KIWI RESOURCEFULNESS

The next Test match begins tonight in Hamilton, NZ, with the English hoping to avoid another embarrassing defeat. Many will know that New Zealand has a population of 4.7 million (UK 12x), distributed unevenly between the more populated North and the more rural South Islands.
I worked there in Christchurch during 1984; a five minute walk to the school and a slightly longer walk to Hagley Park, a large "edge of city park".
The school was skited on the park's edge and took sport very seriously with rugby and cricket dominant and as a soccer coach I looked after the "rest".
Mind you New Zeland had just returned from the 1982 World Cup where they were pitted against, Scotland, Russia and Brazil! Not too much progress there but the National League did get a boost and there was an interest in the round ball and they did qualify for the 2010 Tournament.

The school's annual 1st XV rugby fixture against the neighbouring High School was televised and summer sports had terrific facilities and plenty of interest. Every sport had its space.

With an almost Mediterranean climate and the historic spirit of "adventure,  Kiwis "bat" above their average in every sport. I was not surprised therefore to read in my daily paper the explanation for England's demise in the last test match, lost by an innings and too many runs.

The Kiwis or Black Caps are unbeaten at home Test series since 2015-16.
They are second in the International Cricket Council's Test rankings.
They lost in the World Cup Final to England in a super over.
In Rugby Union, NZ, the All Blacks, are eight years into their dominance of World rugby, though they did lose to England recently! Their win rate is 80%.
In Women's rugby they are world champions at XV and also in 7s.
In July they won the World Cup Netball in Liverpool.
They are America's Cup (Yachting) Holders.
They have Olympic champions in rowing, canoeing and sailing (they are surrounded by sea water of course and have fabulous glacial lakes and rivers.)
The won 18 medals at the 2016 Olympics making the country the 3rd best per capita Globally.
They are ranked 9th in men's and 6th in women's World Field Hockey.

Ranked 2nd in World Netball (an old image here!)

So their national heroes are sports' people headed by Sir Edmund Hilary, a mountaineer!
From these beginnings, children are fully involved in sport at any standard and type, as I witnessed on a Saturday morning in Hagley Park, when kids played sport against neighbouring schools, state and independent, in well organised leagues, often after Saturday lessons!

Elite athletes have multi-sport backgrounds and shine in both Summer and Winter (if there ever is one!).
The lack of numbers in the population is regarded as a positive, so that resources are fully developed through the Sport NZ Accelerator Programme.

Kiwi Resourcefulness is known as "No 8 Wire", referring to the "wire" used in rural fencing, which is strong and flexible. Understandably, throughout this largely rural nation, there are thousands of acres of "paddocks" for sheep and cattle and more, and now vineyards, where rural resources are fully developed.
Head coaches of national sports frequently gather together to share best practice.
The nation is at the "cutting edge" of sports' technology for example in cycling, bungee jumping, jet boating, inventing the egg beater and the electric fence. Seriously they are geniuses.
Sharing ideas in sport with engineers and scientists enables Kiwis to compete at the Global scale, out thinking the opposition. GOOD ON YA!