wakatipuhockeyclub

Mid-Season Update

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:26:03 GMT

Hello all

We are now into June, and the hockey season is going strong. WHC teams are in action across all of our age groups, from the year 1s/2s right up through to our Senior Mens and Womens. I wanted to send out a quick top of mind email now that we are approaching mid-season.

Overall, I am happy to report that we are using the QEC turf more than ever before. Apart from less trips to Cromwell, it warms my heart to see our hockey players on the turf whenever I drive (slowly) past the turf. Our usage of the turf is one of our best advertisements for the Club!

A Big Thank You!

A big thank you to the large group of people that has enabled our players to get out there and play. The Committee, coaches, managers, umpires and others have all been working hard behind - and sometimes in front of - the scenes. Many parents have also pitched in, whether to organise car-pools, halftime lollies, or providing side-line encouragement. We are a club of volunteers, and we are lucky to have a fantastic culture that is supportive of our players. We especially love the sideline representation at home games!

Umpiring

Umpiring is an area where I receive feedback every year. We are working both at the Committee and COHA level to figure out how we can better identify and then develop umpires, but as a club we are lucky that we have a number of enthusiastic high schoolers that have put up their hands to help. It’s a cliche - but true - to say that without the umpires we don’t have a game, and as our umpires grow their skills I encourage everyone to be supportive and positive. This is especially important on the rare occasions when there is negativity from our opponents.

Supporting the Club

As a club we are lucky to have some fantastic long-term sponsors that are committed to supporting hockey. Our gold sponsor is Baileys , and our silver sponsors are Pack n Save and the Five Mile Pharmacy. We are also lucky to have support from Ferg and Sal’s Pizza in the form of player of the day awards. Please support our sponsors where you can.

Collectively, our sponsors subsidise fees and other costs (such as uniforms), and make hockey much more affordable for our players. We are in the process of looking for another silver sponsor . If you are interested, then please email the club.

Another way you can support the club is by buying a sign at the turf . A sign costs $300 (which covers making the sign), and the per-year cost is $500 (which goes straight to the club!). Again, email if you are interested.

Lastly, as a Committee we are still searching for someone to step into the role of club Secretary. The role is mainly inbox triage and meeting organization. For more detail, or if this is something you could help out with, we would love to hear from you.

Riley at the Masters World Cup

Finally, our high school super coach Riley Chandler has been appointed as the Assistant Coach of the New Zealand 35s Women competing at the Masters World Cup in Rotterdam in July. This is a self-funded trip, and Riley is fund-raising to cover the cost. In case you don’t know Riley, she is our rockstar coach of the WHS Girls First XI, who also pitches in with the WHS Boys First XI. If you are interested in helping cover the cost of the trip, please email Riley ( rjchandler098@gmail.com ).

That’s it for now! Enjoy the hockey season, and I will be back in touch later in the year with details of our Awards Night and AGM.

Go Waka!

Shaun

President, WHC

2026 Kwik Sticks (7/8) Season Info

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 19:38:45 GMT

Get your sticks ready!

Kia ora koutou Kwik Sticks whānau

Hockey season is here! We're so excited to have two teams taking the full pitch this year — a Girls team and a Mixed team. Here's everything you need to know before the season kicks off.

Teams & Coaches

The Kwik grade has in the last couple years transitioned from being a fully mixed comp to having separate girls & mixed comp. This year due to numbers across all clubs there will be a girls comp with ~4 teams and a mixed comp with ~6 teams. This year we have the Kowhai, a Girls team, coached by Molly Powers and the Kauri, a Mixed team, coached by Kelly Tipson and Sian Taylor. Teams are posted in PlayHQ.

Games

Kwik Sticks play 11v11 on a full pitch with GK (everyone will have a turn in GK) — proper hockey! Game days are:

Kowhai (Girls) — Tuesdays
Kauri (Mixed) — Wednesdays

Games are played locally as well as in Cromwell and Wanaka. The draw is still TBD — once COHA finalises it we'll send it around and post it on the website. We'll set up WhatsApp groups for each team to confirm game times each week and help with carpooling.

Trainings

Both teams train together on Fridays 6:00pm – 7:30pm at the Queenstown Events Centre Turf. First training is 24 April.

Sporting Edge are running a camp over the school holidays in Cromwell on 9 & 10 April from 12pm-2pm. Register here .

Gear

Please make sure your player comes to every training and game with their stick, shin guards, mouth guard and Wakatipu socks (pale blue with navy tops). We have a limited number of socks available on our online store . We recommend molded style shin guards like these .

The club provides uniform tops, these will be distributed at the first training. Uniforms must be returned at the end of the season and will incur a $50 replacement fee if lost.

Parent Support

The Kwiks is a fantastic grade and we'd love parents to get involved. We are on the lookout for a parent to coordinate refs for our games - please get in touch if you can help. We may need help moving goals, running the bench, and bringing half-time snacks — all the important stuff! Our goal is to give every player a fun, positive, and competitive experience on a full-size pitch. Our refs are often teenagers learning to umpire, or multi-tasking coaches — so please help set a great example for the players and keep the sideline positive and directed at the game, not the officials.

We can't wait to get the season started — see you on the turf! ��

2026 Kiwi Sticks (5/6) Season Info

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 04:32:33 GMT

Get your sticks ready!

Kia ora koutou Kiwi Sticks Parents

Hockey season is finally here! As we get the season kick started I just wanted to pass on some useful info for you all ahead of the season, and info about a camp running during school holidays. We have four teams this season, which means lots of playing time and not many subs - lucky hockey players this year! We will post the teams in PlayHQ shortly.

Games

Games are on Mondays between 4:30pm - 6pm in either Queenstown or Cromwell. The format is 5 v 5 plus a goalie, over two 20 minute halves played on half a pitch (everyone will have a turn as GK). This is double the size our Minis play on! The draw is still TBD , but when COHA completes it we’ll send it around & it will be posted on our website . We will set up WhatsApp groups for each team to confirm game times each week, facilitate carpooling etc. Each player will have a turn as goalkeeper during the season, and we will let you know who the GK and captain for each week.

Trainings

Training is at the Event Centre Turf on Wednesdays 4:15pm to 5:45pm (except when Kwiks have a home game, when it will end at 5:30pm. Your coaches will let you know when this happens). First training is 22 April.

Gear

Please make sure your hockey player has shin guards, mouth guard, and a stick for games and training. We’ll be in touch re distributing uniforms once we have the draw, and hoodies and training tops when they’re back from the printers. Hockey socks are available for purchase from our hockey store while supplies last.

Extra Skills Session

Sporting Edge are running a hockey camp in Cromwell on April 9 & 10 from 10:00-11:30am, register here

Parent support

We have a great group of volunteer coaches and helpers this year, and we really encourage parents to get involved. We may need parents to help move goals (if we have the first games of the day), to help run subs from the sideline, and bring oranges etc. for that extra burst of half time energy! We are on the lookout for a parent to coordinate refs for our games - please get in touch if you can help.

Our goal is to give the kids a positive experience playing a team sport, and to make it a healthy, empowering and fun environment & we hope you’ll bring that energy to the sideline. At this grade our refs are often teenagers learning to ref, or multi-tasking coaches - so please, help set a good example for the players and don’t direct any comments towards the refs .