Graham joined Canoe Racing New Zealand in May 2023, bringing a wide range of experience from across New Zealand’s high performance sport and corporate sectors. He has been an elite athlete for New Zealand, head coach of a large school rowing programme, and Chairperson of a major not-for-profit organisation, alongside developing extensive corporate and financial expertise.
A dynamic and innovative leader, Graham has a proven track record of building high-performing teams and strong organisational cultures. Prior to CRNZ, he spent eight years at Westpac NZ in a variety of leadership roles, most recently delivering a large-scale product strategy and technology transformation project. In parallel, Graham served as Chair of Karapiro Rowing, where he developed and implemented a new organisational strategy, modernised operations, and oversaw the delivery of the North Island’s largest watersport events, including the Maadi Cup.
As an athlete, Graham spent six years in the New Zealand Rowing programme, winning three medals at World Championship level. He is of Ngāpuhi whakapapa.
Stacey has been with Canoe Racing since mid 2013, coming from a background in Financial accounting and management as well as owning various businesses.
Stacey is responsible for overseeing the financial aspects of the organisation as well as the overall business operations.
She lives on the North Shore in Auckland and has three children.
Sarah has a background in administration (including accounts payable and receivables work) and recruitment. Sarah was a personal trainer for seven years.
Tristan brings over 25 years of experience in high performance sport, beginning his career in the UK before moving to New Zealand in 2011. His extensive cross-code consultancy work spans coaching, programme development, and campaign management, giving him a unique perspective on what drives success at the highest level.
Having worked alongside the CRNZ High Performance programme since 2013, Tristan is deeply familiar with our sport’s strategy, structure, and people.
Tristan lives in Mairangi Bay with his Kiwi wife and two children, and we are excited to have his leadership.
Gordon is one half of one of sports most success coach-athlete partnerships, as the long-term coach of Lisa Carrington ( 5 gold and 1 bronze Olympic medals). He has won Coach of the Year at the Halberg Awards four times and was named Coach of the Decade (2010-2020).
Gordon was given the role of Intern Coach with CRNZ in early 2010 and has been a part of the High Performance Programme since then. After the 2016 Olympics, Gordy moved into a lead coach role responsible for the NZ womens squad to perform in K1, K2 and K4 boats.
Gordon has a keen interest in many sports and has coached a variety of sports including cycling, running, swimming, kayaking, triathlon, and multisport. He is also a 3-time winner of the Coast to Coast Multisport race.
Chris Mehak joined Canoe Racing New Zealand’s High Performance team in early 2023 as a Performance Coach based in Auckland. His primary role has been working alongside Gordon Walker and the Women’s squad, contributing to one of the most successful periods in New Zealand canoe sprint history, including the achievement of winning all 3 women’s kayak sprint medals at the Paris Olympics.
Originally from Toronto, Canada, Chris brings extensive coaching experience from his time as Head Coach at Balmy Beach Canoe Club, one of Canada’s leading clubs. He was also a former Canadian national team athlete, competing at ICF World Championships in 2010 and 2011 in K4 1000m and K1 500m events. His coaching career spans elite athletes in men’s and women’s kayak, paracanoe, and Special Olympics disciplines.
Chris is passionate about fostering a high-performance environment that balances innovation, athlete wellbeing, and technical excellence. His international perspective and proven track record make him a key contributor to CRNZ’s vision of being the world’s best paddling nation.
A CRNZ Life Member and former international sprint paddler, Gavin brings decades of coaching experience and a strong athlete‑centered approach to our High Performance programme. His focus is on our high performance athletes, supporting Para athletes, and contributing to international campaigns.
His leadership has ensured that our athletes receive consistent, world-class support from development through to podium success.
As an ex-international paddler, Gavin understands the demands of elite sport firsthand. He has played a key role in preparing athletes for major events, including the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, and continues to mentor coaches and athletes to maintain New Zealand’s position as a global leader in canoe sprint.
Maree came to CRNZ in early 2022 from Triathlon NZ, where she spent eight years as Operations Manager.
Maree supports Nathan in running the operations and logistics for the CRNZ Performance Program (including the Performance Pathway), and helps our team implement the new CRNZ Picture of Performance and Holistic Performance Framework. She is based at the CRNZ High Performance Centre in Karapiro.
Of Tainui and Maniapoto whakapapa, Maree is also a former elite rower, having spent 11 years rowing as a junior, U23 and Elite NZ representative.
Emily came onboard as a performance coach in 2022, before taking over as the National Development Coach in 2023 leading the CRNZ Development Pathway.
Emily was a NZ-rep paddler at Junior and U23 level. She then started coaching at Poverty Bay Kayak Club, while working as a teacher. Always seeking to improve her skills and ability to better support her paddlers, Emily was involved in CRNZ pathway coaching and was appointed as one of the coaches of the 2021 Junior Worlds team.
In 2022, she was selected to join the High Performance Sport NZ Te Hāpaitanga programme, an 18-month holistic coach development initiative designed to enable more women to pursue and maintain a career in high performance coaching in Aotearoa-New Zealand.
Danielle Mackenzie is the Talent Development Coordinator for Canoe Sprint at Canoe Racing New Zealand. In this role, she is responsible for identifying, evaluating, and developing emerging talent in partnership with Surf Life Saving New Zealand, helping young athletes transition into the canoe sprint high performance pathway.
