NZSSRA
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2023 Aon Maadi Regatta NoticesNewsletter - Sitemap -  

NZSSRA website

Welcome to the New Zealand Secondary Schools Rowing Association website. This site is here to provide schools and school rowers with an easily accessed resource of information about schools rowing in New Zealand.

Annual Subscription $160 per school

Invoices for the NZSSRA annual membership subscription ($160) have been sent out to Member Schools' Sports Coordinators (or Accounts contacts, if provided). As ever, they were due to be paid by 1 December.

If you have any queries please contact Rebecca Milicich.

Important: if you are paying the subscription on behalf of a school then please remember to let the school know so we don't receive multiple payments of the subscription!

Subscription reminder

Some members have yet to pay the annual subscription. While your school is on the list of non-financial members you will not be eligible to compete at NZSSRA regattas.

SGM voting eligibilty

An SGM has been called to expedite implementation of the new NZSSRA policy in relation to Year 14 students. Member Schools will be able to vote before the SGM. They do not have to have paid their subs before casting their vote. But they must ensure they have paid their subs by the time the SGM is held, so their vote can be counted.

Member Schools that are non-financial after 1 December are not permitted to participate or vote at any meeting of NZSSRA until they have paid (see Articles 15.6 and 15.7). However, the Board is looking at ways to ensure no vote ends up uncounted due to financial status.

2nd SGM underway to implement new Year 14 policy

The latest SGM is now underway! The business of this SGM is to expedite an opportunity to implement NZSSRA's new policy about Year 14 students within the Rules. This can be achieved by making the alterations to the Constitution, Regulations, and Rules needed to change existing eligibility and ensure the policy is enforceable.

The alterations to be considered at the SGM were developed by the working group set up during the November SGM. The details of the alterations can be found in the 2025 SGM Agenda.

This SGM will be held on Friday 24 January 2025, which is the earliest date permitted by the Constitution. However, the format of the SGM is by electronic postal ballot, which means Members can start voting as soon as they receive their ballot login by email.

Ballots went out on 29 November and there have already been dozens submitted. If your principal has not yet received their ballot please contact Rebecca Milicich

Special General Meeting Outcome 8 November 2024

A Special General Meeting of the association was completed by Teams meeting yesterday:

  • The quorum for NZSSRA's first ever attempt to hold a General Meeting online (using Teams) was met, by a slim margin.
  • The 2024 AGM Minutes were ratified.
  • A new item of business was agreed to by attendees: a vote of no confidence in the Schools Committee. The majority of votes were in favour of that.
  • The original item of business also received a majority of votes cast. This means NZSSRA now has a new policy.
"Any student who is a Year 14 will not be permitted to participate at the Maadi Cup* from 2025. Exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis following approval of an Independent panel. This panel will be made up of Principal representatives, who will assess the legitimacy of the student by taking into account factors such as academic need".

* it was confirmed this policy only applies to Maadi; not other NZSSRA Championships

Meeting attendees asked if the policy could be expedited. This can happen, through holding another SGM to implement such changes to the Rules and Regulations as are necessary to enforce the policy prior to entries opening for Maadi. A working group was established from attendees to develop the necessary remits to amend the Rules and Regulations.

IMPORTANT

Year 13 students should be advised the NZSSRA Rules could change between now and Maadi. If they return for Year 14 it might not be possible to compete at Maadi 2025.

Draft Minutes are now available.

2024 Championships Regattas NISSC, SISSC, Maadi

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COVID-19 recovery return to rowing guidance

RNZ has been receiving questions around what does return to rowing look like for rowers who have had covid. While there is some research done overseas, at this stage within New Zealand there is very little. RNZ has worked with three medical practitioners to develop guidance for return to rowing (.pdf). This is particularly relevant to students and Maadi. In summary:

  • COVID-19 is known to affect the heart, lungs, and brains. There is a very real risk if you exercise too early you could experience longer term COVID-19 and other health issues.
  • It is critical to return your rowers to training using a safe and graduated approach. The guidance is to only return to exercise after at least seven days free of symptoms followed by a minimum of two weeks with minimal exertion.

