Born in Gisborne on 24 May 1949, Terry Sheldrake commenced his working life on local farms from the age of 16. Taking up a number of business opportunities in insurance and investment during his mid-twenties, he developed his professional and leadership skills. However, his real passion was in the sport and the sport of triathlon.
In 1983 as one of four founding members of the Eastland Triathlon Club the sport was introduced to Gisborne. His vision of providing events that were affordable to the community, offered a unique experience across multiple formats and attracted participation from across New Zealand, saw the sport become an iconic part of the Gisborne and NZ sporting landscape. In 1984 he was part of the formation of the New Zealand Triathlon Association contributing to the writing of the rules for triathlon in NZ.
Having such a passion for sport he was the integral driver in the establishment of the Eastland Sports Foundation and Education Trust in Gisborne, now known as Whiti Ora. As the founding CEO of the regional sports trust he led the organisation from 1991 through to 2002 and ensured that the Gisborne region had access and equal opportunity to sport and recreation initiatives from the Hillary Commission comparative to other regions in NZ.
Together with his wife Kathy they were integral in the development and delivery of one of largest participation events in New Zealand, the Weet-bix Kids TRYathlon series. He was the Race Director for over 150 events including events in Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Raratonga. The event now attracts over 38000 participants between the ages of 7-15 years.
Throughout his career Terry has directed over 385 various triathlon, duathlon and multisport events. He can be credited with directing World Cup and Continental Cup events held in New Plymouth between 2005-2009 then 2014-2016. Between 2000-2020 he has held multiple positions at World Championship Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games events. He was the Race Director for the 2003 and 2012 World Championship events held in NZ.
Over a period of 20 years Terry represented TriNZ as a passionate and committed administrator. He was the Vice President of TriNZ 1994-95 and President 1996-2000. International appointments followed as the ITU Oceania Regional Delegate from 2000-2008 and then gaining further appointment to the ITU Executive Board in 2008 and held this position through to 2020.
In recognition of his outstanding service to the sport Terry was made a Life Member of Triathlon NZ in 2009 and in 2015 received the NZ Order of Merit for services to Triathlon. At the 2021 NZ Sport and Recreation Awards he was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.