Ross Gillespie Awarded Life Membership of Swimming New Zealand
Announcement of Swimming NZ Life Membership
Ross Gillespie has been awarded Life Membership of Swimming NZ in recognition of more than two decades of service as a technical official, mentor, volunteer and, on more occasions than anyone has counted, builder and repairer of the equipment the sport runs on.
A member of the Dargaville Swimming Club, Ross has officiated at the majority of national events over the past twenty years. He sits on the Swimming NZ Technical Advisory Committee and has been a Swimming NZ Technical Official Assessor since 2022, having previously served as a regional assessor before the current technical officials pathway was introduced. He holds World Aquatics listings in both Open Water and as a Starter in Pool Swimming.
Ross is the only New Zealand Starter to have been selected for a World Long Course, World Short Course and Commonwealth Games. Selection comes from a large pool of World Aquatics listed Starters worldwide, which makes the achievement both rare and highly commendable.
He was appointed as a Starter at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha and the 2024 FINA World Short Course Championships in Abu Dhabi. In open water, he officiated at the 2019 FINA World Championships in Gwangju and the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. His regional appointments include the 2015 Youth Commonwealth Games in Samoa, the 2018 Oceania Championships in Papua New Guinea and the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa.
Ross also served on the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming Technical Committee, stepping down in March 2026 for health reasons. He was appointed Technical Director for the open water programme at the 2026 Oceania Championships and, although he was unable to travel, he completed a significant amount of the pre-event work.
Ross spoke on what this recognition means to him.
"It's an honour to receive Swimming NZ Life Membership. To be included in a group of people who have given so much for the sport is very humbling. A huge thank you to my wife, Carlrine, and my family for their support over the years – none of this would be possible without them."
Ross goes about his business quietly behind the scenes, going above and beyond what he is credited for. He has built the medal dais we use at our Swimming NZ competitions, along with the open water finish judge stands and finish gate, among other equipment, charging only for materials and never for his labour. For national open water events he has organised boats and drivers and towed most of that gear from Dargaville to Taupō at his own expense, year after year, often with the whole Gillespie family helping out on the ground.
When the first Swimming NZ event was held in Hawke's Bay, Ross quietly showed venue staff and lifeguards how to set up the gear, something nobody had done for them, and left behind a basic tool kit with the essentials they were likely to need.
His support extends well beyond national level. Ross still assists local schools with their swimming sports and local clubs with their events, and whenever a qualifying meet is needed to satisfy World Aquatics requirements, he has travelled to wherever it is held to help get it approved.
For Ross, the measure of an event has always been the experience it gives the athletes. He has mentored a great many up-and-coming officials and a generation of New Zealand technical officials has come through with his guidance behind them.
"I've had the privilege of working alongside many amazing people in New Zealand and around the world, and made so many great friends along the way. I've gotten just as much out of helping at our local primary school meets as I have on the world stage, and feel proud to support all the work that makes our sport better at all levels."
Swimming NZ congratulates Ross Gillespie on his Life Membership, and extends its gratitude for his unwavering contribution to our sport at all levels over the past 20+ years.
Gillespie becomes the 57th individual to receive Swimming NZ Life Membership. You can find the full list of Life Membership recipients below.
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