd March, Hamilton – in partnership with Sport Waikato
- Workshop Venue – FMG Stadium
- Timings for the workshop – 11:00am – 1:00pm NZT
- Cricket – Hospitality in the Oaks Room (India v Bangladesh)
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Nicky van den Bos, WISPA Programme Director, nicky@womeninsport.org.nz / 022 059 7999
COVID-19 Management & Protocols
Aotearoa New Zealand is currently operating on the “red” setting of the COVID-19 Protection Framework (CPF). WISPA is fully compliant with all government restrictions in the planning and the delivery of its off-site workshops, and will also adhere to all rules set by the ICC and the LOC at the match venues. The workshops will be offered primarily as physical events, however hybrid and virtual-only options will also be used if necessary.
