Aksel Bech (Chair)
Aksel has been involved for the past decade as a parent of three lacrosse-playing children including a son on a college scholarship for lacrosse starting in the US Fall semester of 2024 and Aksel served as Chair of Waikato Lacrosse Association in 2022. He started his professional career working in Human Resources for Natural Gas Corporation, and was part of the successful management buy-out of NDA Engineering in 1998. Continuing as an owner/manager until the business was sold a decade later, he then held Board of Trustee roles in two primary schools and one private secondary school as well as directorships in private sector companies whilst focusing most of his time around family. Aksel has significant governance experience from serving on several private sector Boards of Directors and he is the current Chair of the Foundation at St. Peter’s School of Cambridge. Aksel represented the Tamahere Ward on the southern border of Hamilton for six years as their publicly elected Councillor (three of those years as the Deputy Mayor of Waikato District Council), holds a Masters in Industrial Psychology and runs an independent housing advocacy along with providing mediation and facilitation services in the community and employment spaces.
Debra Cowen (Deputy Chair)
Debra works as a Logistics Manager in the Dairy Industry. She is heavily involved in the sport of Equestrian, having competed, organised, and managed in many shows. She is currently Event Director of 3 of the biggest dressage shows in New Zealand as well as being President of one of the largest Equestrian Venues in the Country. Her involvement in Lacrosse came about via her son Ben who started playing In 2019, and was a member of the NZ Under 15 team in 2020, a member of the NZ U18 team in 2021, 2022 and is captain of the U18 NZ Team in 2023. Debra joined the Board in 2022 and is also Manager of the 2023 U18 Mens team, that travelled to Perth in April 2023 for the Australian state championships.
Alice Baucke
Alice Baucke is a Waikato-based lacrosse parent who’s spent the past three years supporting the game from the sidelines. She is particularly passionate about the effective provision of opportunities for high-performance athletes, alongside expanding youth participation in the sport of lacrosse. Alice acted as a Team Manager for the 2025 NZU18 Men’s team in Adelaide, and will be a keen supporter for the 2025 NZ U20 Men’s team in Seogwipo, South Korea.
Dean Forman
Dean is one of New Zealand’s most experienced lacrosse coaches, specialising in the women’s game since 2001. He has coached at every level—club, representative, and national—winning titles in New Zealand and overseas. Since moving to Waikato in 2010, he has been instrumental in building women’s lacrosse pathways from schools to club and representative teams. With a fitness background focused on movement and injury prevention, Dean designs training that is creative, challenging, and enjoyable, helping players reach their full potential.
Lydia Hayden
Lydia has been an active member of the New Zealand lacrosse community since 2018, contributing as a player, coach, and official. She has represented various teams at a national level, with her most recent achievement being her representation of NZ at the Women’s U20 World Cup in Hong Kong. Currently a full-time student at the University of Auckland, Lydia is pursuing a conjoint Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Global Studies. Alongside her academic commitments, she remains deeply involved in lacrosse development initiatives across Auckland. Most recently, she coached the Girls U18 Blue team, helping to foster the next generation of talent. Lydia is especially passionate about growing the officiating pathway in New Zealand. She is committed to mentoring and supporting new umpires, ensuring they have the same opportunities to grow and succeed within the sport as she has. Her dedication to lacrosse at all levels—on and off the field—reflects her vision of a stronger, more inclusive future for the sport in Aotearoa.
William Ormsby
William (Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Maniapoto) is the National Technical Manager for a Canadian-owned manufacturer of industrial power equipment, serving clients worldwide. A committed sports volunteer, he is the immediate past Chairperson of the Waikato Lacrosse Association and has served on a primary school board of trustees, the Armistice in Cambridge committee, and the Te Awamutu RSA Club committee. His two sons have played lacrosse from intermediate school to men’s leagues, and William now officiates men’s and boys’ field and sixes lacrosse at multiple levels.
Tegan Walmsley
Tegan has been involved in lacrosse since 2015 as a player, coach, official and organiser. She has played for various representative teams, including the NZBLAX at the World Cup Qualifiers, NZ under 23s and Auckland, Canterbury and Waikato Senior Women’s teams. Tegan was one of the founding members of UC (University of Canterbury) Lacrosse, and has played a key role in the success of the NZ Universities Lacrosse Tournament in recent years. Tegan is passionate about lacrosse, and wants to help promote it at both grassroots and representative levels, to increase reach to a sport that has given her so much. She is currently working as a Process Development Engineer working at Fisher & Paykel Healthcare.
Nancy Yuan
Nancy’s passion for lacrosse began 13 years ago when she started playing as a goalie in high school, later going on to captain her school’s team for two years. She has played at various levels, representing Auckland, the NZ U19 team, and most recently NZBLAX at ASPAC in 2025. Off the field, Nancy brings a strong background in governance and strategy. She worked in management consulting at Bain & Company Australia and is currently a manager at the American Red Cross. She has also held various board positions for multiple nonprofits, including Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia and the Australian Red Cross National Youth Advisory Board. Nancy is committed to strong governance, transparency, and long-term planning to support NZ Lacrosse’s growth and success. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Swarthmore College and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.