What this mean, in relation to Maadi, is:

  • COVID-19 positive or symptomatic during Maadi: if a student presents any symptoms or tests positive during the regatta they should be withdrawn from Maadi immediately.
  • COVID-19 positive fortnight prior to Maadi: if a student tested/tests positive in the fortnight leading up to Maadi then, irrespective of the severity of the symptoms, they should not be competing at Maadi.
  • COVID-19 positive 3/4 weeks prior to Maadi: the school should seek a medical clearance from a Doctor, providing a clear statement that the young person is fit and healthy to undertake strenuous exercise, such as multiple races at Maadi between the 28th of March and 2nd of April.
    Note: any student still presenting symptoms into the week prior to Maadi: should not be allowed to compete at Maadi.
  • COVID-19 positive before the end of February: any student who is still presenting any mild or moderate symptoms associated with COVID-19 should see their own Doctor before undertaking any rowing or other physical activity.
    If the school is aware the student has ongoing symptoms they should require a medical certificate before allowing the student back into training or racing.

New Schools 2024-2025 season

NZSSRA's newest member schools:

  • Te Aratai College [TALC]
  • Motueka High School [MOTU]
  • Otahuhu College [OTAH]

We look forward to seeing this school/these schools compete in regattas this season.

If you know of any other schools wanting to join NZSSRA this Season please point them to our website or the Schools Committee.

Regatta Resultsupdated

* some schools are identified at these regattas through dual-entity recognition (CLUB[SCHOOL])
** some schools are identified at these regattas by club codes and 2-digit crew numbers
*** some schools are identified at these regattas by either of the above methods

STATEMENT FROM NEW ZEALAND SECONDARY SCHOOLS ROWING ASSOCIATION AND HAMILTON BOYS HIGH SCHOOL 26 July 2023

The Schools Committee of the New Zealand Secondary Schools Rowing Association (NZSSRA) has sanctioned Hamilton Boys High School following an investigation and disciplinary process regarding breaches of NZSSRA rules and regulations at four of its regattas.

Hamilton Boys High School admitted:

  • failing to properly enter and/or substitute two student rowers at the 2021 New Zealand Secondary Schools Rowing Championships (Maadi Cup) and the 2022 North Island Secondary School Rowing Championships; and then
  • rowing those rowers as "novice" rowers in subsequent years at the 2022 North Island Secondary School Rowing Championships, the 2022 Maadi Cup and the 2023 North Island Secondary School Rowing Championships, when they were not eligible to do so.

Following the investigation, the School promptly admitted the breaches. In total there were 17 breaches, across 10 events in the Under 15 and Under 18 Novice boys' categories in these regattas.

In admitting the breaches HBHS Headmaster, Susan Hassall, has said:

"We were devastated to learn of the breaches and apologise unreservedly to all the schools participating in the regattas involved. The breaches do not reflect the school's approach to sport, and were, regrettably, the result of very poor judgment by one person in our rowing programme. Our rowing programme has grown significantly in recent years, and we clearly did not have sufficient systems in place to make sure such breaches do not occur. These breaches also occurred during the COVID period, which exacerbated the problem. We deeply regret the impact this has had on the students at other schools and can assure everyone that we are making significant changes to our rowing programme to make sure it never happens again."

The School has accepted the following sanctions, formally imposed on it by the NZSSRA Schools Committee:

  1. Disqualification - All crews from Hamilton Boys High School who competed in the 10 events where a breach occurred are disqualified. All points gained from those events are forfeited and all trophies and medals must be returned to NZSSRA. A list of the events and the adjusted results are to be put on the NZSSRA website.
  2. Conditional suspension - The School is subject to a conditional order of suspension from the membership of NZSSRA for a period that will include one NZSSRA regatta, should it take effect. The conditional nature of the suspension is that the suspension is itself 'suspended', on what is effectively a 'good behaviour' basis for a period of 2 years from the date of the Schools Committee's decision.
  3. Apology - The School is to provide a written apology addressed to NZSSRA for distribution to all NZSSRA Member Schools.
  4. Costs - The School will pay NZSSRA combined costs of $5,000 towards legal costs and the cost of replacement medals and associated administration.

In giving its decision, a spokesperson for the Schools Committee said:

"The breaches by Hamilton Boys High School were significant and affected a number of other schools and rowers. Suspension is the most severe sanction the NZSSRA can impose on its Member Schools. The conditional suspension provides Hamilton Boys High School with a warning that if it breaches the same rules again, all rowers at the School will be banned from competing at either a North Island Secondary Schools Championships or a Maadi regatta, even those rowers who were not at the School at the time or who row for it subsequently.

The sanctions imposed should serve as a reminder to all Schools that they must fully comply with the rules, no exceptions. In particular, those Schools with large rowing programmes must make sure they have all the necessary systems and checks in place to ensure entries and substitutions are made and done so in compliance with the rules".

There will be no further comment from NZSSRA or Hamilton Boys High School regarding this matter.

NZSSRA