He has been a team manager at a range of national meets, a member of the HBPBS board since 2003, serving as chairman from 2004 to 2018 and again since 2024, and a Swimming New Zealand (SNZ) national referee since 2003.
He was made a life member of HBPBS in 2013 and received an SNZ distinguished service award two years ago.
He has also been a member of the Hawke’s Bay Water Polo Association board since 2020.
But the biggest deal is having been involved in helping establish the Hawke’s Bay Regional Aquatic Centre at the Mitre 10 Regional Sports Park, through the high-performance facilities vision of Sir Graeme Avery and Bruce McTaggart.
Two decades ago, he was calling for a deeper, bigger pool in Hawke’s Bay, but the new centre, opened in 2022, is something he says he never would have thought possible.
He can’t stay away from swimming, both swimming for his own health and taking swim classes for seniors three days a week, and is adamant that sport across all ages is about as important as it gets.
With the Government’s Budget looming, and unable to recall any time sport had featured in the annual announcements, he said: “Every dollar spent in sport is essential. Sport, swimming are great, but might be just a part of what children are learning as life skills.
“Like every sport, we are struggling for volunteers,” he said.
“In my annual report, I’m saying our swimmers are on a journey; let’s go on that journey with them.”
Doug Laing is a Hawke’s Bay Today reporter, with 53 years in full-time journalism, the past 39 continuously in Hawke’s Bay, covering news events and issues, since rejoining the Daily Telegraph, Napier, in 1987.