PlaceMakers behind NZ Team success
16 Sep 2024, Community & Sponsorship, News
PlaceMakers support of the record-breaking New Zealand Team was considered ‘critical’ by the New Zealand Olympic Committee
With Tour de Fern events across the country, branch Fan Zones and the Podium Picks competition, PlaceMakers staff and customers were provided plenty of opportunity to get behind the New Zealand Team, which brought home a record haul of 10 gold, seven silver and three bronze medals from an incredible Olympic Games in Paris.
While fan support can be a key ingredient for success, from the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) says that without funding from businesses like PlaceMakers, the athletes wouldn’t be in a position to pit themselves against the best in the world.
“Thank you for all of PlaceMakers support of our New Zealand Team. Your support isn’t just nice to have, it’s absolutely critical to create the platform for athletes to perform at their best on the biggest sporting stage in the world,” expressed NZOC to the PlaceMakers team.
PlaceMakers brand manager Nicholas Scott, who helped organise the range of events and competitions to generate excitement for our Kiwi athletes, says that all staff and customers should be proud of contributing to their achievements.
Getting in the zone
While PlaceMakers Tour de Fern events helped ignite enthusiasm for the Games before the Olympic Cauldron was lit, branch Fan Zones and the exclusive Podium Picks competition helped keep everyone locked in across the full 19 days of the all-star event.
Staff and customers enjoyed highlights of the Olympic Games on screens at the branch Fan Zones, visual reminders of how high NZ athletes – such as Hamish Kerr (a previous PlaceMakers employee!) and Eliza McCartney – can jump, and put their skills to the test against friends and colleagues in events such as mini putt, rowing, cycling, bean bag toss and basketball.
“The stores were really excited about putting together the Fan Zones,” says Nick. “Feedback from customers was extremely positive, with many saying that PlaceMakers involvement inspired them to be more engaged with the Olympics this year because they kept seeing reminders everywhere they went!” Launched two weeks before the Olympic Games started, PlaceMakers exclusive Podium Picks online game provided the perfect way to get psyched, stay up to speed and predict how the New Zealand Team would perform each day – all while earning points that could lead to massive prizes for players!
“It was awesome to see so many people teaming up and making quite calculated predictions on a daily basis,” says Nick. “But also, it was good to just see people giving it crack too.”
Over the course of the Olympic Games, Podium Picks players received more than 2,500 spot prizes, with first overall winning a $10,000 travel voucher, second a $5,000 PlaceMakers voucher, and third a Panasonic OLED TV. Participants said it was the best game going, outside the actual Olympics of course!
A proud performance
The New Zealand Team’s haul of 10 gold medals eclipses the previous best of eight gold won in Los Angeles in 1984, while the total number of all medals is equal to the 20 won at Tokyo 2020. The success put New Zealand at 11th on the meda table.
There were 204 athletes from 23 sports representing New Zealand at the Olympic Games and, before their return home, New Zealand Team Chef de Mission Nigel Avery thanked them all for their performances and the way they represented their country.
“I’ve been extremely proud of the way our athletes have conducted themselves both on and off the field of play,” said Avery.
“There has been a huge amount of manaaki from our team towards the other nations and it’s been great to see them showcasing our values and culture.
“We also want to thank New Zealanders for their support.”
New Zealand team stats:
- 204 athletes from 23 sports
- 20 medals: 10 gold, 7 silver, 3 bronze
- Most ever gold medals by a New Zealand Team
- Nine medal-winning sports (rugby sevens, rowing, canoeing, cycling, sailing, high jump, shot put, triathlon, golf)
- New Zealand’s first ever high jump medal
- Saturday, 10 August was New Zealand’s most successful ever day at the Olympics with three gold medals (Hamish Kerr, high jump; Lisa Carrington, K1 50; Lydia Ko, women’s golf)
- New Zealand’s most successful track cycling campaign (2x gold, 2x silver, 1x bronze)
- New Zealand’s largest ever pole vault team with three athletes: Imogen Ayris, Eliza McCartney, Olivia McTaggart
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