Sport
Aaron Fleming is an Ironman, New Zealand’s Olympic Games torchbearer, an author, and one of New Zealand’s youngest speakers with one of the most moving tales you will ever hear … Aaron's story is gripping, emotional and truly inspirational. He can talk about change, overcoming adversity, goal setting and perseverance.
From Masterton to Monaco on a motorbike is a long tough ride. Aaron competed in 229 World Superbike races and has stood on the World Superbike podium 87 times. He also won the gruelling Suzuka 8 hour endurance race three times in a row and that has set a record for the most consecutive wins in this important race in Japan. The journey to the top of the World Superbike racing world was an improbable one, made possible by sheer grit to overcome all obstacles in his path.
For 10 months he was trapped by crushing ice. For 5 months he endured soul-destroying solitude. For 3 months he lived in total darkness. For 1 hour he will have you on the edge of your seat. Explorers are a special breed of people blessed with courage, determination and an instinct for survival.
Andy has speed in his blood. Both his father and grandfather were powerboat champions. Andy prefers the track to the water, but racing is most definitely in his blood!
Ant Williams is recognized as one of the best free divers in the world. Ant can hold his breath for 7 1/2 minutes - in the ocean he can dive deeper than 225 feet on a single breath and in a pool he can swim 200 meters without breathing.
Entertaining life experiences that demonstrate the sacrifices needed for success. Former NZ netball player.
World Champion Board sailor and Olympic Gold Medallist Barbara Kendall won a gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, silver medal in 1996 (in Atlanta, Georgia), and a bronze medal in 2000 (in Sydney). She then finished finished 5th at the 2004 Games in Athens and sixth at the 2008 Games in Beijing. She is the first and only woman from New Zealand to compete at 5 Olympic Games. In 2009 Barbara was runner up in Dancing with the Stars and in 2010 she announced her retirement from boardsailing.
Billy Graham's presentations are 'punchy', 'lively' and 'fun'. He is full of energy and his humourous presentations are always memorable.
One of the biggest challenges facing millions of people daily is getting out of bed in the morning and looking forward to going to work. A lot of people go through the motions to fulfill a function, to earn some dollars, to live a life. We all know that there is more. The key is finding it. It’s having the positive mindset in the first instance then the motivation and confidence to seek.
Hear from this four times World Champion and eight times British Open Squash Champion.
Therese servied as the General Manager Corporate Services for Rugby New Zealand 2011 Limited, the company established by the NZRU and the NZ Government to deliver the Rugby World Cup Tournament in 2011 and is now doing a similar role for the Cricket World Cup to be hosted jointly in Australia and NZ in 2015.
Dave Letele is the founder of Brown Buttabean Motivation (BBM), a free community health programme that has helped thousands of New Zealanders lose weight and get fit and healthy.
Dick Tayler has an inspirational story with amusing anecdotes and poignant messages.
Dillon played over 100 games for the NZ Mens Basketball Team (Tall Blacks) between 1989 and 2008. These include an Olympics, a Commonwealth Games and three World Championship including the memorable tournament in 2002 where NZ finished fourth. He has had 16 international tours with the team. With the NZ Breakers he has won the NBL three years in a row from 2010-11 through to 2012-13.
Don started his career with the New Zealand Black Sox as a player from 1987 to 1991. He was part of the team when they attended and won the Silver Medal at the 1988 World Series.
Eric has balanced his distinguished and highly successful rugby career with goals off the field. He completed a Bachelor of Law degree and was admitted to the Bar as a Barrister. He worked for seven years in Corporate Law before devoting himself full time to his rugby career. At the same time, he has continued to pursue other business interests and investments. Eric has strong leadership skills and is a highly rated speaker.
Reaching your full potential so you can lift the performance of your team and business can be achieved with the guidance of a skilled professional. His skills have been highly sought after by the All Blacks, The Canterbury Crusaders, Super 12 rugby team and the New Zealand Cricket Team. You will find Gilbert’s workshops ‘matter of fact’ and interactional providing you with the winning tools and skills used by many of our corporate and sporting heroes.
Born and bred in the back blocks of the Wanganui District, Glen has grown up understanding that to achieve anything you had to work. Glen used these strengths, learnt as a young country lad, to succeed in the rugby world.
