Hailstone told of his enthusiasm for the PNZ cycling programme following the announcement, and outlined the key goals of his new role.

"New Zealand Paralympic cycling is going from strength to strength and I am very excited about building on that success," he said.

"Our focus will continue to extend to development athletes coming through the programme and build the number of high performance para-cyclists in New Zealand."

PNZ High Performance Director Malcolm Humm paid tribute to Hailstone and backed him have a major impact on their medal hopefuls performances as Rio 2016 approaches.

"Jono's knowledge of Paralympic cycling that he gained from his experiences with the London campaign will be invaluable to our programme leading up to Rio 2016," Humm said.

"His knowledge and skills will ensure that our athletes have the best possible leadership and support."

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