 Trevor Meiklejohn at the launch of the National Championship Series Trevor Meiklejohn, a senior lecturer in Sport Management and Marketing in the School of Community Studies, took up Stand Up Paddling in 2012 and was one of the early members of the sport’s national association, NZSUP. Its goal is to represent SUP in New Zealand and to grow and develop the sport. His PhD research on Exploring Governance Design for New and Emerging Sports in New Zealand, using SUP as a case study, will play an integral part in the continued development of the sport within New Zealand, and how SUP might look in the future. Over the past few years, the sport has experienced organic growth through the efforts of key stakeholders including NZSUP, retailers, event managers, brand distributors and other for-profit organisations and individuals. Trevor, whose career history has included time working for sporting bodies with very linear governance and delivery models dominated by regional sport organisations and clubs, says SUP bucks all the trends of a traditional sports structure and reflects the changing sports landscape and changing participants’ needs. “What we have with SUP is a highly-digitally engaged community. Because of its relative newness, the sport has only ever known the digital world and social media is its natural outlet. It provides a meeting place, a platform for sharing photos and stories, an information board, a directory of ideas and recommendations, and of course arranging and promoting paddling sessions and events. In the same way the traditional ‘brick and mortar’ clubs have always done in the past. “It’s also reflective of a very close, collaborative and organic community,” he says.  Trevor at the opening ceremony of the Distance and Sprint Champs at Waitangi SUP in New Zealand is currently governed by a kitchen table-style of sports management where a dedicated group of volunteers quite literally gather around a kitchen table once a month to map the future direction of the sport. Alongside developing and driving the digital communities via a digital governance strategy, Trevor’s research is also underpinned by a collaborative governance approach that has NZSUP working closely with the for-profit sector. As part of this collaborative approach, Trevor has driven the establishment of four very successful events under the umbrella of the National Championship Series, which has seen NZSUP work with for-profit event managers. |
The history of paddleboarding… Stand up paddle boarding – or SUP – is one of the world’s fastest growing water sports, immortalised by such events as the SUP 11-City Tour and the Molokai 2 Oahu Paddleboard World Championships. Drawing on both paddle sports and surfing, its roots are thousands of years old with many cultures around the world using paddles and water- craft of some variety in their daily activities. Artwork on Ancient Egyptian caves depict figures standing on craft with a paddle and of course the use of a paddle (hoe) and waka is integral to Māori culture in New Zealand.
Its current form and popularity originated in the 1960’s when the Waikiki beach boys would stand on their long boards and paddle out with outrigger paddles to take photos of the tourists learning to surf. It then experienced a surge in popularity in the late nineties to resemble the sport as we know it today when surfing legends Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama began using their outrigger paddles and large tandem surfboards in their training for big wave surfing in Maui. Realising the fun and benefits the sport provided they soon commissioned local craftsmen to develop specific boards and longer paddles for this new activity. |
Trevor in race mode
The series not only provides racing opportunities for the SUP community at all levels but also seeks to establish best practice of SUP event management in a more cohesive manner across the sport. It includes the Technical Champs in Pauanui, the Downwind Champs in Auckland and the Distance and Sprint Champs staged at Waitangi. Each event attracted an increasing number of paddlers with the Waitangi event hailed as a real showcase for the sport. Read what one viewer had to say about it here, and how the Northern Advocate covered it here.
Trevor, who’s also a keen surfer, paddles the North Shore beaches around four times a week from his home in Mairangi Bay. Even if he’s paddling on his own, he’s kept company by orcas, dolphins, stingray and even one particularly inquisitive kingfish who, after unsuccessfully trying to nibble his board fin, followed him home one day. And then there are the obvious fitness and health and wellbeing benefits, with SUP providing a great daily workout.
Trevor hints that SUP could well become an Olympic sport of the future, with surfing making its debut at the Tokyo Olympics next year. But in the meantime, the work he’s doing provides a great example of blending passion with teaching and learning, research, and community impact.
Isn’t it great when a sport really gets under your skin and becomes a passion . Even more so when you can combine it with work. Good job Trevor.