With our relative isolation, maintaining currency with a national strategy isn't easy, and it's very difficult for our national leaders based outside of Hawke's Bay to fully appreciate our specific needs and the opportunities here.
Therefore, and as with any leadership void, that leaves the opportunity for splintering and fragmented pockets to emerge, potentially competing and pulling in opposing directions (even if unintentionally).
The new Health and Sport Centre at the Sports Park will fill the missing link, the gap between our community centres and the national network. Having the regional centre will enable that clear connection we need, with well established relationships up to the national network, and then aligning out around all of Hawke's Bay - from its hub at the Regional Sports Park, to the twin cities Hastings and Napier, and out to Wairoa and CHB.
No one can achieve anything great on their own, and so the Avery led Health and Sport Centre will connect and enhance health outcomes though collaboration with all of Hawke's Bay's leading institutions - the DHB, EIT, Sport Hawke's Bay, Ngati Kahungunu, councils, and social service groups including U-Turn Trust, Patu, Hikoi 4 Life, Iron Maori and others.
Through collaboration both parties are more effective - the Health and Sport Centre connects deeper into our communities, and all the partner groups benefit from the aspirational pathway, and expertise of the research-led world-leading studies and programmes emanating from the centre.
As one prominent local sports coach said to me, in relation to the social challenges he faces with the kids and families he coaches ... "by partnering together we can make amazing things happen, but in isolation we are just scratching the surface".
Preschools and primary schools will be key, with pilots planned for later this year, helping with alignment and pathways between the two, and supportive knowledge and expertise.
Collaboration with EIT to boost retention of high calibre students in Hawke's Bay, increased research opportunities and attraction of international students. Combining with research staff, more student placements and exciting career pathways.
Supporting the DHB to deliver on health outcomes, connecting the doctors and health leaders with specialists in exercise prescription, nutrition and behavioural change.
Enhanced athletic development systems in secondary schools and local sports groups - not usurping and taking over, but rather supporting the sports co-ordinators, coaches and administrators, partnering them with our national Pathway to Podium programme principles, developing people and synergising, all to provide better development for our young athletes.
And ultimately that is what it's about - the people, the end users, getting the development and opportunities they deserve.
Building on existing partnerships with Sport HB and Sport NZ through a whole raft of programmes in health and sport.
High Performance Sport New Zealand will also benefit. Not only a much-needed training space for Hawke's Bay's high performance athletes, but also indirectly through the health driven initiatives, as a wider base of a healthy, cohesive well-functioning society, means a higher and stronger peak to the pyramid.
Outdoor recreation/adventure, and even establishing environmental group partnerships to use the vehicle of sport for promoting the critical outcomes they seek.
We now have a once in a generation opportunity to get in behind the community led project of Sir Graeme Avery, to establish a leading regional centre, and to develop alignment and enhanced expertise within our existing community centres.
Overall, the focus must surely be on making a difference for future generations, and working together to do it.
In the wise words of the late (and young) Mattie Stepanek "Unity is strength ... when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved."
Marcus Agnew is the health and sport development manager at Hawke's Bay Community Fitness Centre Trust and is also a lecturer in sports science at EIT.