Commonwealth Games shot put champion, policewoman, media consultant, investigative journalist, TV frontperson and producer, talkback host and board member.
Graeme has faced and won some big challenges. Graeme is now in a wheelchair but is still producing television programmes. A really nice guy with fascinating stories of fishing, bear hunting etc
Greg Murphy is best known as a four-time winner of the Bathurst 1000, winning in 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2004 and held the fastest lap record at Mt Panorama for 7 years.
Ian Ferguson is New Zealand's most successful athlete. He has won 4 Olympic gold medals and a silver, plus 5 World Championship medals for kayaking. He raced singles, doubles and fours, but was most famous as a duo with his doubles partner Paul MacDonald. In 1996 Ferg was awarded the Olympian of the Century award by New Zealand's Olympic Association.
As one of the most capped All Blacks ever (79 tests) Ian is one of New Zealand rugby’s greatest ever locks. He spent 3 years in the United Kingdom and now works as a comments man for Sky Television. Ian is an articulate and entertaining speaker.
James Castrission and Justin Jones earnt their place in history, when they became the first people to successfully kayak 3318km across the treacherous Tasman Sea. Staggering upon the shores of New Zealand the adventurers were sun-burnt, bearded, underweight, physically and mentally wasted … and most of all happy to be alive.
Janine has over 10 years experience in the fitness industry and during this time has compiled a list of achievements few encounter in a lifetime. Having began as an overweight, solo mother at the age of 20, Janine ran away to find a life.
Jason was a Super 12 rugby player whose story makes compelling listening. It tells of the courage and strength an individual can find when life deals out some cruel blows. Jason tells his story – as a professional rugby player who suffers the worst of all injuries, a broken neck. Listen as he begins a new career as a policeman – and then has to face life threatening brain surgery.
An outstanding teambuilder and motivator, John Adshead was engaged by Michael Fay’s America’s Cup Challenge to manage and co-ordinate the team. He received wide acclaim for his involvement in the New Zealand challenge and as crew motivator and confidante he played a key role in maintaining morale under high pressure conditions.
John has now retired from competitive international rugby with the Wallabies. A truly great sporting personality.
A man of many words - when it comes to sport - John has been a prominent sports commentator for over thirty years.
A top sports coach with a sports psychology background, John Shackleton shows international business audiences ideas and techniques that exercise and improve the biggest, most powerful muscle in the body: the brain.
Josh Kronfeld is a former rugby representative of Otago, the Highlanders and Leicester at first-class level, as well as being one of the more memorable All Blacks of the 1990's. During his international career, Kronfeld played in 56 games for the All Blacks, gaining 54 test caps, including appearances at both the 1995 and 1999 Rugby World Cups.
Justin Jones and James Castrission earnt their place in history, when they became the first people to successfully kayak 3318km across the treacherous Tasman Sea. Staggering upon the shores of New Zealand the adventurers were sun-burnt, bearded, underweight, physically and mentally wasted … and most of all happy to be alive.
In ten years representing the All Blacks (81 caps) half back Justin Marshall thrived on the challenge of the competitive arena. His strong willed combative nature combined with his physical strength was often referred to as being like a ‘fourth loose forward’.
A great speaker and a really nice person, Keith has watched the rise and fall of many of our sporting teams during his years as a sports commentator for Olympic and Commonwealth Games.
A hugely experienced speaker and accomplished story-teller – Kevin is the author of three books (including the award winning ‘Oarsome Adventures of a Fat Boy Rower’) and has also presented on hit TVNZ documentary series' ‘First Crossings’ and 'Intrepid NZ'. Kevin will take your audience on a fast-paced unforgettable journey toward high performance.
Starting at the age of 14 Laura Dekker set off on her journey to sail solo around the world with the blessing of her parents, but not of the Dutch government. She completed the journey aged just 16 years old, proving all naysayers wrong.
In 2014 he turned his life around after hitting rock bottom while at university. He went onto win two gold medals and a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games. He also broke the previous Paralympic records held by Oscar Pistorius. His times on the track make him New Zealand’s second fastest 400m sprinter ever – legs or not.
