Women in Sport | Sportswomen | Sport New Zealand

Equity through collective action

Sport NZ is committed to improving the opportunities, value and visibility for women and girls.

The Government's Women and Girls in Sport and Active Recreation Strategy aims to ensure that all women and girls, in all roles, are visible, feel positive about the contribution they make, and value being involved and participating in all levels of play, active recreation and sport. See our research, resources and funding to find out how we are addressing the inequities for women and girls in play, active recreation and sport.

Government Strategy

The Government's Women and Girls in Sport and Active Recreation strategy sets out the vision to enable women and girls to realise their potential in and through play, active recreation and sport by removing barriers in the three priority areas of leadership, participation and value and visibility.

Women and girls strategy

Commitment progress

This report celebrates the achievements over three years to address the under-representation of women and girls in sport and active recreation.

Commitment progress

#itsmymove

#itsmymove explores factors like judgement, lack of confidence and fear of failure that are barriers to increasing participation by young women. Become part of the #itsmymove movement and help young women to be active and healthy their way.

#itsmymove campaign

Building cultural inclusion in active recreation and sport

A research report which explores key themes around how Muslim women access active recreation and sport in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Read research report

Case Studies

WORD – World Off-Road Riding Department

Focussed on encouraging young people to enjoy mountain biking, WORD is working to build the confidence of young women, encouraging new friendships and fostering a lifelong love of mountain biking. Meet the amazing young women involved in creating and leading the mahi.

WORD – World Off-Road Riding Department

Journeys Central Otago Charitable Trust

Journeys Central Otago identified a need within the community to connect and develop self-confidence, resilience, and outdoor skills in young women. What started off as a pilot focussed on mountain biking and on-foot adventures has grown to involve a co-design approach to meet the needs of the local kōhine.

Journeys Charitable Trust

Sea Sisters

Started just over a year ago, Sea Sisters wanted to create a space for women to meet and be active together. Through the support of Sport NZ Tu Manawa funding, they have embraced an ethos of empowering young women to achieve goals they set themselves.

Sea Sisters

Group of three young women dancing next to one another

#itsmymove newsletter

Resources

Media Analysis

Media Coverage of Women's Sport

Sport NZ and Insertia are conducting a major study of gender balance in sports media coverage and the journalists doing that reporting.

Media Coverage of Women's Sport

Governance

Board Gender Diversity

Supporting good governance through board diversity.

Board gender diversity

Being board ready: A guide for women

A resource to assist women to better understand board roles and responsibilities, develop leadership skills, learn how to build networks critical for board visibility and self-assess their skill sets to increase opportunities for board appointments.

Being board ready: A guide for women

Two girls partaking in a muddy challenge

Gender insights

We've taken our research and insights and split it into a number of different demographics to help you understand why some people are less active.

Gender insights

Related news

Going With the Flow

Designed for youth, educators and outdoor practitioners, ‘Going with the flow’ is a new multimedia resource from Education Outdoors New Zealand (EONZ) which aims to inspire positive changes to outdoor practice and culture for everybody.

#itsmymove

Sport NZ launched #itsmymove in February 2022 - a campaign to help young women get and stay active their way. It has been developed to address declining physical activity levels in teenage girls.

Sport NZ announces increase in female board representation

Female voices in governance have been amplified across the sport and recreation sector, with the number of Sport NZ partner organisations achieving the board gender equity target rising from just over half in 2018 to 91% in 2021.

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