Hollands named CEO
Hollands (nee Turner) earned 99 caps for the Black Sticks and played at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and the Hockey World Cup.
She has spent the past two decades as a business owner as well as holding executive leadership roles across the sport, commercial and regional development sectors, and has worked with several New Zealand sports organisations as a consultant.
Hollands replaces former chief executive Anthony Crummy, who stood down in March to prioritise his health after dealing with the ongoing symptoms of a head injury. — Allied Media
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Otago Daily Times
3 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
From refugee to mini pastry empire: Baker creating pies 'that inspire me'
Serey Chum's steak and cheese pie placed third out of more than 400 entries at the Bakels NZ Pie Awards. Photos: Geoff Sloan From humble beginnings, 73-year-old baker Serey Chum has built a mini pie empire - and earned acclaim for his top-quality pies. At the prestigious Bakels NZ Pie Awards held recently, his steak and cheese pie was third out of more than 400 entries in its category. Referred to as the 'Pie-Olympics' due to the high number of entries, 520 bakeries nationwide submitted 4600 pies for judging in 11 categories. 'I'm very excited to win our first medal in any competition,' Chum said. Chum's journey to bakery success was not straightforward. Driven by the dream of a better future for his wife Mey and four children, Chum and his family fled their homeland of Cambodia on foot, taking only what they could carry. In the early 1990s, Cambodia was gripped by political unrest, with Khmer Rouge insurgents still active and the government imposing strict controls on citizens. 'We never felt safe, it was like North Korea. There are no freedoms like here (New Zealand). No freedom to talk or do anything.' The month-long escape to Thailand involved sleeping rough and foraging for food. The Cambodian government forbade people leaving the country. 'If we got caught it would have been bad, but luckily we were okay,' Chum said. The family was granted refugee status in Thailand and migrated to Sydney in the mid-1990s where Chum worked as a storeman and machine operator. He had seen pictures of New Zealand and heard it was a great place to live. 'It's four seasons in one day. Beautiful green country, peaceful.' In 2001, Chum and his family moved to Christchurch after he was offered a job at smallgoods business Hellers in Kaiapoi. 'I worked there for a while and then went into partnership with my friend Tao Leng who had bakery experience,' Chum said. The pair opened a shop, Bakery on Bower, in North New Brighton in 2002. It was there Chum discovered his passion for pies. He studied, took courses, and refined his skills. 'From that day on, I made the pies that inspired me. I wanted to learn more about them.' Chum's son Oudom said his dad was a very hard worker. 'I remember my dad at the beginning. He would work seven days, sometimes from 4am to 10pm, perfecting pies.' Serey Chum bought Aorangi Bakery two weeks before the February 2011 earthquake. Photo: Geoff Sloan Chum always had the goal of one day owning his own business. 'When the opportunity opened up for him, he gave it 110%,' Oudom said. After three years at the Bower Bakery, Chum was able to buy out his partner, with a plan to expand the business. Just two weeks before the February 2011 earthquake, he purchased Aorangi Bakery on Greers Rd – a move that saved his business after the Bower Ave shop was badly damaged. 'It must have been a premonition, because when the earthquake hit, our Bower Ave building was badly damaged,' Chum said. The Greers Rd branch was undamaged. He later acquired Woodend Bakery in 2016, and in 2019 added Sockburn Bakery to the business. Chum took over Lincoln's Rustic Bakery Cafe in August last year, changing its name to Selwyn Bakery. Oudom manages it, while Mey and daughter Pisey operate Aorangi Bakery and nephew Dara runs Sockburn Bakery. Chum manages the Woodend branch, which recently doubled in size to supply baked goods to the other locations. Fifty staff are employed across the four bakeries. 'This year was a hard one for us, with the economy a bit slow at the moment,' Chum said. 'But we still sell around 1000 pies a day across the four bakeries.' The Selwyn Bakery. Photo: Geoff Sloan They offer about 30 different pie options, including a new corned beef silverside pie added this month. Most of the ingredients are sourced from North Canterbury. 'We use quality ingredients, to make it worth the money customers pay for it,' Chum said. The bronze medal pie was created by Chum's nephew Soth Mai, who perfected the recipe with feedback from his Selwyn Bakery workmates. 'One month before the competition I practised making pies daily and let them taste the results,' Mai said. 'They let me know what to improve – the colour, the texture.' The pies have earned Chum a loyal following – not just from locals, but from sporting stars like Dan Carter, Richie McCaw, Sam Whitelock and Will Jordan. 'Regular customers are just as important,' Chum said. 'Without the support of locals, we wouldn't be here.' Despite the success, Chum is not slowing down, with plans to enter every category in next year's pie awards. 'Next year we will have more time and more space and the plan is to enter all the categories, this time with new product. 'I'm hoping we can work towards a gold medal in the next couple of years,' he said.