Drawing on her own experience as a world-class surf lifesaving athlete and international paddler, Danielle brings a unique understanding of both sports and the opportunities they create for athletes. She leads the talent accelerator programme, delivering transition camps, supporting Individual Performance Plans, and building strong relationships with coaches, athletes, and parents to ensure a positive and effective pathway experience.
Danielle is passionate about fostering the long-standing connection between surf lifesaving and canoe sprint in New Zealand and is committed to building environments where athletes can thrive and work towards world-class performance.
Danika started at Canoe Racing NZ in 2021, after 6 years in the Participation and Development department at Yachting NZ. Prior to joining the team, she was involved in the development of new paddling participation initiatives with CRNZ.
Danika is responsible for leading the Participation and Engagement strategic pillars, to help grow and develop paddling in New Zealand. She is hugely passionate about helping get more people out on the water for fun, wellbeing and competition.
Based in Auckland, she is a keen paddler, predominantly in ocean ski, and regularly competes in paddling and multisport events.
Lauren brings over 20 years of experience in event management and community engagement, with a strong focus on aquatic sports. She has led the delivery of major national and international events, including the NZ Ocean Swim Series and Ocean Swim Fiji, and held senior roles at Wellington City Council overseeing civic celebrations and sporting showcases.
As the former Director and Co-Owner of Teamline, Lauren built enduring partnerships with Swimming NZ, Surf Lifesaving NZ, and regional aquatic organisations, while also navigating the complexities of retail operations and sponsorship engagement. Her leadership style is calm, collaborative, and grounded in integrity.
A lifelong water sport enthusiast, Lauren is an active member of her local Surf Life Saving Club, where she coaches junior athletes and serves as a Lifeguard and Patrol Captain. Her deep personal connection to aquatic sport and her strategic event expertise make her a valuable asset to CRNZ’s mission to deliver high-quality, inclusive, and community-driven events.
Aaron joined CRNZ in 2019 after several years at Canoe Slalom New Zealand, serving many roles including CSNZ High Performance Manager and High Performance Coach.
With a passion for both participation and performance, Aaron’s current role straddles both as he leads various projects to develop systems and programmes to ensure long term success and sustainability of the sport. His current focuses include the Sport NZ Strengthen & Adapt Project, Disability Inclusion, Coach Development and implementation of the new Paddler Portal.
Aaron was an international-level slalom paddler and continues to coach at the highest level, with his athlete competing at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Nowadays, he loves getting out for a downwind with mates on his oceanski.
Appointed to the CRNZ Board in 2025, Aniwa first became involved in sprint kayaking through her two daughters’ participation in the sport. After a short stint in canoe racing herself, she began officiating in 2017 and has since officiated many national events, and has served as the Chief Official at the Canoe Racing New Zealand National Canoe Sprint Championships.
From 2020, she spent five years as Coach Coordinator at Arawa Canoe Club in Christchurch, supporting athlete and coach development at the grassroots level. She also paddles waka ama for Waitaha, valuing the sense of community that comes from being involved in multiple paddling disciplines.
Outside of the sport, Aniwa works as the team leader at Te Pae Oranga and brings valuable experience in communication and leadership. She is also a volunteer guide with Achilles, supporting athletes with disabilities to participate in running events.
Feeonaa Clifton (nee Wall) has three children who are all active in canoe sprint and surf lifesaving as athletes. She has volunteered at club and regional level helping with water safety, team managing, event organising, and officiating. She has also served as a school Board trustee member and been involved in various organising committees in sport, bilingual education and the arts.
Feeonaa is an artist and a long- time member of Pacific Sisters arts collective. History, identity, wellbeing, indigenous practices, and environmental concerns are some of the themes explored in her work, which includes body adornment, performance and activations. Her costumes are held in Te Papa Tongarewa/Museum of New Zealand and Auckland Museum’s permanent collections. She holds a Bachelor of Performing Arts (Pacific) and a Diploma in Arts Administration from the University of Auckland.
Anne is a highly respected For Purpose leader. She has headed several of Aotearoa New Zealand’s high-profile cultural organisations such as the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, educational organisations such as Cognition Education Trust (formerly Multi-Serve), has consulted to local government and charitable organisations, lectured in arts industry management and served on granting committees, government and Not-for-Profit boards. Her recent projects have been with local government bodies in the Hawke’s Bay and Taranki regions and, for JBWere Philanthropic Services; she is currently the Project Manager of the Dilworth Response.
Anne has delivered some of New Zealand’s iconic programmes and events including the Michael Hill International Violin Competition since 2001, the Auckland Writers & Readers Festival and the 2020 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards; she is the co-author of Tomorrow’s Board Diversity: The Role of Creatives.
With a 30+ year ICT career, most recently Chief Commercial Officer for a Māori telecommunications organisation, Garth brings to the CRNZ Board significant experience at a corporate governance level, with strengths in digital transformation, commercial negotiation, the development and implementation of strategic plans and operational delivery.
Appointed to the CRNZ Board in 2024, Darren serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Waikato Hockey Association, and previously as CEO of Swimming Waikato. With two decades of experience in the sports industry, Darren has held various roles across Europe, the Middle East, and New Zealand. He earned an MA in History from the University of Edinburgh and an MSc in Performance Coaching from the University of Stirling, and is a member of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand.
In addition to his executive responsibilities, Darren has a strong background in performance coaching. He has worked with national teams, contributing to their successes at World Championships and the Olympics, with notable involvement with the Serbian Olympic Team.
