Project Arotake Update: Oversight Group Formed As Top Names Appointed To High-Performance Advisory, ALG

Yachting New Zealand has taken an important step towards implementing the recommendations from a comprehensive evaluation of its high-performance programme as it aims for even greater Olympic success at Los Angeles 2028.

The Yachting New Zealand board has established a transformation oversight group to oversee the implementation of recommendations from Project Arotake - the independent evaluation conducted following the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where New Zealand sailors secured silver and bronze, bringing the nation's overall Olympic sailing medal tally to 25.

Chaired by leading sports administrator Kereyn Smith CNZM, who also led the Project Arotake evaluation, the transformation oversight group will be made up of senior leaders. Appointments to this group are being finalised and will be announced shortly.

"Yachting New Zealand is committed to continuous improvement and to taking the work of our high-performance team over the last two Olympic cycles to greater heights," said Yachting New Zealand board chair Greg Knowles in the first of regular updates on the group's work.

"The establishment of the transformation oversight group is the next step in that process. Their mana, experience and expertise will bring assurance that the improvements we make, following the Project Arotake recommendations, are fit for purpose, effective and meaningful."

The transformation process will also seek input from High Performance Sport New Zealand, Sport New Zealand, the New Zealand Olympic Committee, and Yachting New Zealand's newly formed athlete leadership group.

The athlete leadership group (ALG) was established through an athlete-led process and serves as a direct link between sailors and Yachting New Zealand management, ensuring that athletes' voices are heard and factored into decision-making. The ALG is chaired by Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist Erica Dawson and comprises experienced Olympians and emerging stars.

Its formation follows the appointment of the high-performance advisory group (HPAG) late last year.

The HPAG consists of board-appointed voluntary positions and is chaired by Yachting New Zealand board member and former ILCA 7 (Laser) world champion Nik Burfoot, who led the selection process based on a required skills matrix. The HPAG replaced the Yachting New Zealand Olympic Committee, which primarily focused on selection matters and had limited influence over high-performance strategy.

The HPAG has a broader mandate, Knowles said.

"While responsible for appointing class-specific selectors and nominating athletes to the New Zealand Olympic Committee for Olympic selection, the HPAG also advises the chief executive of Yachting New Zealand on the high-performance strategic plan, as well as policies and recommendations for the pathway from youth sailing to Olympic classes.

"Importantly, the HPAG will collaborate with external subject matter experts when needed and work closely with the new athlete leadership group, whose structure has been developed in consultation with its members," Knowles said.

"We are excited about the calibre of people appointed to both the high-performance advisory group and the athlete leadership group and we look forward to working with them as we set our sights on Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032."

The Yachting New Zealand high-performance advisory group (HPAG):

Nik Burfoot (chair)
A CFA charter holder, Burfoot has spent the past 20 years working in finance and technology roles worldwide. A former ILCA 7 (Laser) world champion, he dominated the class in the 1990s. More recently, he has led the centreboard division at Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club, overseeing the annual Tauranga Regatta, one of New Zealand’s largest multi-class events.

Jo Aleh
A two-time Olympic medallist in the women's 470, former world champion, and Female World Sailor of the Year, Aleh recently chaired World Sailing’s athletes’ commission. She was a flag bearer for New Zealand at Paris 2024 and has competed for the New Zealand SailGP team, Live Ocean’s ETF26 crew, and Emirates Team New Zealand in the inaugural Women’s America’s Cup.

Leslie Egnot
Egnot made history in her teens as the first female to win the national P Class Tauranga Cup. A two-time Olympian, she won silver in the women’s 470 at the 1992 Barcelona Games. In 1995, she skippered America3, an all-women’s team that came close to beating Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes for the right to defend the America’s Cup.

Jenna Hansen
A chartered accountant, Hansen has worked in banking, investment, and advisory services worldwide and has been a Yachting New Zealand board member since 2022. A member of the NZ Women’s Match Racing Team at the 2012 Olympics, she has remained active in sailing as a competitor and coach, while also enjoying cruising.

Henry Moore
Moore leads Tavendale and Partners Limited’s sports law practice, advising athletes, associations, and national sporting bodies on contracts, integrity issues, and dispute resolution. A trained mediator and facilitator, he has negotiated collective agreements across all major New Zealand sports and was instrumental in establishing the Sports and Recreation Complaints and Mediation Service (SRCMS).

Daniel Willcox
A two-time Olympian, Willcox finished fourth in the men’s 470 with Paul Snow-Hansen at the Tokyo 2020 Games. He comes from a high-achieving family - his father Hamish is a three-time 470 world champion and decorated sailing coach, while his sister Anna competed in freestyle skiing at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

The Yachting New Zealand athlete leadership group (ALG):

Erica Dawson (chair)
A trailblazer in New Zealand sailing, Dawson is the only female to have won the Starling national championships. She initially campaigned in the 49erFX and ILCA 6 before teaming up with Micah Wilkinson in the Nacra 17 in 2019. Since then, the pair have consistently ranked in the world’s top 10. They won bronze at Paris 2024, securing New Zealand’s second sailing medal of the Games.

George Gautrey
Gautrey has been a force in the ILCA 7 (Laser) class, winning silver at the 2023 Princess Sofia Regatta and bronze at the sailing world championships. He also finished fourth at the Olympic test event in Marseille and was recognised with three awards at the 2023 Aon Yachting Excellence Awards, including the Sir Bernard Fergusson Trophy for the Sailor of the Year.

Oscar Gunn
Gunn is one of the world’s top 49er sailors, having partnered with Logan Dunning Beck since 2017. The pair achieved breakthrough success with victory at Kiel Week in 2019 and top-six finishes at two 49er world championships. A former 29er national champion, Gunn also represented New Zealand at the 2016 youth sailing world championships.

Molly Meech
An Olympic silver medallist and former world champion in the 49erFX, Meech enjoyed a decade of success alongside Alex Maloney before teaming up with Jo Aleh in 2022. The pair won the national title and secured a top-six finish at the 2023 sailing world championships in The Hague before finishing seventh at Paris 2024. Meech was also part of Emirates Team New Zealand for last year’s Women’s America’s Cup.

Greta Pilkington
Pilkington competed in the ILCA 6 at Paris 2024 after an impressive rise through the youth ranks - becoming the first Kiwi to sail in the class at the Olympics since 2012. A two-time Optimist national champion, she has excelled across multiple classes, winning the women’s ILCA 6 national title at just 18. She has since secured three consecutive Oceanbridge Sail Auckland titles and multiple international top 10 finishes.

Campbell Stanton
Stanton, alongside teammate Will Shapland, is part of New Zealand’s emerging 49er fleet. Former class national champions, they have gained valuable international experience at events like the Princess Sofia Regatta and sailing world championships. They also served as training partners for Isaac McHardie and Will McKenzie, New Zealand’s 2024 Olympic silver medallists.

Veerle ten Have
Ten Have is New Zealand’s top female windfoiler, having transitioned from the RS:X in 2021. She made an immediate impact internationally, securing bronze at the 2023 Princess Sofia Regatta and sixth at the Olympic test event in Marseille. A former youth Olympic Games representative, she debuted at senior level at Paris 2024 where she finished 10th overall.

Micah Wilkinson
A former youth world champion in the 29er and a member of the 2017 Youth America’s Cup team, Wilkinson has excelled in the Nacra 17 since switching to helming in 2019. He and Erica Dawson broke into the world’s top 10 and won bronze at Paris 2024. The duo previously finished seventh at the 2020 Nacra 17 world championships and 12th at the Tokyo Olympics.

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