Disability Inclusion Fund projects
Disability Inclusion Fund projects
Learn more about the funded projects to help more disabled tamariki and rangatahi stay active in ways they want to be and to build capacity and capability in the sector.
Working in partnership, Sport NZ is seeking to create sustainable change to increase capacity and capability within the play, active recreation and sport sector, to provide disabled tamariki and rangatahi (including young people up to age 24) with quality and equitable participation opportunities of their choice.
The Disability Inclusion Fund was launched in September 2021 with eligible organisations applying for single or multi-year funding for any value up to a maximum amount of $100,000 per year, for up to three years to support their initiatives.
Sport NZ has committed $3.6 million that will see a total of 16 national and regional organisations receive funding over the next two or three years to deliver initiatives and programmes that increase the opportunities being provided to young people with disabilities.
The 16 recipients are each set to receive investment of between $30,000 and $300,000 for projects of two or three years duration.
The fund will invest in mahi that leads to these types of sustainable changes across the disability spectrum, including physical disabilities, and specifically aims to address gaps identified in providing participation opportunities for intellectually disabled tamariki and rangatahi; participation opportunities for tamariki and rangatahi who have invisible impairments; and inclusionary practices for all impairments.
Sixteen projects selected to receive funding support
The funded projects are:
Aktive: Making Auckland The World’s Most Inclusive Active City
Aktive will bring its ‘Understanding Disability Toolkit’ and ‘Accessible and Inclusive Physical Activity Guidelines’ to life through providing its respective workforces with the knowledge, skills and confidence to support the sector with inclusionary practices. The aim is to create greater alignment and collaboration, establish shared resources and insights, and help the sector identify and address barriers for disabled participants to be active.
Athletics NZ: Disability Inclusion Action Plan
Athletics NZ vision is ‘Kiwis achieve more through Athletics’. Its Disability Inclusion Action Plan will help hundreds more New Zealanders with disabilities improve their lives through the power of sport. The plan includes 15 separate but complimentary initiatives, to be led by an Athletics NZ Inclusion Lead. The three pillars of the plan are Experience, Inspire and Lead.
Basketball Hawke’s Bay: Disability and Inclusion Development Officer
Basketball Hawke's Bay will employ a part-time role to lead the delivery of Basketball Hawkes Bay’s Disability and Inclusion Strategy. This strategy focuses on building capacity and capability to enable them to deliver quality and equitable opportunities in basketball for disabled people.
Boccia: Inclusive, Sustainable, Progressive
The Boccia NZ project has a national focus, but this will see the adoption of a regional approach to facilitate regional alignment, connection, and collaboration, and ensure insights and learning are shared and effectively communicated. This will be achieved through creating sport development resources, supporting regional programme delivery and development, and employing a Sport Development Lead to drive the implementation of this project.
Canoe Racing NZ: Paddle-ability
Through the development and implementation of the Paddle-able programme, Canoe Racing NZ aims to increase the confidence, capability and capacity of paddling clubs and paddling providers around New Zealand to deliver disabled tamariki and ringtail quality paddling experiences. As well, they will build an inclusive paddling community where disabled paddlers of all abilities can participate alongside their able-bodied peers, both recreationally and at events.
Golf NZ: Disability Action Plan
Golf New Zealand believes golf has the potential to be the most accessible and inclusive game in the country. Its Disability Action works to fulfil Golf's potential by ensuring disabled people have more choice, improved access, and positive experiences to learn, play, and compete in golf.
Netball NZ: No Limits Netball
No Limits Netball will provide disabled tamariki and rangatahi with sustainable, quality and equitable participation opportunities in netball.
Parafed BOP: Positive Play Experiences for Physically Disabled Tamariki
This project will provide a quality play and movement experience for physically disabled tamariki, as it is often these tamariki who often miss out on opportunities to play, have fun and be active. A Play Programme will be delivered in primary schools throughout the Bay of Plenty Region, and ParaFed Bay of Plenty’s activities will be developed to include play.
Parafed Northland: Mid North Active Inclusion - Leadership and Aspirations through Play, Active Recreation and Sport
The ParaFed Northland project will grow sustainable equitable and inclusive play, active recreation and sport opportunities for disabled tamariki and rangatahi throughout Te Tai Tokerau.
Recreation Aotearoa: Accessible Active Recreation
The Recreation Aotearoa project will enhance wellbeing by improving access to recreation places and spaces for disabled people, with a particular focus on disabled tamariki and rangatahi.
Riding for the Disabled: Improving Access to Play, Active Recreation, and Sport for Disabled People Nationwide via Therapeutic Horse Riding
The NZRDA project will build capability and capacity to enable better support for riders through training and support for over 50 local RDA groups in 14 regions. The components include a roving coach, workshops/regional training and webinars/videos.
Sense Rugby NZ: Sustainability Initiative
Sense Rugby NZ will expand its reach nationwide and provide participation opportunities for tamariki and rangatahi who otherwise miss out on play, active recreation and sport due to the differences and challenges they experience in their motor skills, social skills, emotional regulation capacities, cognition and learning, communication, attention, and behaviour.
Sport Hawke's Bay: Disability Inclusion Initiative
Sport Hawke's Bay initiative aims to ensure disabled people, especially disabled tamariki and rangatahi are able to access and participate in play, active recreation and sport opportunities in Hawke’s Bay.
Sport Otago: Interactive Learning and Play Lab
The Sport Otago Play Lab will be a tool for teachers to use to assist students with high needs and complex support needs to learn to regulate and manage their own behaviours and to use physical movement to engage in learning and to strengthen their cognitive understanding of concepts.
Swimming NZ: Swimming Inclusivity Plan
The Swimming NZ project consists of five initiatives, all aligned to meet the goal of ensuring equitable access and opportunities for disabled tamariki and rangatahi across New Zealand, in the sport of swimming.
YMCA Southland: Ladders – supporting young people with safe and inclusive opportunities to recreate
Ladders is a collaborative programme with Active Southland and Inclusive Activity Murihiku designed to support our Southland disabled tamariki and rangatahi with safe and inclusive opportunities to participate in sport and active recreation, have fun with their peers and be connected to their community. It is a multi-prong approach by a diverse range of organisations designed to impact the system at all levels around disabled tamariki and rangatahi. This includes leadership and advocacy, capability and capacity.
