Coaches' Profiles

Nic’s role is to lead and oversee sports programmes and staff, including the six Performance Sports Academies and the four Junior Sports Academies. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this role.

Nic’s sporting background includes playing football to a high level in the UK. He has also managed sports programmes at several prestigious Auckland schools and was involved with Auckland Hockey’s high performance programme for a number of years. His passion is to help students to succeed at their chosen sport.

Brett is the St Peter's First XI Coach and runs the Junior Cricket Academy. He is also the Coach of Hamilton Men's B team, Senior Secondary School team, Network Coach within the Northern Districts Cricket pathways programme. and Head Coach of the Under 19 Northern Districts Women's team.

Prior to moving to St Peter's, he was player/coach with Cornwall cricket Club Premier Squads. Brett has played representative cricket for Bay of Plenty, Waikato Valley and Northern District teams and was awarded the Sir Edmund Hillary Scholarship for cricket at Waikato University.

Owen has New Zealand Cricket’s prestigious level 3 coaching qualification. He has 25 years of professional cricket coaching experience at all levels, from beginners to international players.

Owen has held numerous coaching positions at regional and national level, ranging from Assistant positions on the New Zealand White Ferns team, to coaching the New Zealand Northern Districts team at U19, U17, and U15 level. Hence, through his career he has coached many former and current Black Caps and White Ferns.

Carl has represented New Zealand as an open water swimmer, surf lifesaver and triathlete. He was twice New Zealand Swimmer of the Year and ranked in the top 10 open water swimmers in the world. Carl has coached pool swimmers, open water swimmers, surf lifesavers and triathletes to many successes both nationally and internationally.

As a coach Carl has travelled with the New Zealand swim team to the Oceania Open Water Swimming Championships, Australian Youth Olympic Festival, Trans-Tasman Tri-Series, and Trans-Tasman Open Water Competition. In 2007 Carl was the New Zealand open water coach at the FINA World Championships in Melbourne, Australia.

FINA — Fédération Internationale de Natation or International Swimming Federation

Ally represented New Zealand at two Olympic Games — Atlanta in 1996 and Athens in 2004. Ally won bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006. Over her 13 year international career she competed for New Zealand at five FINA World Championships. Ally was ten-time national 100m freestyle open champion and held the New Zealand record for that event and various others over 50m, 100m and 200m distances for long periods during her career. In 2008 Ally was awarded a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to swimming.

Before joining St Peter’s, Ally spent four years managing the testing programme for Drug Free Sport New Zealand which oversees many of New Zealand’s top teams and sportspeople, ensuring New Zealand has positive advocates and role models on the global stage.

FINA — Fédération Internationale de Natation or International Swimming Federation

After beginning rowing at St Peter’s, Janey went on to win five New Zealand National Titles as a rower, including the Women’s Premier Eight. She represented New Zealand on the 1995 Under-22 team.

Janey has over 20 years of coaching experience in New Zealand, the USA, and Canada, at School, University, Club, and International Level. National team crews which Janey has coached include the Canadian Junior Women’s Eight in 2000, New Zealand University Women’s Four in 2002, Junior Women’s Four in 2007 and 2011, Junior Women’s Quad in 2010, Under-23 Women’s Four in 2008, and the Under-21 Youth Cup team in 2006 and 2009. Janey was awarded the Bill Eaddy Cup for Best Coach of Junior crews at Maadi in 2012 after St Peter’s won the Star Trophy for the first time. Janey is a selector for the NZ Junior team since 2014, and team manager in 2016 and 2017. In 2019 Janey added NZ U23 selector to her roles and is also currently the President of the NZ Secondary School Rowing Association.

In Norm’s 29-year coaching career he has led 22 crews to Premier Titles at the New Zealand National Championships, and over 30 crews to New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Titles.

Norm is enthusiastic about helping young people reach their potential. Norm has coached for New Zealand, and his international results include a bronze with NZ Junior Worlds Men’s Single in 1994, silver with the NZ Women’s Four at the 1995 & 1996 Nations Cup (now U23 World Championships), and a bronze with NZ Men’s Single in 1997. Norm coached the Adaptive Men’s Single to place 7th in the world at the London 2012 Paralympics. In 2017 Norm won Coach of the Year at the Waipa District Sports Awards and in 2018 he won the Bill Eaddy Cup for Best Coach of Junior crews at Maadi.

As a cyclist Tim represented New Zealand at the Atlanta and Sydney Olympics as well as being a double Commonwealth Games medallist.

