Netball's Trina Henare is the third Northland coach to be profiled in the Northern Advocate/Sport Northland initiative to highlight servants to sport in Te Tai Tokerau. Photo / Tania Whyte
Netball's Trina Henare is the third Northland coach to be profiled in the Northern Advocate/Sport Northland initiative to highlight servants to sport in Te Tai Tokerau. Photo / Tania Whyte
Good coaching is about developing a lifelong love of sport in people and in a commitment to seeing the quality and number of coaches grow in Northland, the Northern Advocate has teamed up with Sport Northland to publish a question-and-answer feature on one local coach per month.
The aim is to highlight coaches from an array of codes to give an insight into the nuances of coaching and the people who dedicate themselves to the discipline.
The third coach profile is on Trina Henare, a tireless supporter of netball and Māori participation in sport across Te Tai Tokerau.
Henare, 42, started her 30-year coaching journey as a Year 11 mentoring Year 9 netball players at Bay of Islands College. Photo / Tania Whyte
Current coaching role: Northland cluster under-18 coach and coach developer
Favourite author: The author I am currently reading is Brené Brown – who writes about vulnerability and shame in her book 'Dare to Lead'
Favourite movie: Coach Carter
Favourite meal: I love home-cooked meals, especially those cooked by Mum
What is your playing background?
Back at high school, I played netball, touch and basketball in teams for Bay of Island College and the Moerewa/Kawakawa region – then I moved through age-group and regional representative teams in netball and basketball.
What is your coaching history?
I have been coaching for 30 years, starting in Year 11 coaching Year 9 netball players, which was part of the culture at that time of being a top team member. It was an expectation of the then Bay of Islands College principal Frank Leadley.
What are your coaching qualifications?
I am Performance Coach Advance accredited (PCA) from Sport NZ and via Netball NZ working towards completing my Performance Coach Qualification (PCQ).
I am also currently completing my Sport and Recreation degree with NorthTec, and have trained as a coach developer and coach developer trainer.
Whangārei Netball Centre manager Rebecca Simper (left) and Trina Henare work tirelessly to ensure Northland netballers are given every opportunity. Photo / Tania Whyte
Who was the most influential coach/person in your life?
My father and grandfather were awesome rugby coaches and were meticulous planners. Then there are the teachers who kept me grounded, Ruth Hills and the late George Wynyard from Bay of Islands College.
In my development as a performance coach, Tia Winikerei from Netball Northern Zone, Tania Karauria and Charissa Barnham from Netball NZ have provided opportunities for me to grow as a person on and off the court.
Why do you coach?
To like the person you see reflected in the mirror and to see success through the eyes of my athletes and to always be your authentic self.
I get the biggest buzz out of working with athletes and seeing them grow and develop as not only players but as individuals.
There are so many challenges that our Northland athletes can face, from transport to family commitments, so following these athletes through and watching their progress is rewarding.
Going to Samoa in 2018 on behalf of Netball NZ to offer coaching support as a coach developer was most humbling. It made me more grateful for the systems in NZ that we take for granted somewhat. I felt great aroha for the girls and women in Samoa who get things done despite limited opportunities and resources.
How has your coaching changed?
I think I have become more about the whole athlete rather than the position. In the past my coaching has been focused on game outcomes and the accolades that went with that but now it's about the athletes - their development rather the analysis of data related to the position and game.
My thinking is now starting to reflect on what it means to be a female Māori coach. I am a Māori woman first and a coach second, which has impacted my approach to coaching. Coaching as a person-development process that needs to be related to the player being coached and what is important to them.
Henare says making sport more whānau inclusive will have untold benefits to community growth. Photo / Tania Whyte
How has sport changed?
Coaching has started to become more player-centred as opposed to coach-centred. It's all about developing the players first, the game second ... it's about including them in the training process, not just telling them what to do.
Being from Northland and understanding where we come from, I would like to see coaching be more whānau inclusive – you would be amazed at how investing a little bit of energy in an athlete can lead to growing and developing the whānau.
What is the importance of coaching in the sector?
I believe we need to focus more on developing people than facilities or programmes. At the end of the day, sport is about relationships, how we communicate to each other, how we develop and grow as a team of individuals, and how we compliment and inspire each other (not just athletes but the coaching/support staff too).
This whakataukī encapsulates the notion that while working in isolation might result in survival, working together can take people beyond survival and on to prosperity.
What would be your number one coaching tip?
Be authentic and don't be scared to bounce ideas off other coaches.
