'Then one day, it's over': The reinvention of Grant Elliott

Saturday, 13 June 2026

Former Black Cap Grant Elliott has opened up about the tough reality of losing his daily sporting drive and reinventing himself in his mid-40s.

Grant Elliott played professional cricket for 22 years and is famously remembered for his match-winning six in the 2015 World Cup semifinal against South Africa.

He warns that quitting the gym after retirement is the 'worst thing you can do' because the sudden loss of endorphins hits your mental and physical health.

Elliott says he is now searching for peace, longevity, and 'stealth mode'.

He still manages White Ferns captain Amelia Kerr, but spends his days building partnerships for the Life Flight air ambulance service.

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Grant Elliott had one goal from age 12. Every day, he woke up trying to be a better cricketer. Then one day, it was over.

Most people remember him for the 2015 World Cup semifinal and the winning six that took New Zealand to their first final. It's the kind of moment every athlete dreams of. But Elliott has perspective.

Former Black Cap Grant Elliott is now the partnerships manager for Life Flight, raising funds to keep emergency air ambulances in the sky.

'Your career is so long as a cricketer, and I was at the tail end of my career, so I think I'd experienced so much failure and success that you've got quite a lot of perspective. Whether you win or lose, it's a matter of centimetres, millimetres as to whether the ball strikes the right place in the bat,' he says.

He'd rather be known for what he's doing now - building partnerships at Life Flight, the air ambulance service that operates on donations.

While he’s kept one foot in cricket — managing Amelia Kerr, captain of the White Ferns — he says the harder part is finding something else. 'It's difficult. You have to reinvent yourself,' he says.

'From the age of 12, I had a fire burning inside me to be a better cricketer every day. It's like that was my drive, and then one day it's gone. It's finished. I'd have to say I'm probably still trying to find that drive. But that's the challenge,' Elliott says.

The biggest risk after retirement is what happens physically. 'Immediately when you finish sport, you think, 'You know what? I don't want to see another gym for another 10 years.' But that's the worst thing you can do. Every day you're getting those amazing endorphins from exercising. By stopping it, I think that really does have an effect on your mental and obviously physical wellbeing,' Elliott says.

The athlete mindset remains. 'The way that you manage your lifestyle, your daily routine, the choices that you make — the healthy choices. I think that helps you strive towards whatever [your[ goal is,' he says.

Those choices are now focused on longevity. 'I do want to be 60 and be healthy and fit. I want to be there for my kids and for when they have children. I read somewhere that if you’re 60 and have the ability to run 5km, play golf, and lift weights — then you're structuring your life in a good way,' Elliott says.

Now in his mid-40s, Elliott is clear about what comes next. 'I am searching for peace and contentment. I think that's what I want out of life. You don't play cricket because you want chase stardom and press. After your career, you want to get away from the circus of press and just settle into something you can do in stealth mode,' Elliott says.

* This article was produced as part of a commercial arrangement with Chemist Warehouse on wellness. It is editorially independent and they had no influence over, or approval of, the content. Read more about our partnership content here.