Summary

Michael has been orienteering for 37 years, and is currently a top NZ competitor in M65. He is also a good mountain runner, mountain-biker and rogainer. He has held most positions in Orienteering Hutt Valley and Wellington Orienteering Association.

His national contributions include lengthy service as NZOF's inaugural Coaching Director; NZOF Technical Committee Member and Convenor; inaugural NZOF High Performance Director; and liaison with major NZOF sponsor Ampro Sales. He was responsible for much of the early development of Rogaining, MTB-Orienteering and sprint-length Park-Orienteering in New Zealand. He served on the IOF MTB-Orienteering Committee and the IOF Marathon-Orienteering Working Group.

Michael has turned a background in teaching computer use into a coaching ability through formal courses, learning on the job, and advice from around the world. He has built up mapping skills to a professional level through extensive NZ and international experience. He runs New Zealand's most comprehensive orienteering equipment shop and can offer consultancy in almost any area of orienteering.

Orienteering Participation and Competition

• First taste of mapsport was the 1968 CUTC Twenty-four-hour Walk.
• Began orienteering in 1975, recreational orienteer in M21B for the first seven years.
• Around 1982 became a "competitive but Sunday-only" runner with increasing success; culminating in selection in M35 for the 1986 NZ team which travelled to South Australia.
• In a double with son Philip, won his first NZ title in 1987 in M40; won again in 1990. Represented NZ against Australia at home in 1989 and 1991; third M40 in an international field in the 1989 South Island 7-day Festival. Took part in the 1990 APOC Festival in Canada and the US, finished third in an even more international field.
• In M45, won the NZ Championship three years in a row 1992-94, capped that off with the 1994 North American title. In the then biggest class of the Veterans World Cup, twice finished in the top 40.
• In 1997 the biggest class of the VWC became M50, finished 33rd (USA), and on home ground in New Zealand in 2000, 15th.
• In 2002, was unbeaten in M55 in New Zealand, 2nd in APOC in Canada, and 12th in VWC now called the World Masters Championship (Australia).
• From 2007-2011, won nine national orienteering titles in M60; in 2012, won all three national titles in M65.
• Has taken part in all ten World Rogaining Championships; all the two-day Mountain Marathons held in NZ; and all but one of the Kaweka Challenges. Twice placed second in the elite class of the Cyclic Saga, NZ's biggest MTBO event; and MTB-orienteered in France, Britain, Poland, Hungary and Australia. Australian sprint-distance MTBO Champion 2007-2012 except 2008 (3sec behind)

Club and Regional Service

• Committee of Orienteering Hutt Valley continuously since 1979, holding positions of Publicity, Training, Chairman, Secretary, Club Captain, Programme Coordinator, Mapping (present) and Webmaster (present). The OHV website is the most active club site in NZ.
• Planned events to National level (including the NZ Championships in 1988) and is a NZOF "A" Grade Controller. Active locally: involved in one third of OHV's 34 events in 2012, map producer for most.
• Mapper and cartographer to IOF standards, worked on 140 maps including those for the World Cup in 1994. Pioneered geo-referencing of orienteering maps in NZ. Specialist mapping for MTBO and Rogaine requirements. Developed 1500sq.km "supertopo" map of greater Wellington area with detail between o-map and topo. Map production for most OHV events.
• Club mentor: has produced Training Officer's Guide, Event Organisers' Checklist, Club Members' Handbook, and Job Descriptions for club officers.
• Chairman of the Wellington (Regional) Orienteering Association for two years, subsequently Fixtures Officer, Treasurer 1994-2000, Further stints as Fixtures Officer and Convenor during 2000-2004. Currently webmaster.
• Wellington Coordinator during the 1988 visit of Swedish Coaches Lars Sjokvist and Karin Gunarsson. Many regional training days, camps and junior trips.