Standing on the summit of Mount Everest has always been a boyhood dream, a dream that Mark thought he had lost in 1982 when as a Search and Rescue Mountaineer in New Zealand’s majestic Mount Cook National Park, He had a ‘hiccup’ in my climbing career, stuck in an ice cave dubbed ‘Middle Peak Hotel’ near the summit of Mount Cook for 14 days. As a result of this stay Mark lost both legs below the knees to frostbite.
Former captain of the New Zealand Men's Softball team, the Black Sox, who led his team to victory in three consecutive world championships. Listen to Mark tell of his inspirational and entertaining sporting experiences.
MaryJane O'Reilly has studied at the Royal Ballet School, co-founded and danced with Limbs Dance Company, choreographed the Opening Ceremony of the 1990 Commonwealth Games and most recently has been the artistic director of the Tempo Dance Festival.
Host of the ITM Fishing Show and famous for catching very large fish from very small vessels, Matt Watson has appeared on the David Letterman Show, 60 Minutes and BBC World amongst other shows.
Matthew has had more than his share of challenges. His recipe for success is not complex – a forward focused positive attitude and a lot of determination.
Former Black Fern player and part of the twice winning women’s World Rugby Team, now a sports commentator with Sky Sport, she can be seen on television – fronting it with the guys.
Miles has been punched by Joe Frazier, hugged by Pavarotti, and thrown out of sports stadia around the world. On the down side, he is also a Pom with an opinion on everything.
For team leader Nigel Cherrie, rowing into Auckland City on 20 January 2011 wasn't just the culmination of a two-month adventure on the Tasman Sea, it was the finish line of a five year journey to achieve a great life-changing goal. Nigel, with team-mates James Blake and Andrew McCowan, passed under the Auckland Harbour Bridge 55 days and two hours after leaving Australia- a 3,300km human-powered voyage. The team endured almost a month of torrid weather on the Tasman Sea, spending approximately 27 days at sea anchor as their 10.5m boat, The Moana, was tossed around by 4-6m seas and winds reaching 50 knots. But the perseverance required to cross the Tasman by oar power and eat cold food when they ran out of gas, was fuelled by five years of pursuing the dream, raising the sponsorship, building a team and overcoming every hurdle imaginable just to cross the Sydney Harbour start line.
Paddy O'Brien is NZ's most capped test referee. He refereed for 20 years and is currently the most experienced referee on the world refereeing panel.
He is a self-confessed sports fanatic whose life has centred around sport.
One of Australia’s very best raconteurs, he captivates audiences within minutes then keeps them hooked and laughing right through to the end. Highly intelligent and absolutely focused, Peter draws on his own stories as well as those of many international leaders of business, government and sport to tailor and deliver presentations that inspire and entertain.
Peter Hillary is a powerful and dynamic speaker. Like his adventures his presentations are inspiring, exciting and full of lessons for business today.
New Zealand’s internationally recognised sports commentator and voice of yachting and the America’s Cup
Phil is one of NZ’s leading all round sporting journalist and author of many books, including biographies for Grizz, Wylie, Joe Stanley, Mike Brewer, skipping rope Man Billy Graham and most recently Valerie Adams
Acclaimed All Whites Coach and one of the stars of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Rob Hamill is a master of his mind, he will share and delight your audience with his stories of goal setting, planning, commitment and persistence.
In 1995 he burst onto the New Zealand rowing scene as the youngest person ever to win the single sculls title at the New Zealand Championships – he did this as a novice sculler. In the two years that followed, Rob won gold at the World Championships in Germany and Canada breaking records on the water. His rowing career was topped off with an Olympic Gold at Sydney 2000.
World champion cyclist and Gold Medalist at the Athens Olympics, Sarah Ulmer ONZM has what it takes to persist and achieve goals.
Sarah has been racing BMX from a very young age and reached the pinnacle of her career to date winning the Silver Medal at the Olympics in London. She was also Nominated for Sportswoman of the Year 2010 at the Halberg Awards.
In 1977 Colin Quincey, Shaun’s father became the first man to row solo from New Zealand to Australia taking a grueling 63 days and 7 hours. In March 2010 Shaun stepped up to be the second man in history and first to row from Australia to New Zealand to conquer the Tasman Sea. Shaun’s epic voyage took 2 years of planning and 54 days of rowing in the world’s most dangerous ocean departing from Coffs Harbor and narrowly hitting the northern tip of ninety mile beach.
