Bowls Canterbury Board update

Lorraine McLeodNews

Today the Bowls Canterbury board sent the following update to all clubs in Canterbury.

Staff Update

It was with regret that the Board of Bowls Canterbury accepted the resignation of their CEO, Mel Tukapua on Monday. Mel has been at Bowls Canterbury for six years, three of them as CEO. Mel’s contribution has been enormous and been responsible for some new successful initiatives while keeping the Centre the thriving hub of the sport in Canterbury. Mel is moving on to a role outside of sport which will be a fresh challenge for her. Mel’s last day at Bowls Canterbury will be 12th June 2020.

As we all know sport is heading into challenging times in a changing and unknown environment. Amongst some of the changes that are known already are that there will be a reduction in funding from all sources. These changes will be felt in the short term and maybe even in the long term. The Board sees that Mel’s departure will provide them with an opportunity to reassess and look strategically at how the Centre and the sport within the Centre is structured. To facilitate this the Board have appointed Lorraine McLeod as Centre Manager in a part time role. President Brian Baker said Lorraine has the experience we require to work with the Board to drive this review which is proven by her strong background in sport as well as bowls from her previous roles at Bowls New Zealand and Sport Canterbury. Subsequently Lorraine will relinquish her seat on the Bowls Canterbury Board.

At the AGM the Board will provide an update on this situation; including Lorraine’s start date, In the meantime, we wish Mel well and thank her very much for the contribution she has made to bowls in Canterbury and hope that one day we will see her with a bowl in hand at a green somewhere.

AGM Details

Whilst at the present we are unable to gather together in groups larger than 10 people, we aniticpate that this will be lifted prior to the Bowls Canterbury AGM and are intending to go ahead with our meeting to be held at 10.00am on Sunday 12th July at the Christchurch Bowling Club. All information relating to the AGM will be sent out next month.

Club Resilience Fund

We encourage our clubs to apply for the Resilience Fund offered by Sport New Zealand as announced earlier this month. Applications are open now from the Sport Canterbury website or at this link: https://www.sportcanterbury.org.nz/Sport-NZ-Community-Resilience-Fund-1

The Fund aims to deliver immediate funding to help regional and local organisations remain financially viable through the immediate period of disruption created by COVID-19. Clubs can apply for up to $1000 for operating overhead costs during April, May and June such as power, insurance, building security, audit fees etc.


Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, with applications closing Friday 19 June. If you have any questions regarding the Resilience Fund, please contact Emily Robbins on the contact details below.

Office & Shop Hours

The Bowls Canterbury Office and Shop is now open in Level 2 and will be operating on reduced hours. The new hours are as follows:

Monday – Thursday: 9am – 2pm

Friday – CLOSED

Staff will be in and out of the office during these times.
If you are coming into the office please call ahead to ensure staff are available. You will also be required to sign in upon arrival.

Staff contact details:
Mel Tukapua – 351 2080 or ceo@bowlscanterbury.co.nz
Katie Griffiths – 351 2050 or marketing@bowlscanterbury.co.nz
Emily Robbins – 351 2070 or development@bowlscanterbury.co.nz

Life Member; Jack Gillespie

The Staff and Board are saddened to hear of the passing of Bowls Canterbury Life Member, Jack Gillespie. Jack passed away on Monday 11th May 2020. Jack was not only a Life Member of Bowls Canterbury but also at Woolston Park Bowling Club where he was also the Woolston Park BC longest standing member.

Jack was a heavily involved with the Bowls Canterbury Match Committee between the 1980’s through to the late 1990’s. This involved organising and running most of the Bowls Canterbury Tournaments.

Due to Alert Level 2, the family has already held a private funeral and hope that people are able to remember Jack in your own way during this time. Messages can be sent to the Gillespie family, c/- PO Box 111-01, Christchurch 8443.

A eulogy from Jack’s funeral can be read on our website on the following link: https://bowlscanterbury.co.nz/news/life-member-jack-gillespie/