CURRENT BOARD OF MANAGEMENT

Chair

Steve Monk - Joined 2020 
(Kawerau)

I started paddling in 1993 with the ‘Tasman’ team and in my first year, trialled for the NZ Mens crew to compete at the 1995 IDBF 1st World Championship, Ye Yang. China. After a 2 year campaign of hard training, I was selected to the team. New Zealand ended up 3rd on the points table. 1st China - 149, 2nd Canada - 73, 3rd New Zealand – 61, 4th Germany – 60. 

Over the years I’ve paddled for several teams and have been with my current Team, HCW, for 15 years.

I have also completed in a few IDBF World and Club Championship events and have many medals to show for it. A World Championship Gold medal is missing from my trophy collection and a reason to keep paddling at a high level.

I have also supported the sport by assisting in venue setup for NZ Dragon Boating events, coaching assistance for local Dragon Boating teams and organising a team for interested individuals to do the Chinese Dragonboat Festival.

I am passionate about Dragon Boating and hope my experience can be useful to give back to a sport that has given me so much.

Secretary

Sandy Timoti - Joined 2023
(Auckland)


Treasurer

Janice Melville - Joined 2021
(Christchurch)

Janice started paddling with Abreast of Life (ABOL) in 2000, the year after the team started. Her paddling and sweeping experiences have included, Abreast In A Boat Ten Years Celebration, Vancouver 2005, joining with CanSurvive from Wellington to participate in Abreast in Australia, Queensland 2007 and the IBCPC Festival in Florance 2018. She has been to the World Club Crew Championship in Adelaide 2016 and Szeged in 2018, was part of the NZ Black Dragons Senior B squad at the IDBF World Nations in Thailand in 2019.     

She was involved with the Aoraki Dragon Boat Association from 2008 to 2018 and has been a member of the ABOL board on and off for the past 20 years.  She is also currently on the IBCPC Steering Committee. 

Janice has met so many wonderful people through this sport and enjoys catching up with old friends at national and world regattas.


Communications Director

Ricky Greaves - Joined 2020

(Auckland)


Ko Mauao te maunga,

Ko Tauranga Moana te moana,

Ko nga moutere e toru o Matakana, Rangiwaea me Motuhoa oku kainga.

Ko Ngai Te Rangi te iwi. Ko Ngai Tuwhiwhia te hapu.

Ko Ricky Greaves toku ingoa

No reira tena koutou katoa.

I have been involved in the sport and community of Dragonboating for over 11 years now and I have a real love and passion for it. It is a wonderful team sport but at its heart is a wonderful community of passionate, energetic people. I am keen therefore to work within the NZDBA to continue to grow our sport, to support our community and to realise our potential as a nation in this sport.

My home club is the Lion Dragonboat Club which hails from Auckland and I am the President of the club itself which is an incorporated society. I am also the captain of their Premier Mixed crew and I am one of club coaches recently working with some of our club members to mentor them into coaching and leading our development crew named Tsunami.

Outside of my home club I have coached the Hauraki Blues Womens Dragonboat team for the past 6 years and the St Cuthbert’s Secondary School Dragonboat team for the past 4 years.

In 2019 I was selected to be part of the NZ Black Dragons squad which attended the 14th IDBF World Nationals Championships in Thailand. I competed with the Premier Mixed crew of which I was also the assistant coach and the Senior B Open crew, the latter winning a bronze medal in the 500m Small Boat Grand Final. It was one of my proudest moments in sport to be able stand on the world championship’s podium and receive a medal with my NZ team mates for our country and also to perform the newly composed Black Dragons haka for the international competitors who were in attendance.

In terms of my experience in the areas of governance and decision making with our wonderful sport I am currently a member of the Auckland Dragonboat Association Committee and I was also an NZDBA Board Member from 2011 until 2018. From a professional perspective I have been working in the ICT industry for over 30 years and I currently work for energy company Mercury as their ICT Service and Operations Manager.

