Active Me – Kia Tū was established as a two-year pilot partnership with children’s charity Variety NZ. The initial $2.9 million Active Me Fund* offered 3,000 children and young people in Auckland and Northland on Variety’s Kiwi Kid Sponsorship programme financial assistance to reduce the barriers to being active.  

Through additional investment of $5.5 million, in April 2023 the pilot was extended across Aotearoa New Zealand so that up to 10,000 children will be able to access to the fund.   

Because we know that quality experiences increase the likelihood that children will continue with an activity and gain real enjoyment from it, Active Me – Kia Tū, is child-centric and flexible. The fund provides each child and young person up to $300 a year, for two years, to help pay for new equipment, registration fees, uniforms or other costs to support them to be active in ways they want to be.  

Sport NZ’s evaluation of the initial two-year pilot showed that the fund helped reduce the financial barriers to physical activity for more than 5,000 young people, with more than $1.8 million spent on costs associated with helping young people access quality physical activity. 

Sport NZ’s 2019 research found that tamariki and rangatahi between ages 5 and 17 from the most deprived areas participate in fewer sports and activities than those from the least deprived areas (5.1 compared with 5.5). The study also identified that cost and lack of transport are significant barriers to participation for young people from high deprivation areas.

Variety works with whānau and communities in need and this ensures that the support gets directly to the individuals who most need it. 

*In November 2021, an additional $800,000 was provided to Variety to support the increased demand due to the impact of Covid-19.