At a glance  

• Gymnastics New Zealand saw voice of participant as a vital tool to improve the sport. A small team of 5 relationship managers led the delivery. 
• Survey responses jumped from 1,494 to 2,674 in 1 year – a 79% increase. 
• The number of clubs receiving individual feedback reports doubled from 22 to 44.  

“We knew more feedback meant better insights to support better decision making for Gymnastics New Zealand and our clubs.” 

– Belinda Randall, Head of Community Sport, Gymnastics New Zealand  

Listening to the people who matter most 

After a challenging few years, Gymnastics New Zealand turned to Sport NZ’s voice of participant survey to reconnect with their community and understand how the sport was really tracking, from the grassroots up.

With a national membership of over 42,000 and no regional body layer, the organisation operates with a lean team of 5 relationship managers who work directly with clubs.

This flat structure is a strength – close club relationships give Gymnastics New Zealand more influence over both rolling out initiatives like voice of participant and helping clubs act on the results.

In 2023, their first year using voice of participant, they received 1,494 responses – around 3 out of every 100 members. It was a useful start but not enough to confidently say the results reflected the wider community.

By 2024, that number had grown by 79%, to 2,674 responses – more than 6% of national membership and enough to deliver statistically significant insights Gymnastics New Zealand could act on.

The approach that drove 79% more responses 

Created a toolkit for clubs: Clubs received ready-to-use resources like social media tiles and email templates to make promoting the survey easy. 

Set internal targets: Each relationship manager had clear engagement targets for clubs they worked with. The voice of participant live dashboard helped track progress and keep motivation high. 

Focused on consistency: Consistent messaging across the team and clubs made the campaign feel unified and professional. 

Helped clubs use the insights: Once the data came in, Gymnastics New Zealand helped clubs understand their results and act on them. They even supplied templates for clubs to share changes with members and close the loop on effective communication. 

"The more numbers, the more valuable the data is, and more of our members are connecting."

– Belinda Randall, Head of Community Sport, Gymnastics New Zealand  

Insights into action – the results so far  

• Voice of participant data has informed Gymnastics New Zealand’s strategic priorities, particularly around areas like coach development and integrity and complaints handling. Receiving regular data lets them know if they are still on track.  
• 44 clubs now receive their own voice of participant reports (up from 22), giving them tailored insights that help guide decisions to enhance the club experience for their own members.  
• 1 club secured funding to renovate changing rooms based on voice of participant feedback.  
• Others reviewed their coaching development pathways after seeing feedback around coach satisfaction.  
• Clubs that responded to feedback publicly reported stronger relationships and increased trust with members.