Were you one of the people who applied for this job and wondered who got it?
Job title: Executive director.
For: Paralympics New Zealand.
Craig Hobbs is no stranger to elite sport - or how to manage it.
A former rowing triallist and until recently the national men's under-21 hockey coach, he has
also been marketing manager for North Harbour Stadium.
He leaves a post as sponsorship account manager at Sportsworld Media Group to take the job vacated by John Hughes.
"I've always had a passion for sport," says 41-year-old Hobbs, "and I always wanted to be involved in a national sporting organisation."
Paralympians, he says, are elite athletes - "they've had incredible results overseas" - and could teach some of our able-bodied sportspeople a few lessons about discipline and dedication.
"We pamper our [able-bodied] athletes too much, but these Paralympians have had to overcome incredible difficulties.
"Their determination is far greater than quite a lot of our athletes have, unfortunately, demonstrated."
Yet disabled sport is often overlooked. There is no disability in Hobbs' family. He will learn a few new sports after taking up his post late next month, among them wheelchair rugby and basketball, and boccia, similar to bowls.
He has two aims going into the role: providing opportunities for all disabled people at all levels who want to play sport, and developing the top performers.
Canterbury-born Hobbs has lived in Auckland for the last 20 years.
