Yachting New Zealand Board
The Board is responsible for the governance of Yachting New Zealand, including development of policy and strategy. The Board is guided by Yachting New Zealand’s Constitution which can be viewed on the YNZ Documents webpage.
Objectives of the Board: The Board Members are volunteer trustees representing the interests of Yachting New Zealand’s stakeholders, and are entrusted to ensure that Yachting New Zealand is soundly managed. Click here to view the Board of Directors Terms of Reference.
The role of the Board is one of governance rather than management. Governance focuses on Yachting New Zealand’s wider issues of organisational purpose - including the setting and monitoring of strategic direction, and the establishment and monitoring of Board level policies.The Board works in partnership with Yachting New Zealand’s Chief Executive.
Jan Dawson - President
Jan Dawson of Auckland mixes a successful professional career with successful keelboat racing pastime. She has significant governance and management experience through various previous board positions both commercial and not for profit and involvement with the Institute of Directors as a National Councillor. Through this experience she recognises the need for not for profit organisations to have a strong focus on the role of management and the role of directors.
She was recently appointed as Chairman of KPMG NZ and CEO of the Auckland/Wellington practices giving her strong commercial skills. She has been part of the executive committee for Auckland/Wellington with specific responsibility for Auckland for the last four years. She understands the demands of a service based organisation. Jan also understands the pressures of competitive sport and in particular, yachting. She has competed in both New Zealand and Australia in a successful match racing history. She currently actively competes in Club and National Racing and is joint owner of MRX KPMG and Farr 40 Psycho Circus.
Mike Coupe
Mike Coupe of Wellington has a commercial career in Public Relations, Media and Communications operating his own business within these disciplines for over 30 years. He has traveled extensively overseas on major assignments for newspapers and magazines, and has been advisor to major international companies in the primary industry sector.
Mike’s sailing career spans 50 years of active sailing and a number of years in administration. He has sailed P Class, Cherubs, small keelers, Stars and even built and skippered a 36ft One Tonner and more. He currently races and cruises a Raven 26 with Plimmerton Boating Club. He has served on Committees at various Clubs and Associations, was Commodore of Evans Bay Yacht & Motorboat Club, is immediate past of the WYA.
Richard Gladwell
Devonport resident Richard Gladwell has many years experience in various facets of yachting. He is the director of a Software Contracting Company, also finding time for some freelance jounalism. Richard has been a competitive sailor for 35 years with 4 National Championships titles to his name (Soling(1) and International Contender(3) and has represented New Zealand 6 times at World Championship level (in the same two classes), finishing in the top 10 in 5 of these events.
He also represented New Zealand in the Admirals Cup and the Southern Cross Cup. Richard has significant expertise in the area of Rules and Umpiring and is a qualified ISAF International Judge. Having gained experience in Race Management and Administration, Richard has been Commodore of both Takapuna Boating Club and Wakatere Boating Club.
Rodger Kerr-Newell
Rodger is currently the Chief Executive of the Rodney District Council. He is the former;Chief Executive of Taranaki Investment Managers Ltd; a Trustee of the Len Lye Foundation; Deputy Chair of Business New Zealand and Chair of the Employers and Manufacturing Association. “My professional career has been principally focused on the development and implementation of policy and effective management to achieve cost effective, efficient and customer sensitive organizations,” says Kerr-Newell. “In summary, I have worked effectively in both large and small organisations that have been wide and complex in their span of activity. Currently I sail offshore races in a fairly competitive way and spend the rest of my free time being a parent in a growing family.” Rodger has four children and lives in New Plymouth.
Jim Murdoch
Jim lives in Kerikeri with his wife Claire, and has three children, Hamish, Andrew and Rebecca. Jim formely worked as a Formula 1 Motor racing mechanic on contracts in New Zealand and overseas for a total of six years, before making the transition to Motor Vehicle Service and Sales which he is still involved in with his own business.
The Murdoch family first became involved in yachting when they purchased a small keelboat in 1986. They joined Kerikeri Cruising Club and became involved in racing & cruising. His children joined in the centreboard program at the club and have progressed through many classes and have all represented New Zealand in sailing at an international level. Jim is still actively involved with the Club’s centreboard division which he combines with his other voluntary positions in sport including, Chairman of NZ Team Racing Association, Event Chairman of 2003 ISAF Team Racing World Championships, Manager of Kerikeri High School Sailing Team and Committee member of both the Northland Yachting Association and Kerikeri Cruising Club.
Ralph Roberts [MBE and JP]
Ralph is Managing Director of Roberts Electrical Ltd and Roberts Electrical Contracting and was President of the New Zealand Yachting Federation between 1986 and 1989. He was awarded the MBE for services to yachting and sport in 1993. Ralph competed at the Olympic Games in 1960 and 1968 and was reserve crew in 1964. In 1984 he was Sectional Manager of the NZ Olympic sailing team that won two gold medals and a bronze, and in 1992 he was Chef d’Mission for the New Zealand Olympic Team.
Ralph is a member of the ISAF review board. He is a past winner of numerous National Yachting titles, has been Commodore of the Takapuna Boating Club, is their current President and is a trustee of Habour Sports. Ralph is the inaugural President of the Guild of New Zealand Home Appliances and is past president of the Appliance Servicing Association. Ralph is married to Penny, has 6 children, 6 grand children and lives in Takapuna, Auckland.
Graeme Robinson
Graeme Robinson only discovered sailing in his early thirties, but has since made up for lost time. As a member of Napier Sailing Club, Graeme has been Racing Secretary since 1988, except for a five year stint as Commodore, and has been recognised with Life membership of the Club. He has mainly competed in the Flying Fifteen class, where he has won a national championship and represented New Zealand at a string of World Championships over the past 20 years.
Graeme is on the International Council and the Technical Committee of the Flying Fifteen class, he is a class measurer and is New Zealand Registrar. Since 1997, Graeme has been on the Council of Yachting New Zealand, as the East Coast North Island Regional Representative. He is a National Judge, with national and international experience. Graeme is a supporter of Junior and Youth sailors and sailing, both within his Club and as a jury member at a number of regional and national contests. He is a Starling class measurer.
About 30 years ago, Graeme established his own consulting civil engineering practice in Napier. He is a qualified and experienced environmental engineer, and has represented Clubs on resource management issues relating to coastal and inland waters in Hawke’s Bay. He is passionate about yachting and sailing and wants to see increased and ongoing participation in all forms of activities, from cruising, through programmes to introduce people of all ages to sailing, up to the highest levels of competitive sport. Graeme is pragmatic, he does his research and homework, he can debate and listen to all sides of issues, understand technical matters, review options and make reasoned and considered decisions.
David Stringer
David Stringer is an accomplished sailor having started his yachting career in Dunedin moving from P-class, to Zeddies, to Cherubs, to Javelins and on to Lasers in which he represented New Zealand at the Laser World Championships in 1977. Moving from Otago to Auckland for university David became involved in keelboat sailing and match-racing in the Stewart 34 class. He now sails Etchells on Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown where he also acts as a Club Instructor for the thriving Wakatipu Yacht Club. David is Chairman of the Yachting New Zealand Council and is the Southland Yachting Association’s delegate. He is a registered architect and works on a variety of projects in Queenstown and environs.