The hockey community was shocked to hear about the death of highly-respected Olympian and hockey coach Paul Ackerley, 61, who died in Wellington Hospital this morning after a short illness.
Ackerly was a member of the history-making New Zealand men's hockey team that won the gold medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. As part of that team, he was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.
He went on to coach the New Zealand women's hockey team for six years, leading them to a bronze medal at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games. He also coached the Wellington women's hockey team.
For the past seven years, Paul worked for Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC) in Wellington, as a Senior Advisor in Coaching and Volunteers.
Paul was instrumental in the set up of hockey's coach development programme. He was passionate about hockey and the development of coaches throughout the country. He was a humble, kind-natured man and people were always grateful for the support and wisdom that he offered.
Hockey New Zealand's deepest thoughts and sympathies are with his family at this incredibly tough time.
Ackerley's funeral will be held at 11am on Friday, May 6 at Old St Pauls in Wellington.
Hockey New Zealand Media release
