But the former javelin competitor liked what she saw from the region’s leading athletes.
Hellier was in Dunedin over the weekend to help out and answer any questions budding young stars may have.
Athletics Otago hosted its first squad camp since Covid at the Caledonian Ground. About 50 athletes attended.
Hellier, who coached shot put great Valerie Adams from 1998 until 2010, and won silver in javelin at the 1994 Commonwealth Games, is a high performance coaching manager for Athletics New Zealand.
She works closely with the country’s top coaches, but still gets involved in the more hands-on coaching when she can.
"Otago has always produced great athletes," she said when asked about the talent in the South.
"You don’t really want to use the word ‘talent’ too early in young people’s lives. But you can see young athletes who are coming through."
While Hellier was reluctant to label anyone too soon, she was happy to discuss promising shot putter Maddi Wesche, who won bronze at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and gold at the world under-20 championships in 2018.
She is just 23 and is tracking nicely.
New Zealand has enjoyed a lot of recent success in the discipline.
Adams set the bar very high. She was undefeated in elite competition between August 2010 and June 2015, and is a two-time Olympic champion and four-time world champion.
Tom Walsh has back-to-back Olympic bronze medals and a 2017 world title.
Jacko Gill netted silver at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, finishing behind Walsh.
Hammer thrower Julia Ratcliffe also claimed silver in Birmingham.
It is a golden era for New Zealand throwers, and Wesche is part of that.
"Seeing someone who is the best in the world creates a momentum and it creates belief that ‘I can give this a good crack and anything is possible’," Hellier said.
"For Maddi, she needs to have her own pathway.
"Looking to fill someone else’s shoes is damn near impossible.
"But she has an absolutely huge future in front of her. The limitations are only set by herself, really.
"She is throwing into the 19s [metres] so she has a bit of work to do to catch up to the girls who are throwing in the 20s.
"But when you look at her progression, she is absolutely on the pathway."
