Sector Update
Sector Update
Kia ora koutou,
We are on the final countdown to Paris 2024 and for many, the excitement will be building. No matter who you are and whether you consider yourself a sports fan, it’s hard not to get swept up in the moment.
For the first time in history, there will be an equal number of female and male athletes competing at the Olympics. It’s encouraging to see New Zealand’s Olympic team, as confirmed last week, is diverse and close to gender equal. On that note, we have seen great results out of the recent 2024 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Workforce Survey - with more women, Māori, members of rainbow communities, and disabled people now working in the sector since we first started collecting data in 2020. There is great progress but we still need to keep diversity and the benefits it can bring at the front of our minds. Thank you to the organisations and individuals across the sector who took part in this survey. You can read the full report findings below.
Another piece of work that will be of value to our sector is the updated New Zealand Spaces and Places Framework. I am sure we are all aware of how important it is to have the right spaces and places to enable physical activity. As our population grows, we need to make sure we stay ahead and have a variety of environments and flexible facilities that work for our diverse communities. This framework will help with getting better outcomes and has had input from a number of people. A big thank you to those who have contributed.
The last thing to do is to send the best of luck to the New Zealand Team. The Olympic Games begin on 26 July and end on 7 August, followed closely by the Paralympic Games, which run from 28 August to 8 September. Let’s get ready to cheer them all on! Well done to everyone who has played a part in getting our athletes to the start line, and those who will be with them as they perform in Paris. We wish them all the best!
Ngā mihi,
Raelene
Latest News
Read about the latest news across Aotearoa.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Survey 2024
The 2024 DEI Sector Workforce Survey report is out now. This survey provides insights on the make-up and experiences of board members and employees working in the play, active recreation and sport sector. The report captures insights from 109 organisations and 1,425 people across the sector.
This year’s results show that meaningful progress has been made since the survey was first run in 2020, particularly in the areas of gender and Māori representation, as well as improved workforce experiences.
Read more in the DEI workforce survey infographic and report.
Media and Gender Study: 2023 Annual Report
The fourth annual report from the Sport NZ-Isentia study of gender balance in sports news coverage, which covers the 2023 period, is out now. Overall, the study shows significant advances in the coverage of women’s sport in New Zealand media, increasing from 15% in 2020 to 26% in 2023. However, 2023 is the first year where gender balance has not improved year on year - 26% of sports news coverage was about women in 2023, compared to 28% in 2022, likely due to fewer major events hosted in New Zealand.
Read more in the Media and Gender Study 2023 Annual Report.
Latest Active NZ survey results and data tools
In the latest Active NZ survey results, the Snapshot of the Participation Landscape report 2023 continues to highlight inequities in play, active recreation and sport by age, gender, ethnicity, deprivation and disability.
We now have seven years’ worth of data from Active NZ and can identify longer term trends and better explore specific demographic groups to monitor progress against our strategy. The key findings from the Participation Trends report 2017-2023 show Covid-19 has been a significant disruptor to participation in play, active recreation and sport in Aotearoa New Zealand, with the effects continuing into 2023.
Find out more about the survey results and trends and our refreshed data tools, which will help you find relevant information from the Active NZ survey.
High Performance Sport NZ Investment Process
For National Sporting Organisations who may be interested in seeking High Performance Investment for the 2025-2028 period, programme guidelines for both High Performance Investment and Tailored Athlete Pathway Support are now available on the High Performance Sport NZ website. Also available are High Performance Planning and Investment guidelines, individualised for podium, aspirational and team sports. Submissions are due to HPSNZ by 18 October. Please note that the investment process for Sport NZ Investment is separate to this and already underway for the new investment period.
See High Performance Sport NZ Investment.
Women in Sport Aotearoa’s Change in Action Week: 2-8 September 2024
Women in Sport Aotearoa (WISPA’s) Change in Action Week is a call to action encouraging anyone in the sport and physical activity community across Aotearoa to share current examples of actions driving positive change for women and girls. It is a chance to celebrate the small wins in clubs, schools, groups and organisations that are improving the sporting landscape for women and girls, and to encourage others to make similar changes.
Find out how to participate in WISPA’s Change in Action Week.
Community Stories
Here are some stories from the community we didn’t want you to miss.
Indigenous approach taking centre court for Māori and Pasifika coaches
Discover how a groundbreaking 2023 initiative is transforming Poitarawhiti (Netball) in Aotearoa. Healthy Families Waitākere, in collaboration with Netball New Zealand and Netball Northern Zone, is integrating te ao Māori principles into performance coach accreditation. Led by Ruta Tonumaivao, this project not only enhances the sport but also champions te reo Māori. Supported by Sport NZ Ihi Aotearoa, these insights look to revolutionise the commitment to Te Tiriti across all sports.