The former captain of the All Blacks still has a high profile from his legendary playing days, his battle with cancer, his charity appearances and his work with prostate cancer awareness.
His coaching and motivation of the World Champion Seven's side made him a legend in the sport. He has four Commonwealth Games Gold Medals to prove it!
Steve is a NZ international adventure racer and well known as that “Crazy Coast to Coast Guy” and has the nick name GOONey – Goons for short. He has raced the Coast to Coast 15 times and has won it a record 9 times (a record 6 consecutively).
There is no doubt that Stu Wilson is one of the most cherished of former All Blacks and is quite rightly regarded as one of the most gifted and skillful players to pull on the famous black jersey. His impressive All Black career spans 85 matches scoring 50 tries through almost a decade of rugby. He toured to countries such as Scotland, England, Wales, France, Australia, Romania, Argentina and Italy.
Against all the odds he took the New Zealand Tall Black Basketball Team into world prominence in the World Championships in USA in 2002. Tab then signed a contract with Basketball New Zealand to stay in New Zealand and coach for the next 4 years. What was his secret weapon for getting such performances from his players.
One of New Zealand’s most successful professional athletes, he has been recognised with many accolades, including being named 3 times in the Rugby League World XIII as the best lock in the world. As a businessman Tawera is a very successful property investor. He is also a director of a training company. He had his leg amputated below the knee after a motorcycle accident and competed at the Paralympics.
Wayne ran the Britten Race team in Europe in the early 1990’s until John Britten died of cancer in 1995. Britten Motorcycles is still at the forefront of design and innovation and is now involved in making prototypes of engines and mopeds, and has made prosthetic limbs for the Paralympic cyclists. The company became well know for the innovative design and manufacture of the artificial legs which Mark Inglis used to make his return climb to Mount Cook, 20 years after losing his legs to frostbite on that same mountain and in May 2006 Wayne climbed Mount Everest with Mark Inglis. Wayne was involved in the making of the prototype of Invercargill’s Bert Munro’s motorcycle for the film “the Fastest Indian” and involved in the film shooting in Salt Lake City, Utah USA.
The former captain of the All Blacks still has a high profile from his battle with cancer, his charity appearances and his work with prostate cancer awareness
William is an accomplished inspirational speaker who doesn’t retell stories, he relives them. In 2007, William almost lost his life in a volcanic eruption on Mt. Ruapehu. Doctors noted William’s survival as a miracle. William’s obsession for the outdoors, education and seeing life’s challenges as opportunities to try again have helped him overcome adversity more than once.
Former rugby great, Alex lives on a farm in North Canterbury.
Allison Roe won the Boston (2h 26m) and New York marathons setting records at both in 1981. Her record in breaking Grete Waitz string of wins in New York was a World Record at the time (2h 25.29m). She also won a number of road races in the US including the famous 10k Peachtree Roadrace in Atlanta breaking Mary Decker’s record. Allison represented New Zealand in track and cross country and at the age of 18 as NZ Cross Country champion, led the NZ team to the World Cross Country Championships in Morocco, where they finished second to the USA. She went on to win a number of cross country races internationally in Spain and Japan. Allison also has New Zealand championship gold medals in cycling and triathlon and won the Brazil International Triathlon from a strong field of top performers. She has also won many awards for services to sport including, Member of the British Empire, NZ Sportsman of the Year, Nurmi Awards for Best Female Runner and Best Female Road Racer 1981 and more recently the Abebe Bikila Award presented at the United Nations in 2002.
Immensely popular Canterbury first five who are regarded by some in the game including Colin Meads as the finest to wear the number 10 jersey. Off the field, Mehrtens was equally popular because of his pleasant manner, wit and sense of humour.
Beatrice Faumuina is one of New Zealand's most successful track and field athletes. She has represented New Zealand at the Olympic Games on four occasions, in 1996 (Atlanta), 2000 (Sydney), 2004 (Athens) and 2008 (Beijing). Beatrice was flag bearer for the New Zealand Olympic team in Athens in 2004.
What do you do when they don't like hip hop, are resistant to change and aren't committed to the goal?
