News & Updates

Pete Pfitzinger officially left his role as CE earlier this month and will be replaced by Cam Mitchell on 1 August. We reflect on Pete’s time in the role and his accomplishments over the past four-and-a-half years.

When Pete Pfitzinger took on the role of CE at Athletics NZ in early-2019 he could not have envisaged the four-and-a-half-year journey he and the sport has undertaken.

Steeped in the sport as a two-time Olympic marathon runner for the US, married to Olympic middle-distance runner Chrissie and boasting 30 years of experience in sports administration, he was motivated to take on the role to make a positive contribution to the sport.

Yet following two-and-a-half years of Covid related-restrictions, which created unprecedented challenges for the sport, and it is testament to Pete’s calm, professional approach that the sport has not only survived but is currently thriving and set for a strong future.

Reflecting on his time in the hotseat Pete says there is little question adapting to the impact of Covid was “the greatest challenge” during his tenure.

Gradually emerging from the lockdown in which initially group training was allowed, later followed by competitions in which vaccine pass screening and extra security measures were necessary he takes pride in the fact only a handful of events were cancelled with the 2021 and 2022 Jennian Homes Track & Field Championships, the Colgate Games and the Classics going ahead under various levels of restrictions.

Pete insists the hosting of events during such times was hugely demanding but none of this would have been possible without the sport rallying together and adopting a collaborative approach.

“I am proud of how our people worked alongside centres and clubs to ensure that athletics activities could continue safely under the various levels of government-mandated restrictions,” he explains.

“During Covid-19, we held regular videoconferences with the Centre leaders and shared innovations in the safe delivery of athletics. I am so grateful to the local organising committees and meet directors who went the extra mile so these events could go ahead. This accelerated the learning across New Zealand and helped ensure that great new ideas from one region were quickly adopted across the country. These innovations were then shared with clubs. This collaboration has continued now that the pandemic is over.”

While Pete admits the impact of Covid “held the organisation back” in terms of prioritising some areas which would otherwise have been addressed he looks back with pride on other achievements during his tenure as CE at Athletics NZ.

“We’ve advanced our Safe Sport policies and guidelines to ensure a safe environment for young people and all our members, we’ve established the Athletics New Zealand Athletes’ Commission to provide a voice for our high performance athletes, and our successful application for Sport New Zealand Strengthen & Adapt funding provided $150k per year for three years for new initiatives in our sport.”

Pete also reflects fondly on some of the key competition initiatives which include the introduction of the New Zealand Mile Championship – both on the track and road – the New Zealand Cross Country Mixed Relay Championship, an under-16 division within the programme for the Jennian Homes New Zealand Track & Field Championship and the inaugural Launch Athletics, which proved such a hit with the younger athletics community.  

Meanwhile, thanks to the work of the High Performance team, New Zealand currently boasts the most outstanding crop of able-bodied and Para athletes for a generation.

He also believes the organisation has been strengthened by having a greater proportion of staff with athletics expertise with a clear understanding of Athletics NZ’s role as a member federation. Meanwhile, the hard work carried out by the team has allowed the organisation to much better support clubs, centres, coaches, officials and individual members.

Now aged 65 and finding the demands of maintaining an often seven-day per week commitment to the role more challenging, coupled with a myeloma diagnosis in March and ongoing chemotherapy treatment, reinforced it was the right time to step down from the role. He looks forward to spending more time with his wife, Chrissie, and two daughters – all of whom have been such a rock of support over the past four-and-a-half years. He also extends a huge thank you to the Board, particularly Board Chair Cameron Taylor for their support in the role.

However, he leaves the position confident in the robustness of athletics in Aotearoa.

“I am most proud of the strength of our sport across New Zealand, with membership registrations up, great performance from our athletes, more coach development opportunities and increased event entries,” he explains. “None of this would be possible without our wonderful volunteer base in clubs and Centres is the lifeblood of our sport. I am grateful to the many volunteers who make our sport happen every day and to the commitment of our staff to support those activities.”

Pete also selects a couple of personal highlights from his time as Athletics NZ CE.

“It was a privilege summarising Dame Valerie’s career at her official retirement announcement,” he says. “She is one of the greatest all-time athletes in our sport, and it was an honour to be trusted to summarise her many achievements. Another personal highlight was watching Tom Walsh throw an Oceania shot put record of 22.90 metres at the World Athletics Championships in Doha and then chatting with him during the marathon at 2am. Tom showed his true class by coming out to support the kiwi marathoners after the greatest shot put competition in history.”

Pete waves goodbye to his time at Athletics NZ and wishes new incumbent Cam Mitchell his best wishes in the role. His advice to Cam would be take a year to gain a full understanding of Athletics NZ’s role within the sport and to know the key people within the sport.

And for the future?

“We are a very traditional sport, so the challenge will be in adapting athletics to align with how families and individuals connect with sports,” adds Pete. “Our sport, like all others, will need to adapt to stay relevant with young people. We have made excellent progress over the past year with the introduction of more flexible membership options and innovative new events and I’m optimistic that this momentum will build in the coming years.”