Thank you and nga mihi kia koutou


Development Director

Caleb Te Kahu - Joined 2019
(Christchurch)

Born 1994, Caleb first joined dragon boating under the coaching and guidance of Russell Stocks and John Fox for Shirley boys high school and found success with an already successful crew. From school, he helped reform Ridge Riders and paddled a couple of seasons learning a lot about crew management and really just enjoying paddling. From Ridge an opportunity presented itself with Tu Meke and after a season under the coaching of Peter Mitchell, Caleb was asked to step into the head coaching role at the club. Since he has been with Tu Meke, they have had a fierce on water rivalry against Hamilton City Water Sport and Lion at a National level. Recently the table has turned in Tu Meke’s favour and they have seen a run of success at nationals and they hope for that to continue. Caleb had the pleasure of racing at the 2012 CCWC in Hong Kong for a mixed crew combined of students from Shirley boys and Marian Collage. They formed a mixed crew who took on the world stage against some of the best and walked away with three silvers.

Since leaving school he has been heavily involved in the Aoraki Dragon Boat Association and played a crucial role alongside Alisha Zanetich in putting together the regional representative scheme that is now raced at nationals and which has helped create the pathway for the teams about to go to Thailand and race at the IDBF World Nation Championships.

Whilst dragon boating is extremely special to Caleb he is also lucky enough to paddle for one of the top Waka ama crews in the country and as a paddler, he continues to learn and develop from the best in both sports and give back what he had learnt to Dragon Boating. Travelling to the worlds for waka in 2018 he was able to see the best paddlers in the world paddle circles around his team, this really gave him a perspective about the level that the best is at vs where we are. He continues to push the limits and hopes to one day have a system in New Zealand that will truly represent the best that we have to offer on the world stage.


Development Director

Brooke Hargreaves - Joined 2018  
(Tauranga) 

The women’s division in NZ was brand new and it was the start of 2012 that Brooke found a contact for the Tauranga women’s team and was able to give-it-a-go.
Brooke has been a member of the BOPDBC (Bay of Plenty Dragon Boat Club) since 2012 and has sat on the Club and team committees for most of this time. She has seen slow growth from two teams to now four. She has a passion to see the BOP Club, and the sport of Dragon Boating grow further. In 2020, she was part of forming the Eastern Region Dragon Boat Association, and became the President of the BOPDBC, leading the Club to take home 9 golds, a silver and a bronze at Nationals 2021, and for the first time a gold and a silver for the Eastern Region representative teams.

Brooke joined the board in 2018 taking over the role of Secretary, also working closely with Meri on the merchandise side of things and is a jack of all trades that makes her an asset to the Board. Brooke also sits on the Nationals Organising Committee alongside Andrew Watson, Peter Mitchell, Jane Fletcher & Deb Stevenson, and was also selected to be a part of the IBCPC Participatory Dragon Boat Festival Committee to bring the event to NZ in 2023.

Brooke is focusing on growing the sport in NZ with the ultimate the goal of sustainability, her initial focus was on her Club but Brooke would love to use her experience, the learning’s she has gained and help other teams, Clubs and RSOs. Dragon boating is her passion and she would love to see more local communities get involved in the sport.

Brooke resigned as the Secretary in 2023, after holding that position for 5 years. 


Equipment Assets Director

Dave Elliott- Joined 2022
(Wellington)


Born and raised in Wellington I began my dragonboating second life as a ring in paddler in 1990 or thereabouts while drinking was still fashionable.

Started sweeping in 1993 due to our sweep being unable to commit to regular training. Trained under the late Peter Coles who was sweep for Blackdragons I sat then sweep ticket in those days and carried on my illustrious career to the present day. 

I have swept and coached with just about every adult and secondary school team in Wellington known to man and other crews Nationally and Internationally. My passion has always been about the sport particularly at present working with schools and Womens crews. I’m currently sweep co-ordinator for CRDBA.



Co-opted Roles                                     
Noel Anderton has been co-opted for the role of Chair of RODA and part of the Digital Team.