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:

James is a dairy and beef farmer, owning one of the larger agribusinesses in the Whangārei catchment alongside his wife Katie. Over the years, he’s taken on numerous volunteer roles to balance life beyond the farm and currently chairs both Tennis Northland and Waipu Tennis Club.

Having been involved in high-performance sport during his teenage years, James returned to tennis in his mid-30s—picking up a racket at Waipu Tennis Club with a few mates. A casual conversation one evening sparked a bigger question: could they make a real difference to Tennis Northland? Three years later, the organisation has grown in professionalism, gained independence from Tennis Northern, and now operates with a clear vision, strong board, dedicated staff, and growing community support.

James’s guiding principles are simple: work hard, be good at it, and take calculated risks. He has a knack for spotting talent and helping others realise their potential by sharing a clear vision. He doesn’t believe in the phrase “can’t be done” and isn’t afraid to make tough calls when they’re the right ones.

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: 2019

Background:

Greg brings a strong understanding of the systems needed to take Tennis Northland forward, particularly around access to coaching and the development of year-round facilities at an affordable price. His focus is on making tennis more accessible to the Northland public and growing the player base, alongside a solid knowledge of maintaining existing facilities.

Outside of tennis, Greg is a 4th generation dairy farmer on the family farm. Greg served as President of the Waipu Tennis Club from 1995 to 2005, earning the Bream Bay Sports Administrator award during that time. He also spent six years on the Tirau Tennis Club Committee and recently ended his term as President of Springfield Tennis Club. Having served on the Tennis Northland Board for the past six years, he remains passionate about promoting this great sport and is looking forward to continuing his time on the Board.

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: 2023

Background:

Wendy has been active in tennis throughout her life, from playing and coaching to serving on committees and developing programmes. Her particular passion lies in the development of junior tennis players, from increasing participation at grassroots level to coaching and nurturing talent toward national and international pathways. She is also committed to establishing clear development pathways for coaches.

Alongside her focus on Juniors and Coaching, Wendy is driven to explore how tennis can be of greater value and service to the wider Northland community, while helping grow the Thomas Neale facility into a thriving tennis hub.

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.