Yachting NZ names top sports professional as new Chief Executive

by Jodie Bakewell-White, Yachting NZ and Sail-World on 25 Nov 2010
Yachting New Zealand has announced the appointment of David Abercrombie (54) as the new Chief Executive. He will officially start on 6 December but will attend some YNZ functions and meetings before commencing on Monday December 6th.

David grew up on Auckland's North Shore attending Westlake Boys High School (as did a lot of other top New Zealand sailors including America's Cup skippers, Dean Barker, Chris Dickson, John Cutler, Olympic Gold Medalist Tom Ashley, Star World Champion Hamish Pepper and many others). He graduated from ATI with a Diploma in Physiotherapy. He completed a post graduate year in Canada and after travelling and working returned to set up a Private Physiotherapy practise in Milford.

He has been involved in high performance sport as a Physiotherapist over the past twenty years or so, initially as Physiotherapist to the All Blacks, and from 1995 to 2009 with America's Cup yachting with both Team New Zealand (1995-2003) and BMW Oracle Racing (2004-2009). He attended two Olympic regattas as Physiotherapist to the New Zealand Sailing Team in 2000 (Sydney) and 2004 (Athens) which gave David an added insight into the demands of Olympic, as opposed to America's Cup yachting, and the dedication and hard work required to succeed at the highest level.

As the demands for success at the this level grew and the need for a more professional and structured approach to high performance sport emerged following the Sydney Olympics, the Millennium Institute of Sport and Health was developed. David was instrumental in setting up the 'HealthZone' in the Institute in conjunction with Doctor John Mayhew and has been involved in the continued development and provision of health services to many of our high performance athletes.

'I am excited by the challenges that lie ahead and I look forward to working with the talented and dedicated staff at Yachting New Zealand,' says David, who will be ‘on duty’ from December 6th.

'Sporting success on the international stage is both important to yachting and to New Zealand, but I also recognise the importance of, and need to involve member organisations and clubs throughout New Zealand at all levels, be they competitive, recreational, power or sail in maintaining and growing programs to increase participation as well as retaining existing participants,' says David.

The beauty of our beaches and cruising grounds as well as the quality of our racing waters is not missed by David who sees the need to preserve this very unique part of the world for future generations.

David has been a keen surfer and boating enthusiast all his life having sailed a variety of small and large craft. To cover the needs of an enthusiastic and active family, a power boat fills his garage and a Bavaria 46 is to shortly find a new home on Bayswater Marina.