The Balance is Better Philosophy is Sport New Zealand’s approach to leading the changes needed to enable the New Zealand sport system to provide that positive experience for all our tamariki and rangatahi.

New Zealand and International research from the past 20 years.

When we dug deeper at what was happening in participant/athlete development here and
overseas we identified three key issues:

1. Childhood success is not a reliable predictor of future success
2. Identifying athletes early and specialising early on is taking its toll on young people
3. A focus on winning rather than development

This document details what parents and coaches can do to overcome this.

Sport NZ has been interviewing athletes, coaches and administrators across the sector as well as researching best practice around the world. Applying what we’ve learned will pay dividends. This resource contains case studies and actionable insights to achieve balance in sport and winning in the long run.

The Getting Started in Coaching resource provides valuable tips on your role as a coach, communication, sport safety, planning, and teaching new skills to athletes.

Coaches should be treated with respect and openness; Have access to self-improvement opportunities; Be matched with a level of coaching appropriate to their ability. This resource also includes an agreement form. 

The role of sports leaders & administrators in developing participants.

The role of coaches in developing participants. Remember why young people participate in sport – it’s about fun, the challenge, being part of a team or group, being with friends and self-improvement.

The role of parents/caregivers in developing participants. Parents need to think about how to put the fun and skill development back into youth sport.

A library of resources and toolkits based on insights and good practice examples.