Our Team & Supporters
Skateboarding New Zealand (SBNZ) is a not-for-profit organisation and is currently run entirely by a volunteer executive committee to deliver governance and operational work.
Meet the Skateboarding New Zealand board members and staff.
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Board members
Sophee Hills
Co-Chairperson
Sophee is a passionate skateboarder and coach. In 2019, she co-founded Surely Skate to break down stereotypes and create safe spaces for marginalized riders. Under her leadership as CEO, the initiative grew from grassroots East Coast sessions into an influential community enterprise delivering youth activations across Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay – earning spotlights on national television and at Te Papa Museum.
As SBNZ Co-Chairperson, Sophee bridges the gap between regional development and national administration, contributing to the delivery of flagship events like the National and Secondary School Championships. Whilst on the board, she aspires to strengthen SBNZ’s relationship with the wider skateboarding community. By working to develop clear resources, streamlining processes, and ensuring organisational transparency, Sophee is dedicated to building an open, trustworthy framework that empowers skateboarders across all of Aotearoa.
Jonnie Mead
Co-Chairperson
Jonette “Jonnie” is an iconic pioneer of Aotearoa’s action sports landscape. She is a trailblazing surf administrator who famously established New Zealand’s first women’s-only surfing tour in the 1960s to fight institutional elitism. A born communicator with a background in commercial radio, marketing, and corporate sponsorship, Jonnie previously used her public media profile to break down council resistance and establish the very first skateparks in Tauranga.
On the SBNZ board, she applies her decades of elite event management and community advocacy to securing corporate partnerships – such as backing the annual Washington Way Bowl Jam – while driving the strategic vision required for skateboarding’s modern Olympic era.
Shane Kingsbeer
Treasurer
Shane Kingsbeer is an experienced committee member returning to the role of Treasurer after a couple of years away from the board. Based in Gisborne, Shane has been instrumental in navigating the organisation through key periods of growth, including Skateboarding NZ’s transition toward recognition as a National Sporting Organisation (NSO) by Sport NZ. Known for going above and beyond for the local skateboarding community, he famously helped anchor major events like the return of X-Air.
Professionally, Shane is the founder and principal designer of Kingsbeer Architecture, an award-winning studio specializing in sustainable, environmentally friendly residential and commercial design that complements New Zealand’s coastal and rural landscapes.
Amber Clyde
Board Member
Amber is an avid sponsored skateboarder, community advocate and has been skateboarding for over 10 years. Deeply passionate about advancing the voice, participation, and pathways for female riders, Amber has been a driving force behind reshaping modern Kiwi skate culture. In 2018, she founded Girls Skate NZ, a major Auckland-based skate school delivering programs to hundreds of young women.
Beyond gender equity, Amber is a fierce champion for broad community accessibility; she frequently partners with regional councils and sports trusts like Aktive to deliver fully funded skateboarding sessions in lower socio-economic pockets of South Auckland, and has pioneered specialized programs alongside Blind Low Vision NZ for neurodiverse and disabled youth. On the SBNZ board, Amber effectively bridges the gap between this grassroots community outreach and elite high-performance development, ensuring the sport remains inclusive as it grows into future Olympic pathways.
Sam Robertson
Board Member
Sam is an educational leader, national advocate, and Board Member of Skateboarding New Zealand (SBNZ). Originally from the UK, where he successfully campaigned for regional skateparks and founded his university’s first skateboarding club, Sam is now based in the Bay of Plenty. A primary school teacher, Health & Safety Officer, and school Board of Trustees member, he bridges the gap between structured education and action sports.
As the founder of Sam’s Skate School, he has provided free weekly lessons for over five years, introducing more than 3,000 tamariki to the sport. On the SBNZ board, Sam utilizes his background in international advocacy and educational leadership to ensure young people from all backgrounds have access to high-quality coaching, safe facilities, and clear developmental pathways.
Damian Doyle
Board Member
Damian is an avid skateboarder and facility advocate, serving as a crucial voice and figurehead for the South Island skateboarding community. With an extensive background in community engagement, local government navigation, and skatepark design, Damian has spent decades building ramps and championing public skate spaces across both the UK and Aotearoa.
He is the founder and owner of 44 Ramps, a social enterprise dedicated to constructing public skate environments, providing ramp-building supplies, and managing national distribution for Gator Skins ramp surfacing. On the board, Damian focuses on growing New Zealand’s skateboarding footprint while fiercely preserving the core subcultural values, authentic creativity, and accessibility that skateboarders represent daily.
Dr. Sarah Leberman, MNZM
Board Member
Sarah is the Co-Founder of Women in Sport Aotearoa and was the Board Co-Chair from 2017 until October 2023. She is chartered Member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors and was the elected Academic representative on the Massey University Council, 2020-2024.
Sarah is a lifelong contributor to sport as a participant, coach, administrator, educator, researcher, and board member. On the SBNZ board, her leadership has been vital to navigating skateboarding’s “Olympic pivot,” applying her world-class expertise in high-performance sport culture to elevate SBNZ into an Olympic-level National Sporting Organisation (NSO). Notably, Sarah utilizes this institutional credibility to oversee critical, Sport NZ-funded initiatives, guiding the development of the national safety frameworks, codes of conduct, and high-performance athlete pathways required to support Kiwi skateboarders on the world stage.
