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Push Play
Get Active Aotearoa
It’s time to Push Play – Again, Aotearoa
You might remember Push Play from back in the day. A nationwide campaign designed to get Kiwis active. Now it’s making a comeback – with a refreshed approach that’s right for right now.
Push Play - Post Pandemic
The last couple of years have seen some real changes in how we do (and don’t) exercise thanks to Covid-19.
Physical activity levels dropped significantly in lockdown and for some people, getting back to it has been hard. Overall, New Zealanders are still less active and motivated than before the pandemic.
With life settling into a new kind of normal – we need to get moving again, literally. That’s right, Push Play is a movement movement – designed to encourage and inspire Kiwis to get moving. Why? Because it’s important for our physical and mental health, and also because it’s fun!
Be it walking the dog, getting back to club, doing an online fitness class, or participating in a cultural dance group, how we Push Play can happen in many ways.
The campaign brings the Push Play message to life with kids taking on the role of ‘coach’ in their family, encouraging and inspiring their loved one to get out and get active.
There’s a well-documented link between physical activity and a broad range of well-being measures. By encouraging all of Aotearoa to Push Play – Again, we hope to improve the lives of thousands of New Zealanders.
Meet the Coaches
Ella
Coaching Style: The chatterbox with a little bit of “bad cop” attitude.
Fav activities: Stretchy yoga, trampoline, visits to the park with Dad, and team up with brother Ben to take on dad at the local tennis club.
Secret coaching technique: Combining fun activities like going to the park with a work out for Dad; “he doesn’t really even think of it as exercise…”
Semu
Coaching Style: Master motivator.
Fav activities: Pushing play to start the day, especially an early morning jog with mum Linda, hitting the pool with Dad and Sasa with the whole family.
Secret coaching technique: The distraction technique; encouraging Dad to stay on his feet and in the water, to keep him off the couch and benches at the local leisure centre.
Anahera
Coaching Style: The pacesetter.
Fav activities: Running, more running and spending time with Nan. Making exercise a whānau activity, including the four-legged members of the family. Cheering dad on from the side-line as he makes his league comeback.
Secret coaching technique: Keeping some of your abilities on the down-low as a way to encourage others, especially Nan. Plus promoting the benefits of a daily dose of fresh air.
Push Play back in the day
If Push Play sounds familiar, that’s because it was a hugely successful campaign that launched in the late 1990s.
Back then it was about pushing play 30 minutes a day. Today, it’s more about encouraging Kiwis to pushing play their way, recognising that being active happens in lots of different ways.
Some of New Zealand’s most well-known faces were part of the original campaign, and a few of them are back – getting behind the 2022 version of Push Play.
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