News & Updates

Arthur Eustace was the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient for outstanding service to sport at the 2012 Halberg Awards 

Nominations are now open for the Arthur Eustace Award for Coaching, which serves to recognise an outstanding athletics coach whose behaviours align with Athletics New Zealand’s key coaching values.

Arthur was one of Athletics NZ’s leading administrators, having served on the Oceania Athletics and World Athletics Councils, and was a life member of Oceania Athletics, World Athletics and Athletics NZ. A champion hurdler and Empire Games bronze medallist, he started his post-athlete career as a coach and was passionate about coaching right through until his passing in 2018.

Arthur was a founding member of the Athletics NZ Coaches’ Association and an inaugural inductee into the NZ Athletic Coaches’ Association Hall of Fame in 2006. He was instrumental in World Athletics establishing a Coaches’ Commission. Arthur was also Athletics NZ’s Patron from 2009 until 2018.

The Arthur Eustace Award celebrates coaches who demonstrate the values Arthur held around coaching athletics and who also exhibit the behaviours that support Athletics NZ’s core beliefs around coaching.

It will be awarded to a coach who demonstrates the following:

Values

• Puts aside self-interest and collaborates in the best interest of the athlete.
• Shares knowledge with other coaches and actively works to develop the capability of coaches across the sport.

Athlete Focus

• Establishes environments that support the athlete to learn and take responsibility for their performance.
• Develops an individual coaching programme for each athlete.

Learning Focused

• Open to new methods and ideas which will enhance the athlete’s performance.
• Reflective about their coaching technics and open to feedback.

This is the third year in which the Arthur Eustace Award will be presented following on from inaugural recipient Lance Smith (distance, sprints, jumps) and last year’s recipient, Debbie Strange (javelin).

All coaches are eligible for the 2021 award and nominations are invited now from centres, clubs and athletes. Please note, impact on athlete performances is considered, however, it is the consistent daily coaching practice and impact on fellow coaches or their event groups that also needs to be identified within the nomination.

Nominations for this prestigious award close on 29 October but early nominations are appreciated.

The nomination process is available by clicking here

Please note the instructions/process to nominate a coach.
1. Download and save this nomination form onto your computer
2. Complete all nomination fields and save with the nominated coach as document name i.e. John  Smith nomination
3. Email the completed nomination form to kirsten@athletics.org.nz
4. A confirmation email will be sent back confirming receipt of your nomination.

Please call Athletics NZ Coach Development Lead, Kirsten Hellier on 021826233 if you have any queries.

The award will be presented at the 2022 National Championships (or an appropriate event prior).