Staff
Ian Neely
High Performance Director
Ian leads Skateboarding NZ’s high-performance and athlete pathway frameworks, bringing world-class sports administration experience to the team. He has spent the majority of his career developing elite athletes, stepping into professional coaching in 1995 and managing top-tier high-performance programs since 2003. Before making the shift to action board sports with SBNZ, Ian built a formidable reputation within Yachting New Zealand, serving as Youth Head Coach, Talent Development Manager, and interim High Performance Director, where he successfully guided future Olympians and world-class campaigns.
For SBNZ, Ian applies this rich pedigree to building institutional capability from the ground up. He works directly with elite Kiwi skateboarders and coaches to design individualised campaign plans, establish fair Olympic nomination frameworks, and streamline critical support from High Performance Sport NZ (HPSNZ). Ian’s strategic focus is ensuring that NZ’s top competition riders have the precise tools, terrain, and high-performance coaching networks required to successfully transition onto the world stage and chase their Olympic dreams.
Organisational Partners
Skateboarding NZ works with several different partners both locally and globally in various contexts. Some of these relationships are collaborative and exist to share knowledge and best practices that benefit athletes and community interests. Some are commercial and require us to deliver professional services. Others allow us to provide our governance and operational obligations and practices.
Governance partners and sporting bodies
- International Olympic Committee (IOC)
The IOC is the ultimate governing authority for the Olympic Games. Following skateboarding’s introduction as a permanent Olympic discipline, SBNZ must strictly adhere to the IOC’s overarching regulations, ethical frameworks, and anti-doping policies. Our connection to the IOC establishes the high-stakes global environment that our elite competitive athletes operate within. - World Skate (WSK)
World Skate is the international governing body officially recognised by the IOC for all roller sports, including skateboarding, scootering and roller skating/blading. SBNZ aligns its national competition criteria, division structures, and athlete eligibility rules directly with World Skate guidelines. - New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC)
The NZOC is our direct domestic gateway to the Olympic Games. SBNZ works collaboratively with the NZOC to design, implement, and manage the official selection and nomination criteria for Kiwi skateboarders. When a New Zealand athlete qualifies for the Olympic stage, SBNZ passes our official nominations to the NZOC, who holds the ultimate authority to select the final athletes to represent the country. - Sport NZ (SNZ)
Sport New Zealand is the government agency responsible for governing sport and physical recreation across the country. As an officially recognised National Sporting Organisation (NSO), SBNZ partners with Sport NZ to drive community engagement and participation. - High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ)
A subsidiary of Sport NZ, HPSNZ specifically oversees elite, world-class athletic development. SBNZ partners with HPSNZ to secure targeted funding dedicated exclusively to high-performance pathways. This investment allows us to manage elite high-performance campaigns, fund international travel and accommodation for competitive athletes, and run elite development clinics. - Skate NZ (New Zealand Federation of Roller Sports/NZFRS)
Skate NZ is the historically recognised overarching National Sporting Organisation affiliated directly with the NZOC and World Skate. Because skateboarding sits under their wider regulatory umbrella, SBNZ works in close partnership with Skate NZ to manage formal athlete memberships and tap into broader international sporting networks, ensuring our competitive athletes meet all institutional requirements for global representation.
Collaborative partners
- Snow Sports New Zealand and Surfing New Zealand
As sister “action and board sports” organisations, SBNZ shares a deep cultural and operational kinship with Snow Sports NZ and Surfing NZ. We collaborate across these disciplines to share institutional knowledge, cross-train athletes and establish joint best-practices regarding youth safety, high-performance coaching, and navigating the shared complexities of the Olympic landscape. - New Zealand Sport Collective
The NZ Sport Collective is a ground-breaking collaboration between more than 30 national sporting bodies designed to maximize visibility and resources for non-traditional sports. SBNZ partners actively with the collective to deliver high-profile youth events leveraging their shared infrastructure to give our young skateboarders a massive national platform. - Holland Beckett Law
Holland Beckett Law is a leading full-service New Zealand law firm. They’ve provided vital governance oversight, ensuring that our internal legal and structural frameworks remain robust and legally sound. Notably, Holland Beckett Law spearheaded the legal review of SBNZ’s modernized constitution, guaranteeing our full compliance with the strict updates required by the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 while fiercely protecting our core ethos as an organisation built for skateboarders, by skateboarders
Funding Partners
Skateboarding New Zealand (SBNZ) is proudly supported by both Sport New Zealand and High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ). To maintain full transparency with our community, our funding is strictly divided and “ring-fenced” into two distinct categories, ensuring every dollar is used precisely for its intended purpose:
Grassroots & Community Initiatives: Our funding from Sport NZ is dedicated entirely to developing active recreation, youth participation, and community pathways. This investment is utilized exclusively to deliver our national School and Coach Development Programme. It funds the up-skilling of ‘accredited’ skateboard coaches across the country and establishes safety and inclusion frameworks. None of this funding is spent on elite international campaigns or delivery of events, it is purely dedicated to the needs of the project.
Elite & High Performance Pathways: Our funding from HPSNZ is legally restricted to elite athlete development and international competition pathways. This money is used to support our high-performance campaigns, covering international travel and accommodation for targeted Kiwi skateboarders representing NZ on the world stage. It also funds discipline-specific development clinics, such as our national Park & Vert training sessions, and the specialised management required to navigate Olympic nomination and selection processes. This funding cannot be legally used for grassroots or local community skatepark projects.