RNZ News
5 hours ago
- RNZ News
LA28 to allow venue naming rights in first for Olympics; Comcast, Honda debut deals
By Rory Carroll , Reuters LA 2028 chairman Casey Wasserman. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games will, for the first time in Games history, allow venue naming rights, organisers said, unveiling Comcast and Honda as inaugural partners in a move aimed at boosting commercial revenues. The pilot program, developed with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), will let qualifying LA28 partners retain existing venue names during the Games and buy additional marketing assets. It also opens naming rights for up to 19 temporary venues to worldwide Olympic partners and LA28 sponsors, while standard "clean venue" rules continue for non-partner sites. Comcast will lend its name to the Comcast Squash Center at Universal Studios, where squash will make its Olympic debut on the Courthouse Square backlot. Honda Center in Anaheim will become the first arena to keep its name during an Olympic competition, hosting indoor volleyball. "Anytime you're the first to do something in the context of the Olympics, it's a big deal," LA28 chair Casey Wasserman told Reuters. "It's a big opportunity for us and it's a big statement of support from the IOC. We think it will be a really powerful platform and opportunity in the commercial sector, so we're really excited." Wasserman said the deals introduce a "new commercial model" for the Olympic movement. The IOC traditionally enforces strict branding rules during the Games, masking corporate signage at competition venues. He noted money from selling venue naming rights would be in addition to the overall sponsorship revenue target of $2.5 billion (NZ$4.2b), which LA28 calls the largest commercial revenue raise in sports. "We've been very conservative, so we have none of this revenue in our budget so any revenue is upside," he said. "Having said that, we think it could be significant. It's a really powerful platform for branded partners of ours to engage with us and also with the globe, because it's part of the broadcast. The reach is really stunning." From a practical perspective, the potential for SoFi Stadium and arena to maintain their names during the Games will help fans navigating the city. "As a pure matter of wayfinding, it's actually an important piece of the puzzle," he said. Comcast, which holds US broadcast rights through NBC and Peacock, said it would support LA28 "across our entire company", including coverage and the squash showcase. Honda, which in June was named the Games automotive sponsor, said its long-backed Anaheim arena would "step onto the international stage to power Olympic dreams", according to Ed Beadle, a vice president at American Honda Motor Co. LA28 said additional naming-rights partners are expected as the three-year countdown continues. - Reuters
Newsroom
6 hours ago
- Newsroom
A lost trophy is resurrected for a sport on the rise
For half a century, the fate of a long-forgotten piece of New Zealand volleyball history has been a mystery. The Richard Farmer Memorial Trophy — a large, gleaming silver cup awarded for trans-Tasman women's clashes — had vanished without a trace. No one could remember when it was last presented, or whose hands last held it. For Maureen Booth, its disappearance was personal. The first captain of a New Zealand women's volleyball team, Booth (née Horlor) had donated the cup 50 years ago in memory of her younger brother, Richard, who was killed in a motor scooter accident in 1972, aged just 27. In Canberra on Saturday, at the end of a five-test series between the Volleyferns and the Volleyroos, Booth will finally hand over the memorial trophy again – but in its new guise. It means the world to Booth – now 84 and living in Geraldine. She's travelled to Australia with the help of her daughter, Maree, to watch the series – which the Volleyroos so far lead 2-1. Maureen Booth with the new Richard Farmer Memorial Trophy. Photo: Ella Carlsen 'I'm over the moon. It's 50 years since I last played – and I didn't expect to see this happen in my lifetime,' she says. In 1968, Booth was selected for the first New Zealand women's team to play against Australia – but as the non-travelling reserve. 'That really annoyed the heck out of me,' she says. 'It's like coming fourth at the Olympics, isn't it? 'The New Zealand Volleyball Federation had no money, and so the girls had to raise all the money to travel – so really nothing's changed. But the team couldn't get the money together, and they didn't go. 'So, I got a little bit of a hustle on, did some work, and the next year I was named captain of the New Zealand team to tour Australia.' Booth was working at the University of Canterbury and Teachers' College at the time, and she discovered the national men's team, who were also playing in Australia, were receiving full pay from their employers while they were away. 'I had initially been refused leave when I asked for it. I had to get a letter from the volleyball federation to say there would be an international game, so they gave me leave,' she says. 'But once I discovered the men were on full pay, I jumped up and down, because I was a single mum at the time. I ended up getting half-pay from Teachers' College, which still wasn't very much, but it was something.' Booth had been a latecomer to volleyball – 'I was coming up 30 when I started' – but was a quick learner. She'd already represented different regions of the South Island in swimming, gymnastics and netball, but volleyball was the sport that truly captured her. She was living in Nelson and the local YMCA was spreading the word about volleyball, a sport introduced to New Zealand in the 1950s. When she moved to Christchurch, she played for the university club. 'The first time I was in the team, I was a spiker – and I'm short,' Booth says. 