The 51-year-old former Black Sticks player arrived in Dunedin on Monday with a brief to upskill the region's coaches.
Southern Hockey has identified it as an area which needs improvement and shoulder-tapped Kake for the role of regional development coach.
He spent the previous eight years coaching in Hong Kong before signing a one-year deal with Southern Hockey.
''My main role is to upskill the coaches and mentor them, plus just give them a bit more confidence,'' Kake said.
''From what I've been told, some of them start feeling the pressure a bit and I'm here to say 'hey, this is what we are going to do in those pressure situations' and that sort of thing.
''I'm not here to reinvent the wheel but just to encourage people to try a few different things.
''You have Dave Ross down here ... and his coaching record speaks for itself. I'm here to take some pressure off him in terms of passing on knowledge.''
Kake will be based in Dunedin but will also be doing a lot of travelling. Initially, he intends to spend one day a week in each of the five associations in the Southern catchment so he can get a fuller understanding of what is required.
''Probably the first month will be going around and just seeing what actually needs to be done. It is not a small job. In Hong Kong, that took me about six months to put together what we thought was needed.
''Here, because people are a bit more clued-up in hockey, I'm hoping it is going to be a little bit easier and that they can actually tell me what they want.''
Southern pulled out of the national league last year and failed to offer an explanation as to why, leaving the hockey community baffled.
It was suggested to the Otago Daily Times finances played a major role in the decision. But Kake said he understood it was more about the timing of the national tournament. He did not elaborate and was keen to stay out of the politics.
''That is one of the good things about coming in as a stranger. I get to have a look and say this is what I think.
''I'm not here to tread on anyone's toes. I'm just here to help.''
Kake represented Auckland from 1984 to 1995 and played for the national side from 1986 to 1990 and again from 1992 to 1995.
He moved into coaching following his playing career and led the New Zealand Maori from 2005 to 2009. He also guided the Auckland under-18 team to a national title in 2009 before moving to Hong Kong.
Kake's wife, former Black Stick Tina Bell-Kake, who played for Otago when she was at Otago University, will join him in Dunedin in July. They have three children: Chelsea (21), Mark (19) and Jacob (14), who is at boarding school in Auckland.
