New Zealand Esports Federation is taking the sport to a new level, with the appointment of an inaugural chief executive and three new board members, including a new board president.
The New Zealand Esports Federation, set up in 2016, was recognised last year by SportNZ as the National Sporting Organisation for Esports, formalising its position as an official sport in New Zealand.
New president Conor English says esports is growing hugely in New Zealand and Kiwis are making a real impact internationally.
“In 2015, New Zealand had 400,000 Kiwis interested in esports and video gaming, and now in 2021, we have 1.6 million taking part,” he says.
“In 2024, we expect there to be almost 286 million esport enthusiasts worldwide, with over 700 million occasional viewers. Top players are earning over $10 million USD salaries, excluding sponsorships and media.”
As well as electing Conor English as chair, John McRae was elected vice president of the board.
Conor says John is a founding member of the NZESF. A 20-year veteran of the events and broadcasting industry, John has developed programming for free-to-air, cable, pay-per-view, OTT, and online platforms. In 2018, he was named by New Zealand Marketing Magazine as media visionary of the year.
“John has invaluable experience in the international esports scene and is working towards progressing the organisations inclusion in the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Asia Games and many other traditional sporting world stages,” Conor says.
Three new members have joined the NZESF board: Nikolasa Biasiny-Tule, Henry Lawton, and Royal Reed. Duane Mutu of LPL and Paul Kao of Playtech were re- elected.
Conor English says the board is delighted to have appointed Jonathan Jansen as the first chief executive officer of the organisation.
He says Jonathan brings a unique combination of strategic, operational, and creative flair to the NZESF.
“As the former CEO of New Zealand Industry Qualifications, Jonathan has a passion for creating opportunities and outcomes and has been working to raise the national standard in computer literacy and computer skills in New Zealand schools.”
Jonathan has been a life-long gamer and involved in the esports scene since its inception in New Zealand. With first-hand experience of the industry from an athlete’s perspective, Jonathan is positioned to help take esports to new heights, Conor English says.
NZESF board member biographies
The New Zealand Esports Federation has a seven-member board. Conor English is the newly-elected president, John McRae vice president, and Royal Reed secretary.
Conor English
Conor English is a former independent advisor to the Reserve Bank, chief executive of Federated Farmers and the New Zealand Property Institute and is involved in a number of businesses and boards.His interest in esports was sparked by his children’s involvement.
Royal Reed
Royal Reed is a partner at Meredith Connell and founder of Prestige Law. She is an entrepreneur, public speaker, and a social media influencer and the founder of On Being Bold, a women’s empowerment board.Royal completed legal studies in New Zealand, international policy studies in China, and negotiation skills and professional service firm management in America. Royal’s ties to esports are through her passionate children and she hopes to help create a safer and more robust engagement framework for esports.
Henry Lawton
Henry Lawton is the general manager of VictoryUP. He successfully launched the Wellington Secondary School league as an official sport in the Wellington region and run the largest high school esports league to date with more than 1,000 students participating nationwide. Henry has a passion for growing the esports scene from grassroots and offers a unique insight into how to successfully engage with esports.
Nikolasa Biasiny-Tule
Nikolasa is co-founder of Digital Basecamp, Rotorua’s largest co-working space for digital content creators, and co-founder of Digital Natives Academy Charitable Trust, New Zealand’s first esports and game development academy. She brings extensive community knowledge, a master’s degree in public policy & administration with a post graduate diploma in Maori and Pacific Development.
Duane Mutu
Duane has held senior roles within the gaming industry since 2010. He has worked with publishers including Activision, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Disney Interactive, Electronic Arts, Riot, SEGA and Warner Bros. He is an experienced managing director with a demonstrated history of working in the broadcast media industry. Duane is passionate about the development of esports on a regional and global scale as well as delivering world-class broadcasting content. Outside of the office he enjoys surfing and finds the correlation between the rise of action sports and esports both fascinating and inspiring.
Paul Kao
Paul is the owner of Playtech, a large computer and technology reseller. Paul has had deep roots to the gaming and esports community as one of the largest equipment providers in the space. Paul brings a wealth of community relationships, business acumen and critical perspective to the NZESF.