News & Updates

Athletics NZ CE Peter (Pete) Pfitzinger will step down from his role in late-June.

Pete took on the role as interim CE of Athletics NZ in January 2019 before he was appointed as permanent Chief Executive in August of that year.

During that time, he successfully steered Athletics NZ through the Covid pandemic, and had key roles in establishing the ANZ Athletes’ Commission and in securing Sport NZ Strengthen & Adapt funding. Along with the Board and Senior Leadership Team, Pete contributed to the development of Athletics NZ’s Strategic Plan 2022-2026.

Pete, who represented the USA in the marathon at the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games and who previously served as CEO of the NZ Academy of Sport North Island and as a General Manager at High Performance Sport NZ, looks back fondly on his time at Athletics NZ.

“It has been a privilege to serve in this role for more than four years and to really understand the workings of our sport in New Zealand,” he said. “The best part of the role is the opportunity to work alongside some great people, both our dedicated staff and the many volunteers who deliver athletics across New Zealand. Tokyo 2020 was a real highlight with our athletes winning two Olympic and six Paralympic medals, plus other inspiring performances. I am particularly proud of our collective efforts to safely deliver our sport during the pandemic and our strategic initiatives to move our sport forward.”

Athletics NZ Board Chair Cameron Taylor said “It has been a privilege to work with a man of Pete’s character and ability over the last 4+ years.  He has made a major contribution to sport and to sports management during his career. Pete successfully lead Athletics NZ through some very difficult challenges in the last few years – he will leave Athletics NZ in a better place than when he arrived.”