Joining the Residency Experience programme in August 2023 coincided with the arrival of a new CEO at Athletics NZ and the establishment of HPSNZ’s Wellbeing community of practice, both of which have been significant for Mariah in her role as Performance, Environments and Culture Manager at the NSO.
No stranger to athletics and Athletics NZ, Mariah’s Residency Experience role builds on her years as an athlete and volunteer coach and is providing her with a foot in the door with high performance sport and its systems.
“The first six months of my Residency Experience were internally focussed and that coincided with the arrival of Athletics NZ’s new CEO, Cam Mitchell, whose immediate priority was to undertake a policy review,” says Mariah.
“At the same time, I’d been brought into the HPSNZ Wellbeing community by programme lead, Toni Minniti, with the group’s initial priority to look at policies and procedures,” says Mariah. “The stars were truly aligned.”
Cam says having Mariah in her Residency Experience role has worked extremely well as he looked to review and reframe policies from a board and governance level, especially as they relate to people in the sport and their wellbeing.
“We have worked very closely together and Mariah is now chairing an internal culture working group which provides her with the opportunity to lead so our team is aligned in its goal to enhance the organisation’s culture.”
Similarly, Toni says there has been mutual benefit having Mariah join the Wellbeing community of practice.
“Mariah is one of several sports representatives who meet monthly. She brings a different perspective and set of experiences that are shared across sports. A key skill she brings is her ability to ask really helpful questions that lead focus and make sure we recognise the value of basic principles,” says Toni.
In addition to her work in the wellbeing space, Mariah says she is learning a huge amount about the different business units within Athletics NZ and how they all work together.
“I’ve been learning a lot about the business and funding side of the sport which is quite a mindset shift for me,” Mariah says.
“Being connected to other sports and organisations such as Sport NZ within the sector through the HPSNZ Wellbeing group has also been a major learning opportunity.
“It’s all starting to crystalise my future goals to have a role in high performance with Athletics NZ that supports athletes and coaches.”
Wellbeing hub resources are available at: HPSNZ Wellbeing Programme Resources Hub
