We’re very pleased to feature Neena Ullal, General Counsel at High Performance Sport New Zealand, someone whose people-centred approach to legal work resonates well beyond the sporting sector. Neena works with legal strategy, organisational performance, and priorities such as athlete wellbeing, offering insights that are relevant to anyone working with and supporting people under pressure.
An image that stays with us from this kōrero is how HPSNZ views wellbeing and performance not just as things to balance but as two sides of the same coin. It’s a thoughtful approach and one that might just offer something useful for your own context, too.
Can you tell us about your role and what you enjoy most about supporting High Performance Sport New Zealand?
High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ) is a kaitiaki of the high performance sport system in New Zealand. It provides financial investment, specialist performance support services and capability training and development to enable targeted sports and their athletes to succeed on the world stage. I feel incredibly fortunate to work in a sector that I feel passionate about, and while my past sporting endeavours could never be described as "elite" (or anywhere near it!), I find there's a lot that I can relate to in high performance environments - whether it's the drive to learn and adapt in the pursuit of excellence, the benefits that come from being part of a well-functioning team, or the importance of being clear about what really matters and what's going to have the biggest impact on performance.
How do health, safety, and wellbeing show up in your work?
There's been a much more deliberate focus on health, safety and wellbeing in the sporting sector over the last few years - partly in response to a number of widely publicised reviews both here and internationally. We've worked hard to integrate wellbeing and performance, so they are seen as two sides of the same coin, rather than competing drivers that need to be balanced against each other. The guiding principles that we use to drive our wellbeing programme of work (both internally and across the sector) are transparency, inclusion and continuous growth. Last year, we also launched a System Approach to Athlete Mental Health and Performance, which is supported by a number of resources for the sector. If you're interested in the resources or want to read more, please check out HPSNZ's Wellbeing Programme.
What’s something you’ve learned about supporting people under pressure, whether athletes or colleagues?
Whether someone is actively seeking support, or you can see them struggling in silence, lean in. It can make a real difference just knowing they have someone in their corner. It's not necessarily your role to relieve the pressure or "fix" the problem, but I know from experience how much it can help to have someone you trust check in to make sure you're ok, to act as a sounding board, and/or to challenge your thinking by providing a different perspective.
What’s something that keeps you grounded when work is demanding?
In general, it's spending time with family and friends, walking the dog, doing activities I enjoy, and hanging out on Waiheke. Within the work context, it's about keeping an eye on the big picture - taking stock of how far you've come, being clear about where you're going, and putting effort into keeping things simple and aligned.
What’s one thing you wish more people knew about being a lawyer in the sporting world?
How varied and rewarding the work can be - and how often your influence can extend beyond purely "legal" matters. In my role, I've contributed to setting HPSNZ's strategic direction, identified learnings from various reviews, informed the development of programmes designed to build capacity across the sector, and acted as a sounding board in investment decision making - in addition to the day to day advisory and transactional work that you would expect a General Counsel to be involved in. In short, I feel very privileged when it comes to the scope and remit of my role - and very lucky when I reflect on the people that I get to work with and learn from.
Ngā mihi nui to Neena Ullal for offering a thoughtful glimpse into her work in the high performance sporting sector, and for the reminder that meaningful legal work often goes beyond the legal questions.
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