National and International Contributions

• Elected NZOF Coaching Convenor in 1989, subsequently renamed Coaching Director; until 1998. Responsible for widespread consultation with orienteers over priorities and the writing of long-term plans for coaching; coach training and accreditation; registration of orienteering units on the NZQA framework; assembly and cataloguing an extensive resource library; the extension of the Training Squad system to national Junior Camps, a Development Squad and Regional Junior Squads; and programmes for clubs, schools, older orienteers and women.
• After retiring as Coaching Director, became Coaching Coordinator of the NZOF Development Squad 1999-2000, and NZ Veterans Squad during its brief heyday. Member NZOF Coaching Advisory Committee.
• Many representations to the NZOF Technical Convenor over the years, particularly on appropriate courses for various classes, and permissible class combinations; became a member when the Technical Committee was formed around 1992, Convenor 2000-02.
• Ran the NZ National Orienteering League under contract 2003-04. In 2004 this was absorbed into the new position of High Performance Director, held 2004-05. Long-term planning, squad management, national team programmes and staffing, anti-drug protocols...
• NZOF Liaison Officer with major sponsor Ampro Sales, through which orienteering received benefits of up to $10,000 per year. From inauguration of the position to 2006.
• Leading thinker on orienteering development, contributing extensively to formal plans and writing regularly for club and national magazines, online forums. Instigator of "technology transfer" threads on MAPtalk discussion forum, particularly mapping (600 replies). Innovative proponent of orienteering formats which make better use of volunteer time.
• Responsible for introducing rogaining to NZ, his club running 25 of the first 50 rogaines 1991-2002. Foundation member of NZOF Rogaine Committee, currently its Convenor, and Webmaster. Appointed to the brief existence of the IOF Marathon-Orienteering Committee in 2001.
• Invented the City Safari, urban rogaine involving public transport. Singlehandedly developed from concept in 2004 to 2011; with participation up to 565 (then NZ's largest rogaine).
• Responsible for transforming occasional MTB-Orienteering in NZ onto a regular basis in 2000, his club has run more MTBO than any other in NZ. Member IOF MTBO Committee 1997-98 Foundation member of NZOF MTBO Committee, currently its Convenor and Webmaster.
• The first to apply the Hagaby loop design to sprint-length courses, attracting experienced orienteers to city parks and providing spectator interest. Developed locally (O-Max Series 1999 to date) and demonstrated nationally (NZ Champs 2001).
• Background and wide knowledge of orienteers make him an able race commentator.
• Awarded the Silva Trophy in 1990 for services to orienteering in NZ.

Business Skills

• Orienteering Retail business begun on a hobby basis 1987. Now most comprehensive o-gear service in NZ, plus export sales.
• Offered services full-time under MAPsport banner from 1991, including...
• Orienteering Mapping service. Highest quality in New Zealand. Mapped in Australia and Britain.
• Pioneer purchaser of OCAD mapping software in New Zealand. First to produce an event map by commercial laser printer service.
• Orienteering Consultancy service. Started with Coaching Directorship for NZOF, also includes Coaching, Volunteer Training, Development services for NZOF and member clubs.
• "Good corporate citizen": supports orienteering through below-commercial rates, long-term sponsorship agreement.

Qualifications and Experience

• Orienteering Technical
  • NZOF A* Event Controller Certificate
  • Approved by the NZOF Technical Committee to conduct Controller Clinics
  • Attendance at IOF Controller Clinic. Extensive reading on technical and mapmaking topics, attendance at 1997 IOF Mapping Conference in Norway.
  • 34 years orienteering mapmaking experience, the last 21 as a professional mapmaker. Includes maps for MTB-orienteering and rogaining.
  • 35 years orienteering course planning, controlling and coordinating experience. Includes MTB-orienteering, rogaines and close-to-home sprint-orienteering.
• Orienteering Coaching
  • NZOF Beginner, Intermediate and Senior Coaching Certificates. (The Senior award does not by itself imply expertise with beginners!)
  • Coaching NZ Level I Sport-general Coaching Certificate, 1989
  • Coaching NZ Level II Sport-general Coaching Certificate, 1994
  • 22 years orienteering coaching experience, from small beginnings as a parent, through club Training Officer, involvement in regional coaching activity, and 12 years of national activity. Counting stops 2002; other activities have crowded this out!
  • Links with overseas coaches, working at training camps in Canada and attendance at the O-Ringen Development Clinic in Sweden.
  • Attendance at Coaching NZ and Hillary Commission coaching conferences. Extensive reading on coaching
• Generic
  • 21 years experience operating a small business offering services to a largely volunteer organisation.
  • Current awareness of worldwide orienteering affairs through travel, internet and magazine subscription; reading knowledge of Swedish, French.
  • "Working with Volunteers" training as a parent in Playcentre, 1974-78; leader of Playcentre parent-helper courses
  • Various supervision and management courses in connection with employment as a middle manager in WORKS Corporation (formerly MWD)
  • Various short courses in teaching methods, technical writing and document production
  • 10 years experience teaching practical computer application skills, including classroom, printed self-study methods, and computer-based training
  • PC-literate including webpage authoring and maintenance. Hard disk crash and recovery. The experience which makes you diligent about backups!
  • BE (Civil) and PhD degrees