Kia ora koutou,

Please find below a further update on COVID-19 as it relates to sport, recreation and play, including new Alert Level 3 guidelines. To recap:

• All of New Zealand is at Alert Level 4 until 11:59pm tonight
• From 11:59pm tonight, all areas south of Auckland will move to Alert Level 3
• Northland will remain at Alert Level 4 until at least 11:59pm on Thursday 2 September
• Auckland will remain at Alert Level 4 for at least another 2 weeks, with a review on Monday 13 September.

Sector Guidance for COVID-19 Alert Level 3

New alert level tables are now available on our web site.

Alert Level 3 restrictions are much the same as last time with a tightening of the rules around outdoor activities (e.g. hunting, backcountry tramping, rock climbing, mountaineering, any form of backcountry snowsports, mountain biking at grade 3 or above) which are not permitted where they may expose the participant to danger or may require search and rescue services. Personal trainers and professional coaches must also work from home in Alert Level 3. In summary :

• Stay at home in your bubble, other than for essential personal movement eg: exercise
• Public venues are closed. This includes gyms and pools, as well as public and school playgrounds.
• You are able to drive within your region to a public space, for example, a beach or park however physical distancing should be maintained.
• You are encouraged to wear a face covering and must keep 2 metres distance from others when exercising. 
• Gatherings of up to 10 people are allowed but only for wedding services, funerals and tangihanga.
• Personal trainers and professional coaches must work from home and use online and video conferencing facilities to deliver their training.
• Any activities that may expose the participant to danger or may require search and rescue services are not permitted. This means you should not participate in activities such as hunting, back country tramping, rock climbing, mountaineering, any form of back country snow sports and mountain biking at grade 3 or above. Short walks (up to 3 hours total) on easy trails are permitted.
• Longer rides/runs (within your region) are ok. Although they should still be low risk and you should be self-sufficient (able to get home without outside assistance if something goes wrong).
• Mountain biking on known easy trails for experienced mountain bikers is permitted.
• Outdoor sports are permitted where 2 metres physical distancing is possible e.g. golf, tennis, bowls. Conditions apply including that public facilities must be closed, a COVID-19 safety plan must be in place, common touch points must be minimised and equipment must not be shared.
• Some water activities are possible. We recommend you remain within close range of the shore (no more than 200m away). These activities include swimming, snorkelling, surfing, kayaking, canoeing, rowing, windsurfing and paddle boarding. High risk activities are discouraged because these activities expose participants or other users to increased danger and may require complex search and rescue services.
• Fishing from a wharf or surfcasting from the beach is permitted, but people should not fish from rocks (because of the increased drowning risk).

For detailed guidance, please refer to the full Sport NZ Alert Level 3 table on our web site.

Government information on Alert Level 3 can be found here.

Permitted travel guidelines can be read here.

Sport Season Transition Guidelines

We appreciate the tough decisions being made around cancelling competitions and events whilst keeping the needs of rangatahi front of mind. We’ve updated our Season Transition Guidelines in light of the current COVID-19 restrictions which you can read here.

Contacting Sport NZ

Please contact your Partnerships Manager for further help or support if you have one, otherwise feel free to send COVID-19 related queries to this address, and we’ll respond as soon as possible: Covid19response@sportnz.org.nz.

Kia kaha,
Raelene Castle