She has known for a long time that an athlete’s strengths are more than sporting.
“Resilience, collaboration, work ethic, decision making, strategic thinking, being open to feedback—these are all skills that people learn through sport,” says Robyn, whose own skills have crossed from the world of arts, sports, and recreation to that of academia, strategy, and governance. Much of her work has focused on improving gender equity.
In April 2025, she received the Active Champion of Equity (ACE) award from the Oceania National Olympic Committee for her work developing and mentoring women leaders in sport.
For the past seven years, she has led the New Zealand Olympic Committee’s Wāhine Toa programme (previously named Women in Sport Leadership). The programme upskills female Olympic, Paralympic, and Commonwealth Games athletes.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade recently funded Robyn to extend this programme across Oceania. Over the course of 2025, Robyn is facilitating a nine-month pilot of Wāhine Toa Oceania, which includes in-person workshops in Fiji, online learning sessions, mentoring, project work, and building local connections. The overall goal of both the Aotearoa and Oceania Wāhine Toa programmes is to help retired female athletes to draw on leadership qualities they’ve learned through their sporting years and helps them apply these skills to careers “off the field”.
Even after they retire from competition, many female athletes still face significant challenges. “They often move quickly into motherhood, they support their partners, they work actively in their communities—they see this as their time to give back to the people who supported them throughout their competing years. All the while, they’re trying to begin their careers.” Wāhine Toa helps them succeed by drawing on skills they already have.
Robyn is in awe of the athletes taking part in the programme. “These women are magical. They’re incredibly humble and so open to learning and development.”
When asked why promoting gender equity in sport is important, Robyn answered simply, “Participation in sport and active recreation is a fundamental right, but many still face barriers. By raising awareness and championing the rights of those often unheard, we can make a real difference.”
Her journey to success started here at Te Herenga Waka, with her first role out of university as an Assistant Physical Welfare Officer at our very own University Recreation (then part of Welfare Services). She has since founded two companies: Algate Enterprises Ltd., for training and development, as well as Lumin Ltd., a strategy, planning, and research consultancy, of which she is still a director.
Alongside her board role for Sport New Zealand, she works for Te Herenga Waka as a senior adviser for Student Engagement and Employability, leading innovation in work integrated learning and coordinating practicum papers across the Faculty for Humanities and Social Sciences. She is also an adjunct professor in the Museum and Heritage Studies programme.
When speaking of her work at Te Herenga Waka, Robyn says, “Working collaboratively with students and staff is an opportunity to make a difference—at an individual, programme, and institutional level. It is a privilege to enable people to develop capabilities and confidence to make a positive impact in our communities.”
Through Wāhine Toa, she continues to help to improve the lives of sportswomen across Aotearoa and Oceania, quietly and determinedly leading change.