Introduction of the Athlete Leadership Group

Announcement of Swimming NZ’s Athlete Leadership Group

We are pleased to announce the Swimming NZ Athlete Leadership Group. This group has been created to work in collaboration with Swimming NZ and offer athlete perspectives to support and empower the sport.

The group has six members, all of whom are Aquablacks who have represented New Zealand at the highest level and have a wealth of knowledge from their time training and competing in performance environments. Within the make-up of the group, four are current swimmers and two have recently retired in the past 6 months who can provide valuable perspectives to the group. The group consists of the following:

Name	Aquablack Number	Club	Role
Helena Gasson	250	Coast	Chair
Eve Thomas	270	Coast	Deputy Chair
Lewis Clareburt	257	Club 37	Member
Cameron Leslie	272	Whangarei	Member
Hazel Ouwehand	283	Phoenix Aquatics	Member
Dame Sophie Pascoe	244	QEII	Member

The group has a Terms of Reference that has been established with the support of the Athlete Leaders Network, an independent organisation that helps enhance athlete voice across the sector.

As described in the Terms of Reference, the group’s initial scope is towards senior and upcoming swimmers in the performance pathway, with three key pillars of focus:

• Advocate for athletes to elevate athlete influence

• Support athlete leadership and wellbeing

• Engage with Swimming NZ on behalf of athletes

Swimming NZ’s Athlete Leadership Group Chair, Helena Gasson, believes the group will be greatly beneficial for Swimming NZ, the athletes and the sport collectively.

“Our group believes that the three pillars will help build a more connected, resilient and empowered athlete community. We will be working on behalf of pre-High Performance pathway athletes through to our High Performance athletes, as we believe that every athlete perspective and voice is as important as each other.”

Swimming NZ’s Head of High Performance, Graeme Maw, is excited about the formation of the Athlete Leadership Group.

“The creation of the group will significantly improve the connection and collaboration between Swimming NZ and its high performance athletes through a formalised cooperation and communication pathway. Having the experience of the six group members around the table will be invaluable as we work towards Los Angeles 2028 and beyond.”

Gasson also believes that this collaboration will help to enhance performance.

“We have formed this group to optimize performance, and our belief is that an athlete has more potential to perform better when they feel empowered and heard. We want to be included in the discussions and decision that directly impact athletes as it’s more than just our career, it’s our life too. Through this group and in collaboration with Swimming NZ, we can improve the experience for athletes and the organisation through our collective voice.”

The group has established an opportunity for athletes to contact them collectively through creating an email address. If you’d like to raise an item for the Athlete Leaders Group to consider, please email them at athletes@swimming.org.nz