‘I am already a winner. I won the most important battle of my life – cancer’. ‘Never settle for being average - being there just to make up the numbers is not enough’.
Has been a Radio Cricket commentator with Radio Sport since 1983.
Mark Allen, know as Bull all around New Zealand and overseas, is a rugby player with a difference.
Christian Cullen played most of his rugby at fullback for the All Blacks, for the Hurricanes in the Super 12 and for Manawatu, Wellington at provincial level and later Munster in Ireland
Swimming Olympic gold medallist, now mentor and ambassador for the Commonwealth Games Team.
Prior to that, Dave was the race director of the Ironman Triathlon from 1987 to 1999, the executive director of the Halberg Trust for 17 years from 1988, and the Manager of the New Zealand Black Caps cricket team 2009–11.
David Kirk has excelled in everything he has put his hand to. A medical doctor, a Rhodes Scholar with a PPE degree from Oxford University and a stellar career as CEO of two of Australasia's largest companies. In NZ he is probably most famous as an All Black Captain, and currently the only New Zealand Captain to lead his team to win the Rugby World Cup.
Likeable TV sports commentator on all sports, hear some stories of what goes on behind the scenes.
His presentation is supported by some of the best adventure footage shot anywhere in the world.
Graeme is one of New Zealand's and the world's leading outdoor adventurers. With more than 30 years experience in outdoor activities
Jamie is one of New Zealand’s most sought after management consultants and keynote speakers, is a modern-day pioneer, and has helped thousands of people around the world bridge the gap between strategy, leadership and creating a high-performance culture.
John O’Neill has created success running three major organisations in banking and in international sports where mass entertainment and broad community participation are essential features.
All Black from 1971 to 1976. All Black coach from 1992 to 1995.
Martin hosts his own sports radio show, was a regular panellist on "Game of Two Halves" and in 2010 hosted TVNZ's coverage of the Football World Cup in South Africa and in 2011 was named Sports Broadcaster of the Year.
Martin Snedden is an in demand keynote speaker, sharing his internationally acclaimed success story from the RWC 2011.
Sports speaker and America’s cup journalist.
Former Maori All Black and NZ Sevens Rugby Captain, Matua is also a commentator on Maori Televisions "Code" . Owner of the most famous dreads in rugby.
Michael Groom is unquestionably one of the world’s greatest 'big' mountain climbers. In 1999 he successfully climbed Makalu, the smallest and for Michael, the last of the 'big five' - the five highest mountains in the world. Makalu, Lhotse, Kangchenjunga, K2 and Everest. Michael climbed them all without the assistance of bottled oxygen, and all but Kangchenjunga he climbed without the front third of both feet.
Murray Deaker's direct and sometimes controversial style has won him many awards including the Best Sports Presenter at the Radio Awards seven times and was a finalist on 10 other occasions.
On December 26th 1998, 114 Yachts left Sydney harbour in the annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race- only 44 finished. Of the remaining vessels, 12 yachts were abandoned, 5 yachts sank, 6 men lost their lives and over 50 yachtsmen had to be winched to safety. The event is recognised as one of the worst Maritime disasters in Australian history. Peter Davidson, paramedic aboard the first rescue helicopter to reach survivors, talks about what it took to rescue men from the stricken vessels in the midst of some of the worst conditions in sailing history
Peter Lester is a New Zealand yachting personality - first as a succesful sailor and more recently as a commentator.
Ric Charlesworth is a doctor of medicine and a former captain of the Australian Hockey Team, the Western Australian State Hockey Team and Cricket Team. He played hockey for Australia for a record 16 years. His coaching formula is part of the reason for the sustained success of the team at Atlanta and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. For 8 consecutive years the team was ranked number one in the world. He won Australian Team Coach of the Year six times in 1994. In 2005 Ric was selected as Western Australia’s greatest ever hockey player and also Western Australia’s greatest ever coach. He was appointed as the High Performance Manager of New Zealand Cricket and took up that position in October
Highlights of her coaching career include winning the 2003 Netball World Championships and back to back Gold medals at the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games.
His relaxed and humourous approach makes him a highly sought after MC and after dinner speaker.
One of the most successful All Black Captains, credited by most with the leadership abilities that made the All Blacks the great team they were when they won the World Cup.
