Yachting New Zealand appoints advisory group to lead review of national membership model

Yachting New Zealand © Yachting New Zealand

The review into Yachting New Zealand's club membership model and affiliation fee structure has gathered pace with the appointment of a 16-member advisory group to lead the work.

The appointments follow a call for expressions of interest last month, which attracted strong engagement from clubs and individuals nationwide, reflecting the importance of the review to the sailing community.

Yachting New Zealand Chief Executive Steve Armitage said the Membership and Affiliation Advisory Group brings the right balance of skills, experience, geography, club size representation, and age diversity to provide evidence-based guidance.

The group includes representatives from small- and medium-sized clubs, larger clubs, youth members, and Yachting New Zealand staff.

Large clubs are represented by Jamie Catchpole (Royal Akarana Yacht Club), Hamish Tait (Bucklands Beach Yacht Club), and Tim Bingham (Kerikeri Cruising Club), with small- to medium-sized clubs represented by Anne Marett (Waikawa Boating Club), Gillian O'Connor (Timaru Yacht and Powerboat Club), Matthew Nolan (Pigeon Bay Boating Club), Robert Buxton (Broad Bay Boating Club), Stephen Knights (Torbay Sailing Club), and Spencer Poborsa-Cox (Mount Maunganui Yacht Club). Youth perspectives come from Catchpole, Leah Hannaford (Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club), Brooke Adamson (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron), and Paige Carlyon (Bay of Islands Yacht Club).

Armitage and Andrew Robertson, Commodore of Milford Cruising Club, will co-chair the group, which also includes Yachting New Zealand Finance Manager Dave Smith and General Manager Community and Development Raynor Haagh.

"We were extremely pleased to receive a very strong level of interest from across the sailing community," Armitage said. "It reinforces how strongly people across the sport care about the future of sailing in New Zealand. This group will provide evidence-based advice to ensure the membership system is fair, transparent, and sustainable, while continuing to support clubs of all sizes."

The group's role is to review the current membership and affiliation structure, assess its strengths and limitations, and explore reform options, including approaches to non-competitive participation, digital and reporting systems, and values-led membership models.

"This is an important piece of work for the sport," Armitage said. "The landscape for sailing and boating clubs is changing, and we want to ensure our membership and affiliation model reflects the realities clubs are facing while supporting the long-term health of the sport."

The advisory group is expected to meet up to six times between now and the end of June. Early meetings will focus on reviewing the current system and researching membership models used by other sports and jurisdictions, with subject matter experts engaged as required.

Armitage stressed that wider club input will continue throughout the review.

"Even for those who weren't appointed to the advisory group, there will be opportunities to provide feedback before any recommendations are finalised ahead of the 2026 AGM," he said.

Further details on how to provide input will be shared in due course.

For more information, please contact your local Regional Development Manager.