WELLINGTON: Former BlackCaps head coach Gary Stead has rejoined New Zealand Cricket (NZC) in a new role as high-performance coach, the board announced on Friday.

According to an NZC statement, Stead's responsibilities will include "supporting player and coach development, as well as high-performance programmes."

This appointment comes less than four months after Stead stepped down as head coach of the New Zealand men's team in June, following a highly successful tenure from 2018 to 2025.

During that period, he guided the team to three major finals in limited-overs cricket -- the 2019 ODI World Cup, the 2021 T20 World Cup, and the 2025 Champions Trophy. He also led New Zealand to victory in the inaugural World Test Championship final (2019–2021), defeating India.

"New Zealand cricket's very much been at my heart for the past 30 odd years and to be able to keep contributing to the game I love is really special," Stead said.

"I'm still passionate about coaching and trying to help people learn and improve. If I can pass on some of my skills and experiences to the wider cricket network and in turn help the BLACKCAPS and WHITE FERNS win on the world stage - than that would be really satisfying," he added.

The role, which is part-time, allows Stead the flexibility to work outside NZC, and it means the new appointment will not hinder his appointment as head coach of the Andhra team for the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season.

"I'm also appreciative of the opportunity to work outside of NZC to broaden my skills and experiences and hopefully I can bring what I learn back into our cricket environment," he said.