Kirsty Johnson - Head Coach

Kirsty's connection to the club began all the way back as a Trojans swimmer in her youth in the 1990s, where she competed at a national meet level.

Kirsty has been involved in learn-to-swim teaching in Hawke's Bay over many years, starting under the tutelage of John Beaumont while she was still competing, and more recently with a lengthy tenure at Hilton Brown Swimming where she developed a reputution as a highly accomplished teacher.

Kirsty then joined the Trojans coaching team in late 2019 as our junior coach, before being appointed to the Head Coach role in May 2022. As Head Coach, Kirsty assumes overall responsibility for the swimming programme across all squads.

In September 2023, Kirsty was among just 20 coaches nationwide accepted into Swimming New Zealand's inaugural intake for a new coaching professional development programme, reflecting her standing as of New Zealand's most exciting coaching prospects.

Phil Melhuish - Coaching Consultant

Phil brings extensive coaching experience to the club, gained in New Zealand and overseas.

Locally, Phil had a hugely successful tenure with Napier Aquahawks, training a number of athletes to national podiums. Internationally, Phil has held coaching roles for Great Britain, Wales and New Zealand. He has coached athletes to Olympic and Commonwealth Games, and also swum for Wales at the Commonwealth Games. 

Joining Trojans in early 2023, Phil's role involves squad coaching while also lending his considerable experience in supporting Head Coach Kirsty Johnson with her own progression.