Sport NZ and High Performance Sport NZ established the National Partner Strengthen and Adapt Programme, as part of the COVID-19 Recovery Package for the play, active recreation, and sport sector. 

COVID-19 placed an immense strain on the play, active recreation, and sport system in New Zealand. The programme aims to improve the capacity, capability, and resilience of selected national partners and their delivery networks, so that they are best positioned to meet the needs of participants and athletes into the future. Partners run a discovery process to identify change projects that will make the biggest difference, receiving expert guidance for research and planning along the way. 

The programme is being delivered through four Waves, each with a selected cohort of partners. 

• The Strengthen and Adapt process for Wave One partners commenced in July 2020.
• The Strengthen and Adapt process for Wave Two partners commenced in October 2021.
• The Strengthen and Adapt process for Wave Three partners commenced in May 2022.  
• The Strengthen and Adapt process for Wave Four partners commenced in February 2023.

The pages below provide more information on the partners involved in each Wave of the programme, their change projects, and stories of progress from the programme. You can also find information on the review and evaluation of the programme and useful resources for national sport, active recreation, and play organisations.