Active NZ 2022 

Our nationwide participation survey on young people and adults

Every month we survey a sample of New Zealanders registered on the electoral roll through our research partner, Kantar Public, to tell us about the physical activities they do and what they think about being physically active.

In its current form, Active NZ has been running since the beginning of 2017 and we have now collected six years’ worth of data. This gives us the opportunity to investigate any emerging trends, as well as offering a robust sample to dig into specific demographic audiences, as required.  

The Active NZ 2022 – Changes in Participation report is now available. This report looks at how participation levels have changed in the years since the Active NZ survey began. The Active NZ – Updating the Participation Landscape report explores the results from 2022 through the lenses of age, gender, ethnicity, deprivation, and disability, and will be available by the end of August 2023. 

The results from the 2022 Active NZ survey show that COVID-19 continues to have an impact on participation in physical activity in Aotearoa New Zealand. Overall participation levels for adults and rangatahi were down from 2021, while tamariki showed improved levels of participation. There were also increases in participation reported for key audiences such as young Asian and disabled tamariki.

These findings confirm the importance of Sport NZ’s strategic direction to ensure Every Body Active is realised, and that our current strategic focus areas remain relevant. 

Funding and the economic value of play, active recreation and sport research