Olympian Lucy Matehaere is one of five athletes on Canoe Racing New Zealand's Athlete Voice Committee, a body set up in late 2023 to give high-performance sprint athletes genuine input into the decisions that shape their sporting environment.
The committee also includes Caitlin Regal, Hamish Legarth, Kurtis Imrie, and Zac Franich. It was established as a direct channel between athletes and CRNZ, feeding into both organisational planning and High Performance Sport NZ decision-making.
For Matehaere, the role has a clear purpose: "I see that our role is to empower the athlete voice, work to improve the high performance environment and athlete experience and to facilitate the passing of information up and down the chain." She is quick to point out this isn't just a complaints channel. The committee wants ideas and suggestions, not only problems.
Her motivation for joining is personal. "High performance sport is amazing and we are lucky to be able to do what we do but it can also be really challenging," she says. "I want to ensure that being involved in the CRNZ HP programme is a positive experience for everyone currently as well as those to come."
As a current member of the national team, Matehaere brings a ground-level perspective she sees as a practical advantage when translating athlete sentiment into action. She can talk directly with athletes to gather opinions and push for relevant change.
The work has already broadened her understanding of how the wider high-performance system operates. Attending Athlete Leaders Network conferences has exposed the committee to what other sports and athlete groups are doing. "There is so much opportunity for growth in the Athlete Voice area and I am excited about what this committee could do in the future," she says.
At the heart of the committee's purpose is a straightforward reality: for most high-performance athletes, this is their career and a significant part of their lives. "It's essential for us to have some autonomy and agency in our daily training environment as this contributes to improved wellbeing," Matehaere says.
The committee is particularly keen to hear from athletes around transitions into or out of the high-performance programme, where gaps in clarity can make those periods harder than they need to be.
Feedback can be shared directly with any of the five committee members or submitted anonymously to crnzathletevoice@gmail.com.