In his time with the New Zealand National Cycling programme and the World Cycling Centre in Switzerland, he coached at three Olympic Games, three Commonwealth Games and multiple World Championships. Athletes under his guidance have won three Olympic medals and 16 World Championship medals.

Tim was Waikato Coach of the Year in 2015 and has previously been a finalist for the Halberg Coach of the Year awards.

Fiona has a strong background in competing, coaching, managing and event organisation. She first represented New Zealand as a 16 year old and went on to compete at the Sydney Olympic Games as well as at multiple Commonwealth Games and World Cup and World Championship cycling events.

Fiona’s strength in road racing has earned her national titles across all age groups from U15 to senior levels. She has retained close ties with top-level cycling since her competitive days, including coaching at the 2015 World Track Championships.

Simon has been a AAA class member of the New Zealand PGA for over 30 years. In his professional playing days Simon enjoyed a successful stint on the NZ ProAm circuit, including two consecutive NZ PGA National Club Professional titles. He spent two years as a full-time caddy on the European and Australasian tours and then 13 years as head professional at the prestigious Otago Golf Club in Dunedin.

Simon is a renowned technical and tactical coach. He was New Zealand assistant national coach from 2001 to 2004 and head coach of Southland Golf between 2002 and 2006. Simon has also coached NZ age-group teams in international competitions.

Simon coached the St Peter’s team that won the National Secondary School Championships in 2011 and 2015. He was involved in coaching two of our most successful golfers — Mahal Pearce who won the New Zealand Open Championship in 2003, and Matthew Perry who won the New Zealand Amateur Championship in 2011. Simon has been the head coach at our Golf Academy since it began in 2006. He brings vast experience and knowledge to our programme. His energy and passion for both the game and working with emerging golfers is an integral part of the continued success of our Golf Academy.

PGA — Professional Golfers’ Association
ProAm — a golf competition involving professional and amateur players

Reon is a AAA class member of the New Zealand PGA and a professional golf coach. He enjoyed a successful 13 year playing career, beginning as an amateur in New Zealand before playing professionally on the Australiasian tour. Reon also has extensive experience as a New Zealand representative.

Reon’s professional coaching career began in 2004 at Lakes Resort Golf and Country Club in Pauanui. In 2009 he spent a year in China as the head coach at the New Zealand China Golf Academy, setting up its operations and programmes. Reon has also been a New Zealand Golf development coach, and has been a New Zealand Golf teams performance manager since 2011. He has been a coach at St Peter’s Golf Academy since 2007.

PGA — Professional Golfers’ Association

Former international youth footballer and professional coach, Shane Knowles is the Director of Football at St Peter’s.

Amongst Shane’s notable achievements, he was twice awarded Auckland Football Coach of the Year, named Sport Waitakere Coach of the Year, has led teams to the finals in the Chatham Cup (the most prestigious New Zealand-wide club competition), and has helped produce youth international players through his development programmes.

Shane has been coaching men and women’s football for over 21 years. Prior to coming to St Peter’s, he was the Director of Football at Bay Olympic Football Club in Auckland.

At St Peter’s, Shane presides over the football programme as well the Junior Football Academy. He is also the coach of the 1st XI Boys’ team.

Peter has a range of knowledge in all aspects of the equestrian world. He has a commercial background and has worked for big companies in Singapore where he and his family lived for 19 years. Peter has a vision of what the equestrian world will be like in the future, and how we need to prepare our students for it.

Te Aroha is a former Silver Fern, and New Zealand coach.

Her coaching experience includes Assistant Coach of the Silver Ferns, Coach of the Cook Islands National Team at the 1999 Netball World Championships and she coached at two World Youth Championships with the New Zealand U21 Team, achieving a silver medal in 1996 and gold at the 2005. Te Aroha went on to coach the Mystics in the ANZ Championships before heading to the UK to coach age group, British University and Super league teams.

As Deputy Principal at Mt Albert Grammar School, Auckland for 13 years Te Aroha developed the netball academies in the junior school. She coached teams to sixteen UNISS titles and ten NZSS titles. In 2015 Te Aroha was awarded New Zealand Coach of the Year.

Leanne was captain for the New Zealand Women’s basketball team at the Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004) Olympic Games and has represented New Zealand in Touch Rugby. Leanne was Māori Sportswoman of the Year in 2003 and again in 2004, when she also received awards from Basketball NZ and Touch NZ. Leanne’s work in these two sports has been recognised with the Senior Māori Sportswoman award, presented to her at the Trillian Trust Māori Sports Awards for her outstanding contribution to Māori Sport.

