Board Member Profiles

Stephen Brocklebank – Chair

Steve has recently retired from BB&S (Accountants) in Dunedin, where he was the Chair Business Advisor. Chairman of 4 Trades Apprenticeship Trust and the St Clair Golf Club Board of Management. He is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand, a Life Member of the Otago Chamber of Commerce Incorporated, a member of the NZ Institute of Directors and the NZ Trustees Association. He has also held positions on several boards of sporting organisations in Dunedin. In earlier days he played rugby for Southern and Otago and senior cricket for Albion CC. Now its golf, mountain biking and fishing for fitness and to get into the outdoors.

James Nation

James is the current CEO of Sport Otago, he has experience over the last 15 years working across a number of sectors, a Government organisation (ACC), CEO of a Dunedin based technology company, The Tarn Group and recently GM of PKF Dunedin, an accounting firm.  James was part of the New Zealand Black Sticks Mens Hockey team between 2003 and 2010, during which time he participated in two Olympics (Athens and Beijing). He continues to play/coach for a Dunedin club hockey and coach a local secondary school 1st XI hockey team. At a Governance level he thoroughly enjoys the challenge of working strategically as a Board member with current roles in at Physical Education New Zealand, Otago’s Orokonui EcoSanctuary and as a member of the NZ Olympian Committee that provides support to the New Zealand Olympic Committee.

Helen Littleworth

A 2005 appointment, Helen is a Dunedin-based sports and manipulative physiotherapist who has worked with a wide range of sporting codes and teams, including the 2002 Women’s Rugby World Cup-winning Black Ferns, and the 2007 & 2009 Track & Field Team to the World Championships. Helen has been team physio at Olympic, Commonwealth Games and World Championship events and is now the Physio for the White Ferns. A former Black Ferns captain, she was also a New Zealand hockey representative.

Dr. Tania Cassidy

Tania was appointed to the Board in 2013 and is a senior lecturer in the area of Pedagogy in the School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences at Otago University. Prior to arriving at the University of Otago Tania studied for a PhD in the Faculty of Education at Deakin University, Victoria, Australia. Tania is the first author of a co-authored text entitled Understanding Sports Coaching: The social, cultural and pedagogical foundations of sports practice (2004. 2009; Routledge). Tania is on the Editorial Boards of several international journals.   As well as teaching and research Tania is involved in community initiatives, such as the Taieri College Sports Council and President of the Opoho Bowling Club.