Dive into the full story now!
Connecting communities through sport in specialist schools
Healthy Active Learning is supporting specialist schools to ensure all ākonga reap the social benefits of sport and physical activity. For Oaklynn School in Tāmaki Makaurau, with 230 students in 11 satellite units across Central West Auckland, this has included an adapted version of the classic Kiwi Try-athlon, dance classes, and a sense of greater visibility and connection to their community.
Check out the full story, recently featured in the Education Gazette’s feature on building inclusive and empathetic classrooms.
New Resources
New Zealand Spaces and Places Framework 2024
Sport NZ's updated New Zealand Spaces and Places Framework 2024 for play, active recreation and sport is now live. It includes a set of 10 interrelated principles to guide strategic decision-making and smart investment in spaces and places and a seven-step plan for people making decisions about spaces and places.
Sport NZ encourages anyone involved in planning, funding and developing spaces and places projects to use this framework and share with others in the sector.
The framework is supported by Te Tiriti o Waitangi Informed Approach to Spaces and Places, Environmental Sustainability Guidelines for Spaces and Places, and case studies (which you can select from the resources section).
Drivers of change report
A new futures report explores how the operating context for sport and recreation in Aotearoa New Zealand is changing. It identifies 15 critical drivers of change that will affect sport and recreation into the future and outlines what we are currently seeing, what we might expect to see over the next 10 years and the potential impact this will have on sport and recreation. It may be used as a guide to support strategic planning and future thinking.
Find out more about drivers of change.
In Case You Missed It
New Māori resource for Olympic Games launched
Created in a three-way collaboration between Te Whare o Pou Tangata (the New Zealand Olympic Committee), New Zealand's exclusive Olympic Games broadcaster Rangiata (Sky), and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (the Māori Language Commission), this new Olympic Games glossary has all you need to help cheer on our Olympians in te reo Māori.
View and download Te Reo Māori ki Parī 2024.
New Zealand makes finals for Touch World Cup action
The Touch World Cup took place in Nottingham, England this month, bringing together the best touch players from 39 nations. Touch NZ had 220 players across 11 teams and provided 42 referees for the event. It was a huge celebration of culture, unity and whānau for the New Zealand team, with multiple family members in the contingent who travelled to Nottingham for the event. With all 11 teams reaching the finals, Touch NZ are looking forward to hosting the next World Cup on home soil, confirmed to take place in New Zealand in 2028.
Sun protection recommendations for play, active recreation and sport settings
Sport New Zealand will be responding to The Melanoma Network of New Zealand (MelNet) on their draft 2024-2027 New Zealand Skin Cancer Primary Prevention and Early Detection Strategy.
Recommendations 7 and 8 in the draft strategy are directly relevant to play, active recreation and sport settings and include the creation of best practice sun protection guidelines, sun protection education programmes and the provision of sun protection products and shade. If you wish to provide feedback on this strategy directly to MelNet, this can be done by emailing melnet@melnet.org.nz by 12pm Wednesday 31 July.
Eventing the future: New Zealand Events Association Conference
The New Zealand Events Association (NZEA) will be hosting their annual conference in Palmerston North on 27 and 28 August. The conference is a valuable opportunity for the wider events sector including suppliers, venues, local authorities and art, community, sport and recreation event owners and operators to come together to learn, collaborate and celebrate. In addition to the two conference days, the NZEA New Zealand Event Awards will be hosted, including awards for Best Sports Event, Best Major Event and Best Community or Not-for-profit Events for 2024.
The NZEA are proud to be able to offer a 50% discount on conference tickets to Sport NZ partners and recipients of this update from the play, active recreation and sport sector - NZEA Terms and Conditions apply. See more information and apply.
Governance
Updated Sport NZ Constitution Templates
The four Sport NZ constitution templates (National, Regional, Club version A, and Club version B) have been updated to include additional information for dispute resolutions, exemption from needing a majority of elected board members, and an Integrity Code clause, along with minor edits. A summary of changes document has also been provided for each updated template.
See the updated Sport NZ Constitution templates at the bottom of this page.
Charities Amendment Act
A July 2024 advisory highlights key changes in the Charities Amendment Act, including a new requirement to review governance procedures every three years to ensure they align with your entity’s charitable purpose and support compliance with the Act.
See the Charities Amendment Act brief advisory.
Payment of an honoraria to volunteers
This brief advisory provides guidance about the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and whether the payment of an honoraria to board members of volunteer organisations results in them being considered employees, and therefore the organisation considered a PCBU (person conducting a business or undertaking).
See the brief advisory.
