Hawke's Bay

Educated in Wellington and Palmerston North, Ian Smith has been a Hawke’s Bay resident for 25 years, along with his wife and three sons.

After an early career in banking, Ian was a New Zealand cricketer from 1980 to 1992. He was also a sports commentator for TVNZ for 5 years and has been a commentator for Sky TV for the past 20 years.

He is patron of Cornwall Cricket Club in Hastings.

Blair Robinson has been a private practice lawyer in Napier since 1992 and is a director of legal firm Lawson Robinson Ltd.

He is a director of Manchester Unity Friendly Society and Napier Boys’ High School Rugby Club, chair of the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Judicial Committee and the honorary solicitor for Central District’s Cricket Association, Hawke’s Bay Rugby Football Union, Napier Old Boys’ Marist Rugby Football Club and the Cancer Society of New Zealand Hawke’s Bay Centre.

Blair is a life member of Central Districts Cricket Association, having been a director and chair between 2003 and 2016. He was also a trustee of Sport Hawke’s Bay, a committee member of Hawke’s Bay Cricket and chair of the board of trustees for Napier Central Primary School. He has a close relationship with Napier Boys’ High School and Napier Girls’ High School.

He is passionate about sport, particularly in Hawke’s Bay where he was born and raised. Outside work and volunteer roles, he enjoys being involved in his teenage children’s sporting and cultural activities from the sidelines.

Heidi Oliver is a partner at legal firm Gifford Devine, working out of the Hastings and Waipawa offices.

She has a strong interest in the governance of sports organisations and has previously been on the Eastern Netball Region Board and was chair of Hasting Netball Centre.
In 2012, Heidi was instrumental in developing and implementing Hawke’s Bay Netball Centre and chaired it from 2012 to 2016.

She is on the board of trustees for Sherenden and Districts School and is chair of the Friends of Sherenden and Districts School. She is also secretary/treasurer of Sherenden Bus Society, a trustee of the Graeme Lowe Foundation and a member of the Child Cancer Foundation Hawke’s Bay – Family Connect Group.