Many aspects of this report have been touched on by Brian in his report. Wellington Pétanque Association as an organisation has continued to develop and mature over the past year.
As President I would like to acknowledge the work of key people in the WPA.
I would also like to thank the delegates from each club for all their ideas, suggestions and support.
The election of Brian to the NZPA promised hope for the national development of pétanque but unfortunately after a great deal of internal politicking a standoff occurred. I would like to thank Brian for what has been achieved. I believe that the conflict within the NZPA was necessary to ensure that it became a representative body for petanque in NZ. I support and respect Brian for the decisions and actions during his presidency. I would like to congratulate Graeme Morris, Barbara Whittington and Brenda Dykes on their election to the NZPA. With this level of representation on the NZPA I am sure that decisions made will be in the best interests of pétanque throughout the country.
A Wellington presence at these tournaments is very important. I think results from the national tournaments show that Wellington Pétanque is coming of age. Particular mention and congratulations must go to Peter Evison and Brian Smith for their victory at the National Doubles in Putaruru. The National Triples Tournament which we hosted during Easter was probably THE most important National Tournament to date. I believe the whole organisation and spirit of the tournament has and will continue to have a lasting effect on the future of petanque in NZ. The level of camaraderie that developed during the tournament continued to flourish at the ANZAC Tournament in Rotorua.
The level of pétanque in Wellington has really improved. No longer can any game be taken for granted. I believe we have managed to obtain a good balance of tournaments which encourage new players as well as providing our top players with plenty of competition. The format for our regional tournaments help to prepare those players who wish to compete at a national level. The development of our Inter-club tournaments have proven to be a great success over the past season.
The interciub triples format means that the results from every team has an influence on the overall club standing. It also creates a situation where players have the opportunity of pitting their skills against our top players as well as being able to play against teams of the same skill level.
The Jacques Cochonnet Club Challenge is the Ranfurly Shield of Wellington Petanque. A competition which pits the top players from each club against each other.
I would like to acknowledge the work that is done at the grassroots of pétanque. The growth of pétanque in the Wellington region is due in no small part to the efforts of a number of workers in each club. Thank you to all the clubs who have taken it upon themselves to organise tournaments not only for local players but also extending beyond our region. I am aware of clubs forging ties with clubs from other areas and fully support those links.
One of the highlights of the past season was the opening of the new Kapiti terrain I am looking forward to the final interclub round being played on this piste.
It has been a good year for pétanque in Wellington and we have come a long way but we still have areas to develop. It's a fantastic game for bringing people of all ages and stages together. I value the friendships that I have made through pétanque but we need to think about where we are going as an organisation. The balance between the social and competitive aspects need to be managed to ensure that all our members have the opportunity to have their needs met.
Thank you all again for the support you have given me over the past year. It has been a pleasure to serve you as president of the WPA.
Dirk Winnie