Leanne is part of the NZ Olympic Women in Sports Leadership Programme and has Coached
Basketball at National level including: Assistant Coach NZ U18 women (2nd in Oceania, 5th in Asia cup), Head Coach of NZ senior women’s 3x3 – Gold at Asia cup in 2018 and Assistant Coach of NZ U18 3x3 world champs in 2017 (finishing 5th).

Leanne’s passion for sport has made a significant contribution to St Peter’s and the wider community. During her long career Leanne has mentored many young players. She has coached basketball and touch rugby teams at St Peter’s and at regional and national levels.

Jess is an experienced track athlete. She has represented Waikato Bay of Plenty and Whanganui in 4x400m and 4x100m relay teams, won the NZSS national 4x400m relay title in 2001, and obtained silver medals in the NZSS senior girls 400m event in 2003, and the senior women’s event in 2008.

Jess has a wealth of experience in sports management. In 2011 and 2012 she was operations manager for the New Zealand Secondary School cross country team in Australia. Jess was operations manager for the New Zealand team at the Oceania Area Championships in Tahiti in 2013, and team manager in Rarotonga in 2014. She was also New Zealand’s team manager at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa in 2015. In 2016 she went to the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Junior Championships in Poland as operations manager for the New Zealand team.

Ange played netball at regional level for Waikato before taking up coaching. She has over 25 years coaching experience that includes Waikato age-group and senior representative teams. She is part of the coaching team that helped qualify St Peter’s to the first ever NZSS Netball Championships. Ange has High Performance Sport New Zealand’s Performance Coach Advanced qualification. She has coaching experience through the Pathway to Podium programme for emerging athletes in netball and athletics. Ange has coached Athletics and Cross-Country athletes to NZ titles and NZ representative level, recently coaching athletes preparing for the World School Cross Country Championships. She has been appointed to the coaching/management team for NZSS Athletics and Cross- Country teams and led two St Peter’s Track and Field Tours to the USA.

Passionate about helping our youth to learn and grow their capabilities, as well as an all-round sportsman, Todd Barker is a welcome addition to Sport at St Peter’s in the role of Strength and Conditioning Coach.

Todd brings with him a wealth of experience, having worked as Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Waikato Rugby Union for the past 10 years. He has also worked extensively with secondary students, boys and girls, at school and regional level.

Alannah has been coaching at St Peter's since 2013. She specializes in breaking and producing horses for the race track and the showjumping circuit and enjoys working with quirky horses.

She has both her A and H Pony Club Certificates and holds a National Certificate in Equine.

Alannah has competed to 1* eventing in the past but now focuses on show jumping. She has produced her horse Capbella from an unbroken two-year-old to a 1.40m show jumper, with the ambition of riding at Grand Prix and World Cup level.

Leanne has coached at St Peter’s since 2011 and has extensive experience in coaching children from pony club up to advanced level dressage. An advanced level dressage rider, Leanne has ridden horses since she was two years old and has won many Champions in Showing Classes and Round the Ring Jumping before starting her passion for Dressage. Leanne has competed to Level 7 Dressage (which is Prix St George and Inter I) on her own bred horse Glamour Star and still competes her mare Affaire D’Amour at Level 4.

She coached for Paerenga Pony Club for five years when it was at St Peter’s and also for Leamington Adult Riders for several years in dressage.

Leanne has also won a Horse of Year Title – Young Sporthorse of the Year. Leanne has bred numerous top quality dressage horses including the two she competes with now. She has been awarded the New Zealand Hanoverian Society Award for Exceptional Performance in Breeding.

Nicola is an alumni of St Peter's and is a Sir Edmund Hillary Scholar at the University of Waikato, studying a Bachelor of Social Science. She competes successfully at Young Rider & Grand Prix, and has recently stepped up to World Cup level. She and her Dutch warmblood, Carlo, were the winners of both the FMG Young Rider class, and the Cambridge Cup Grand Prix at the Showjumping Waikato Show at Mystery Creek.

Nicola has also competed internationally for Singapore multiple times and most recently placed 1st and 3rd in classes at the CSIO-Y Beijing in 2018.

Nicola first started coaching at St Peter's as a Year 13 student in 2017.

Photo: Christine Cornege