Board & Governance

Board of Tennis Northland

Our Board provides strategic leadership and oversight, ensuring we meet our goals and serve our community.

James Donaldson

Position: Chairperson, Elected Member (Waipu Tennis Club)

Joined the Board: 2023

Background:

Frances Coutts

Position: Deputy Chairperson, Elected Member (Mairtown Tennis Club)

Joined the Board: 2023

Background:

Frances Coutts has extensive experience in the health industry, having built and led a large rehabilitation company. She is passionate about people development, innovation, and customer service, and has been actively involved in sport in the region for many years. Frances is dedicated to seeing tennis thrive and grow in Northland.

Frances holds a strong sense of fairness and is committed to making the game inclusive for all who want to play.

Greg Miller

Position: Elected Member (Springfield Tennis Club)

Joined the Board:

Background:

Nigel Stowe

Position: Elected Member (Onerahi Tennis Club)

Joined the Board: 2025

Background:

Nigel has a background in information technology, business analysis, and information systems and is the Fleet and Equipment Manager at Northpower and has founded several businesses in Northland. He brings skills in business growth, marketing, IT, operations, data management, project management and strategic planning to the board. He also spent time working in the Swim,Bike,Run program as a triathlon coach in Northland primary and intermediate schools.

Nigel has played tennis since his youth, representing the Eastern Bay of Plenty as a junior, interclub in Auckland and is now a long-time Northlander relocating 17 years ago. He is an active club member at Onerahi and interclub member with Kamo. Nigel is married to Debbie and they have two teenage daughters who share his passion for sport and the outdoors.

Nigel says it is a privilege to be elected to the board and he is committed to strengthening tennis across Northland by encouraging new players to the sport, supporting pathways for young players, helping clubs thrive, and ensuring the game continues to be accessible and enjoyable for all.

Wendy Sykes

Position: Appointed Member

Joined the Board:

Background:

Alex Fitch

Position: Appointed Member

Joined the Board: 2025

Background:

Alex is a construction executive with a background in management, governance, finance and contract law. He is passionate about sport having played a number of sports including tennis socially and competitively, he has a history of advocating for the promotion of sport within the community. Originally from the Bay of Plenty he has now settled into life in Northland with his wife and new baby and looks forward to committing his energy to helping drive sustainable growth of Tennis in Northland.

Chris Wong

Position: Appointed Member

Joined the Board: 2025

Background:

Chris is a lifelong tennis enthusiast, a committed parent of two budding players, and a community-minded professional. He is eager to contribute to the continued growth and success of tennis in Northland. Chris' journey with tennis began at the age of seven with coaching through the Tennis Auckland program. He has been fortunate to play interclub in Whangarei, Auckland, Christchurch, and Perth, which has given him a broad perspective on how tennis communities thrive across different regions. Chris is the father of two energetic boys, aged 11 and 7, who are passionate about tennis. Their enthusiasm has reignited his own passion for the game and deepened his commitment to supporting grassroots tennis. Professionally, Chris works as a doctor at Whangarei Hospital.

Kerry Friend

Position: Appointed Member

Joined the Board: 2025

Background:

Kerry is Northland born and bred with a passion for tennis and has been an active participant in Northland Seniors competitions and Captain of Interclub teams for several years.

He has extensive governance experience from his current roles as Co-founder and Executive Director of NZX-listed TradeWindow Holdings Limited, Director of Northpower Limited, Chair of Northpower’s Audit and Risk Committee and Member of its Investment Committee. Kerry is also Treasurer and Governance Committee Member of the Ngunguru Sports and Recreation Club.

Kerry had an international Finance career, mainly in Asia for circa 20 years, before returning home to Whangarei in 2016.

He is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors New Zealand (CMInstD), Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (MAICD), and a Chartered Accountant (CAANZ).

Patron

Ervine Timperley

Governance Documents

Tennis Northland is governed in accordance with our Constitution and supported by key policies to ensure strong governance and transparency.