'The next year they changed me to setter, where I played most of my career. I didn't have a preference – as long as I was on the court.' The NZ women's volleyball team in 1972 with captain Maureen Booth (No.5). Photo: Volleyball NZ Booth's younger brother, Richard, was also sporty – he played rugby league and boxing and did harriers running. 'He was also a party boy,' she laughs. Then in February 1972, Farmer was thrown off his Vespa scooter and killed instantly. His family was devastated. 'He was a pretty special brother. I was very lucky to have two brothers, and they both looked after me,' Booth says. 'It was really hard, and I told the New Zealand Volleyball Federation I wanted to pull out of the team, because I didn't think I'd have enough focus to play. But Peter Darracott, who was the national secretary, wouldn't let me – which was really nice of him.' Booth captained New Zealand for five years, before her teammate Mary Edmondson – who's now manager of the Volleyferns – took over the role. She then presented the trophy in memory of her brother, and the volleyball federation decreed it would be awarded for series between the New Zealand and Australian women's teams. Australia was most likely the last team to have their hands on it before it went missing, Booth says. While the trans-Tasman rivalry continued, for decades there was no silverware to fight for. Booth moved to Geraldine in 1986, to work as a physed teacher, and organised and played social volleyball for a decade. Every now and again, when she'd hear New Zealand's Volleyferns were taking on Australia's Volleyroos, she would do a 'little stirring' on Facebook. 'I'd just put a little word out and say, 'Have you found the cup yet?' And the answer would come back, 'No, no, no, no',' Booth says. But then, with the help of a neighbour, Booth connected with Volleyball NZ's high performance manager, Colleen Campbell, who already had a plan brewing. Maureen Booth (centre) with the Volleyferns before they played for the Richard Farmer Memorial Trophy in Canberra. Photo: Volleyball NZ Last year, the Volleyferns hosted the Volleyroos in a test series – the first time the sides had met since 2018. The Volleyferns players and management asked if a trophy could be created for trans-Tasman clashes. Campbell said first she'd check back in the records to see if there had been silverware presented in the past. 'It was very timely that Maureen wrote a comment on our Facebook page again, about the missing trophy, so I rang her after the series and said I'd come down to Geraldine to meet her,' says Campbell. 'In the meantime, I tried to find the original cup – but it went missing decades ago. I talked to the current coach of the Australian team, who had a look in their offices and trophy cabinets and couldn't find anything. 'So I said to Maureen, 'We can't locate it, which is a shame. But let's recreate it'.' Booth was thrilled with the idea. 'Colleen gave me the opportunity to choose the new cup and I chose one very similar to the old one. I got to say what would be engraved on it, too. It's all been down to Colleen – she's been magic,' she says. The two nations have split the cost of creating the new Richard Farmer Memorial Trophy. Campbell then invited Booth to present it to the winning team at the end of the series in Canberra this weekend. Richard's daughter, Raewyn, and her family in Sydney, are travelling down to see the new cup presented. 'That makes it even more special,' Booth says. She presented the Volleyferns with their jerseys before the opening match on Tuesday. And there's a player she's been keeping a close eye on – her friend's granddaughter is Anaya Cole, the 21-year-old defensive anchor in the side. Anaya Cole receives her Volleyferns jersey from Maureen Booth. Photo: Volleyball NZ Booth still follows volleyball avidly – she watched New Zealand play at last month's Nations Cup in Vietnam on her mobile phone, and passionately 'coaches' from a distance. 'Volleyball is the best team game you can get. It's non-contact and a team thing – you can't do it by yourself,' she says. The game has changed significantly since she played. 'When we started, the front middle person was the setter. So you always knew where the spike was coming from and it was easy to block. 'Then we moved to hiding the setter, yeah. And then it moved to all the different sets the setter could actually put up for different players. So it's evolving tremendously. 'When I was spiking, I was right-handed and I taught myself to spike left-handed. People would say to me, 'You go up to spike, and we don't know which hand to block'. I said, 'That's all right. I don't know which hand I'm going to use until I get up there either'. 'I can see a time coming when everyone will have to spike and play with both hands. It's such a tremendous game.' Volleyball continues to grow in New Zealand – where it's in the top three secondary school sports played behind netball and basketball – and beach volleyball is still on the rise. The Volleyferns are fresh from a challenging campaign at the Nations Cup, where they finished 12th. Campbell says the team had many debutants, and get few opportunities to come together. 'It's great to have back-to-back competitions so they can learn what they need to compete at an international level,' she says. 'The tricky part is these athletes pay their own way for everything – it's a user-pays system, the same as a lot of sports in our category. 'There are more international campaigns coming up for them – the Asia champs next year, and the Pacific Games after that – so we want to build up a consistent core group of players who are regularly competing with each other.' Among the core group at this series is outside hitter Tamara Otene, a Westlake Girls graduate who's played Division 1 college volleyball in the US, at the Youth Olympics in beach volleyball, and has come straight from the professional league in Puerto Rico. The Volleyferns narrowly lost the first two matches 3-1 and 3-2, but kept the series alive with a hard-fought 3-1 victory on Wednesday night. The last two matches are Friday and Saturday.