Sir Richard Hadlee is undoubtedly one of the world's leading fast bowlers and once held the world record for the most test wickets.
Steph Brown together with Jude Ellis took fourth place in the Trans-Atlantic Ocean Rowing Race of 2001. They made history as the first female, double-handed crew to cross this 5000km stretch of mountainous seas. Their crossing was entirely unassisted and they proved to be the surprise of this race, deemed to be “the ultimate test of strength and endurance”, by beating 32 other international, male crews.
Gliding over the finish line at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games saw Steven’s name etched into the history books. Skating in the 1000m final and in fifth place, the unthinkable happened. The race favourite and the other three skaters ahead of Steven, fell in a tangle of skates and arms and legs on the ice. Leaving the path clear for Steven, he glided across the finish line in first place and became the first ever Australian to win a Winter Olympic Gold Medal!
The “Power of Commitment” enabled Tony Mowbray to become the fastest Australian to sail solo non stop and unassisted around the world. A record-breaking 180-day adventure that required total focus and unswerving self-belief. It also gave Tony the opportunity to “Look It In The Eye” when he finished some unfinished business in the 2001 Sydney to Hobart yacht classic. Tony and his crew on board “Solo Globe Challenger” were part of the 1998 Sydney to Hobart fleet, which encountered the worst race conditions on record. Little did Tony know that within 24 hours of the start he and his crew would be fighting a 15-hour battle of life or death – nature was asking them to reach further within themselves than they ever had before. “Solo Globe Challenger” surfed down the face of a 60-foot wave upside down after a monumental knock down. In 160 km/hr winds Tony “could see and smell death in the water”. As Tony says “the devil took me by the hand and led me to the edge of a huge precipice and made me stand there on tippy toes for 15 hours – he allowed me to walk away but tragically 6 men died throughout that afternoon and the next day”. The fight for life was won but Tony’s dream of sailing around the world was shattered. His boat was all but a wreck as he was physically and mentally. Within 4 months Tony’s spirit had reignited the flame of a solo world circumnavigation. His boat was rebuilt and he left Australia in search of some answers.
This super motivated woman is a mum to 4 children – two with cystic fibrosis who constantly need medical and hospital treatment. In 2002 she ‘hit the wall’. She was hugely overweight and suffering from ‘chronic sorrow’ where a person lives with someone else’s illness on a daily basis. She joined a gym and read an advertisement for a ‘Special K’ Triathlon and that changed her life.
Brett O’Riley is the Chief Executive of the Employers and Manufacturers Association, New Zealand’s largest business association. He is also a member of the Board of BusinessNZ. Brett is a graduate of Victoria University of Wellington, with post graduate qualifications from MIT and Singularity University.
Born in Christchurch in 1993, Sophie was accidentally run over by a ride-on lawnmower, resulting in both her legs being caught under the cutter deck housing in the path of the rotating mower blades. As a result of the accident, her left leg was to be amputated below the knee, while the rear of her right leg was left with severe scarring. She began swimming at age 7.
Ageless super shooter Irene van Dyk had a huge impact on Netball, almost single-handedly changing the way it was played, both in New Zealand and around the world, while contributing immensely to its growing popularity.
Brought up in a sporting household in Southland, by his late teenage years Jeff had represented Southland at both rugby and cricket. After a shift north to Dunedin for study purposes, he then played for both Otago in both codes which led to his selection in 1993 to both national teams, making him one of only seven individuals to have played both sports for his country.
Mike Allsop grew up in a single parent home in Auckland. Life wasn’t always easy.
After claiming New Zealand's first Cycling Track Sprint Olympic Medal in London, Simon was asked to trial, develop, and train the sailors for the Americas Cup Cyclor innovation.
Under his stewardship, the All Blacks held the Bledisloe Cup every year since 2003, won the Investec Tri Nations five times and achieved three Grand Slams against the Northern Hemisphere Home Unions. He was named IRB Coach of the Year a record five times.
Ian was brought up in a small East Coast village on the North Island of New Zealand. He was seven when electricity arrived at his home. It was 1957. The telephone arrived a couple of years later. He didn't know it at the time but three years after he got electricity at his house, New Zealand got its first computer.
