Kiwi athletes gear up for Paris 2024 Paralympics

What is your role in the Paralympics?

I am the Chef De Mission for the Paralympics Team to Paris this year, which is a very special opportunity. This is my fifth Paralympics but the first time as the Chef De Mission – all the other times I’ve been the team leader with the athletics team. It’s a very special moment and I feel privileged and honoured to be undertaking this role.

How many teams and athletes are competing ?

We anticipate we will have a team of around 30 athletes over around ten sports. Already from those who have been named, there is a diverse amount of sports that we haven’t had for quite some time.

What are your main goals and priorities for the team?

I’m totally and utterly performance and athlete focused. So, as far as I am concerned it’s about providing a safe environment where the athletes can just get on and do what they need to do to perform their best. I also want to ensure a good culture around the team that allows them to blossom and focus on the task at hand.

How do you feel the Paralympics connects Kiwis all around the globe?

The New Zealand Paralympic Team strives to challenge the perceptions around disability through showcasing high performance Para athletes and basically proving that anything is possible. Para sport has come a long way in the last 20 years. It is truly high performance now through the investment of the government and corporate, and through integration and high performance coaching. The standard has increased so much, to the extent that we actually do have some Paralympians who are competing as well as able bodied athletes now.

It’s an avenue of bringing people together, our slogan of the Paralympic Team is ‘one team, one spirit’ and has been created to remind New Zealanders of our pride and desire to succeed on the world stage. And as one spirit, we’re taking on the world. We’ve proven to do that in the past and we certainly hope to do that again in Paris.

What do you believe sets Kiwi Para athletes apart on the international stage?

I think being from the bottom of the world and having the number eight wire approach and a ‘can do’ attitude is what makes us significant in New Zealand across every environment. We’re used to training in the rain and cold weather, we’re used to training by ourselves, competing by ourselves, and just making do, I think when these athletes then get onto the world stage there’s an attitude that they can do anything, because they are used to doing this on a daily basis. They are very innovative and resilient – they just get on with it. 

Looking beyond Paris, what legacy do you hope the New Zealand Paralympic Team will leave, both in terms of Para athletic achievement and broader societal impact?

From a societal point of view, it’s that exposure that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. Showcasing that nothing comes easy, it’s a lot of hard work, but if you put your mind to it, you can achieve your goals and dreams.

I also think it’s about making Kiwis feel proud. We’re extremely honoured to wear the silver fern. So through our performance, making those Kiwis sitting at home watching and supporting feel proud and having a tear in their eye when things go well, and almost feeling like they are the ones running the race or swimming in the pool with these athletes.

The legacy is also about continuing to grow these role models, so they become household names like the Richie McCaws and Lisa Carringtons – that these Para athletes are just as much household names and they’re recognised and supported as much as their able-bodied counterparts.

How can our Kiwi community get involved?

Through watching the broadcast on TVNZ, social media and sending good luck messages, and supporting our partners that actually help us to get here. I think the biggest thing is at Games time and receiving those messages of ‘best of luck’ or ‘well done’. You don’t know how much that means to athletes when they are on the other side of the world and they’re missing their home and loved ones. They are trying to do their best and knowing that the country is backing them means a heck of a lot. So, I challenge everyone out there to send a message via social media or through our website and voice how proud they are of our Para athletes. 
Learn more about the 2024 New Zealand Paralympic Team and how you can support them here: https://paralympics.org.nz/.