An update from SBNZ Co-Chairs Sophee & Jonnie
As we pass the mid-point of 2026, we are taking a moment to look back on all our favourite moments since stepping into our Co-Chair roles last year. Our work over the past year (although challenging at times) has been super rewarding and has given us an appreciation for everything that goes into supporting skateboarding across Aotearoa. A lot of responses in the recent survey talked about connecting more with our community and we believe this is the first step to do that – by showing transparency and keeping you in the loop. So here’s a quick update on everything that’s been going on within SBNZ.
High Performance
We built strong momentum in late 2025 with four of our athletes (Jessica Ready, Ari Saffer, Dante Temara and Lendard Tejada) heading to the World Skateboarding Tour (WST) Street World Cup in Japan last December. The energy following on from that event has been unmatched with the athletes working together and travelling as a team. This year started with the 2025 WST World Championships (postponed from last year) in Brazil where Jessica, Ari, Dante and Gabriel Temara competed in the street event and CJ Hawker in the park event. Then in June this year, both CJ and Zedyn Fellows travelled to Rome to compete at the WST Park World Cup. It’s been amazing watching the way they’ve supported each other and seeing them work together as a team has been a massive highlight for us.
Looking ahead, our focus is locking in for the World Skate (WSK) Games in Paraguay this October. This is an incredibly important event for SBNZ as it marks the official start of the Olympic qualifying period where WSK ranking points are up for grabs. SBNZ athletes will be approaching the Paraguay event as a team, and we are incredibly excited to launch a team logo and kit for the campaign (we’ll share that with you all soon!)
Events
Our Nationals experienced a major structural shift this year as we chose to split our Park/Vert and Street Championships across two weekends and locations to support the need of the different disciplines. The Park and Vert Nationals in Mount Maunganui brought together the country’s top talent and included a development clinic funded by High Performance Sport NZ (HPSNZ) as well as a learn-to-skate workshop on the Sunday, supported by Tauranga City Council and delivered by Girls Skate NZ, Mana Skateboarding and Sam’s Skate School. Meanwhile, the Street Nationals in Auckland showcased the benefit of an indoor venue, an incredible atmosphere and the perfect stage to host NZ’s best street skateboarders. A massive thank you to Cam at the House of TWLV for having us and Bjorn from Switch Steez for building an epic park, it was a pleasure to be able to share the space with everyone!
Looking into the future for competitive skateboarding, the board has been actively working to introduce skateboarding as an official sporting code for the AIMS Games. While our submission was unfortunately declined this year, they are eager to see how the sport grows and have encouraged us to apply again in 2027. The feedback highlighted that we need more active regional competitions to anchor the pathway – which is exactly why we are revisiting the idea of a structured domestic competition framework to ensure our next application is a success.
Grassroots
Grassroots skateboarding thrives when we work together, with community projects now securing the vital backing needed for long-term growth. We are grateful to Sport NZ for the funding needed to pursue our Skateboarding Community Development Programme. To support this initiative we went through a process and have appointed Sonia Griffin and Third Bearing Ltd as our project managers. The programme officially kick started in May and spans over a course of two years. It brings together several blocks of work that will help grassroots skateboarding progress and is a co-design project which includes working with skateboarding schools and coaches to understand where they might need support. We’re also going to be exploring ways to better support neurodiversity, girls and wāhine and to gain a better understanding of who and how people are participating in skateboarding.
We know quality coaching and safe learning environments are already happening across the country and this project is about learning from those shared experiences to identify gaps and help to build resources for the future.
Working with councils
SBNZ has been consulting with local councils across the country on new skatepark builds and refurbishments. We’ve recently met with Auckland City Council representatives and Sport Bay of Plenty to advocate for high-quality builds and revamps that are fit for purpose and support the growth of skateboarding in those areas. We’ve also worked alongside Wellington City Council and Recreation Aotearoa to provide input on the new Kilbirnie Destination Skatepark build, which officially broke ground in November last year. And finally, we have also offered design and community support to councils and groups in Ōtūmoetai, Ōtautahi, Piha and Pirongia.
Governance
In April this year, all incorporated societies were required to adopt new constitutions to meet the updated legislation. We took the opportunity to review ours more broadly, ensuring it not only met the new requirements but also reflected a more modern way of operating. Our new constitution was legally reviewed by Holland Beckett Law (HOBEC) and was officially passed at a Special General Meeting (SGM) on February 23, 2026.
Additionally, rather than adopting an integrity code designed for mainstream sports, we have crafted a purpose built integrity code and well-being framework that is better suited for the uniqueness of skateboarding. Our Policies Overview was also legally reviewed by HOBEC and formally adopted by the board last month.
We have recently partnered with Deloitte for our accounting systems and to ensure absolute transparency across all project funding ahead of our upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM – Keep your eyes peeled for more info on that coming soon)
Recently we’ve touched base with a few other sporting organisations across both NZ and around the world including Surfing NZ, Skate AUS, Freestyle Roller Sports and Skateboard GB. Tapping into the knowledge of these well-established sporting bodies has been a huge help to give us a clearer understanding of how they operate and how we, as a National Sporting Organisation (NSO), can strengthen our own governance operations going forward.
SBNZ was also recently invited to the 2026 NZ Sport and Recreation Awards held in Auckland back in June. Jonnie personally attended the conference as it represented a significant shift, marking the first time SBNZ has been brought into that space alongside traditional sports. The main theme of the conference was resilience, focusing heavily on how NSOs can establish sustainable financial and operational futures in the face of ongoing government funding cuts across the sports sector. One of the key takeaways from the conference was that many NSOs are facing similar funding challenges, with an increasing focus on building resilient organisations beyond traditional grant funding. The insights gathered will help inform SBNZ’s long-term planning, particularly as we continue to strengthen commercial partnerships and deliver our Sport NZ-funded Community Development Programme.
Last but not least, we want to extend a massive thank you to our entire board for their hard mahi over this demanding year. SBNZ is a board that runs on collective energy and the progress we’ve made is a direct reflection of our combined efforts.
We thank Shane for returning to the board and stepping up to take on the vital role of Treasurer, working closely with Deloitte to keep our financials on track; Sarah, for bringing her extensive sport management and organisational skills to our governance structure; Sam, for his leadership on the pathway to the AIMS Games and his ability to cut through the noise to find practical solutions; Damian for keeping the South Island community connected and making sure the wider regions of Aotearoa have a voice; Amber for her dedication to athlete well-being to ensure our youth and community are at the heart of our decisions; and Ian our High Performance Director, for his guidance in navigating the high performance space and ensuring our athletes have access to different opportunities across not only NZ, but the world.
We all have a shared passion for skateboarding and have learnt so much about our community in such little time. We can’t wait to build on those connections and continue to do our best to build a sustainable future for skateboarding across the motu. Thank you to all the riders, parents, coaches, associations, sponsors and supporters who make the NZ skateboarding scene what it is.
We promise this won’t be the last you’ll hear from us, see you all bowl-side!
– Sophee and Jonnie