On October 9, 2024, Cricket Wellington Inc. convened its 26th Annual General Meeting in the Norwood Room at the Basin Reserve, Wellington. The meeting, attended by numerous members, stakeholders, and cricket enthusiasts, was presided over by President Bryan Waddle.
Board Member Updates
Every year, two Cricket Wellington Board Members are required to retire by rotation at the end of their terms. Sally McKechnie and Prabha Ravi retired by rotation this year. Ravi sought re-election.
With two spots on the board available, two new Directors were elected:
Bronwyn Heenan
Bronwyn is a partner at Simpson Grierson, leading the Employment team in the firm’s Wellington office. She is an experienced litigator and advisor with expertise in relevant areas of employment law and health and safety, complaints and integrity issues, and compliance and privacy.
Bronwyn is a lifelong cricket fan who has had the chance to go to cricket around the world, including some of the great test grounds, but the Basin Reserve is, and remains her favourite.
Brad Ward
Brad Ward is a senior executive with a wealth of experience in public sector leadership. As the Deputy Chief Executive of Organisational Performance at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), he looks after key areas like finance, human resources, communications, legal and crown entity monitoring
In his earlier roles, Brad played a big part in strengthening New Zealand’s telecommunications infrastructure and regulations impacting financial markets, during his time at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). Brad worked for close to nine years with AMP in Wellington and Sydney prior to his public sector roles.
Beyond his professional life, Brad is a cricket enthusiast, enjoying the sport both as a past player and spectator (especially his son’s cricket).
Two new Aspiring Directors have been appointed to join the Cricket Wellington Board , with the Board confirming this following the AGM.
Suzie McDonald is a former Wellington Blaze player, who has over a decade of experience in player and organisational wellbeing, including five years leading the wellbeing strategy at New Zealand Rugby. Her longstanding experience with cricket, paired with extensive sports governance experience will make her a good contributor to the Board.
Chatura Gunawardana, known to some as Chadz, was the President of the Sri Lankan Sports Club, which has been the region’s fastest-growing cricket club over the past few years. His management skills and experiences with diverse communities will be valuable to Cricket Wellington’s leadership teams.
Confirmation of Minutes and Annual Report
The minutes from the previous AGM were approved unanimously, confirming the organization’s commitment to transparency and continuity. Interim CEO Bruce Edgar then presented the Annual Report, highlighting the successes of the High-Performance program and community engagement initiatives. Edgar emphasized the importance of grassroots development and welcomed Todd Bryant as the incoming CEO, effective October 14. Read our Annual Report here.
Financial Overview
Board Chair David Howman addressed the financial statements, revealing a revenue of $6,125,841 for the year, marking a $126,000 increase from the prior year. However, the organization faced a net deficit of $207,592, attributed to rising player payments and decreased grant funding. Despite these challenges, Cricket Wellington maintains a strong relationship with New Zealand Cricket, ensuring support for both high-performance and community cricket.
Leadership Elections
The meeting also included the election of office bearers:
Auditor and Honorary Officers
The Board recommended the reappointment of PKF Kendons as the organization's auditor, which was approved. Additionally, the meeting confirmed the re-election of various honorary officers, including John Greenwood as Honorary Legal Counsel, Ian Smith as Honorary Statistician and Dr Jake Pearson as Honorary Medical Officer.
Closing Remarks
No further business was raised, and the Chair concluded the meeting at 7:51 PM, thanking attendees for their participation and ongoing commitment to the sport.
Article added: Friday 18 October 2024
