How will changes in government affect sport and recreation? 

What are we seeing?  

• The National Party and its coalition partners form a centre-right government, while Labour, Greens, and Te Pati Māori represent the centre-left in New Zealand's political landscape, reflecting a global left-right divide on economic and social issues (although not as marked here as it is elsewhere). 
• The new coalition government has signalled a pragmatic, pro-business approach, prioritising economic growth, profitability and frontline services. 

What can we expect?  

• The government will prioritise fiscal discipline, efficiency in spending, and frontline public services over bureaucracy, and will use a social return on investment approach to funding and delivering social services.  
• A more hands-off ‘sport for the sake of sport’ approach will be adopted, in contrast to the previous Labour government’s ‘development through sport’ emphasis on the broader societal benefits of physical activity. 
• The education curriculum will focus on core subjects, and social services will be funded based on data-driven evaluations of effectiveness. 

What might this mean for sport and recreation?  

• Consider the need to adapt value propositions to align with new government priorities and navigate a changing policy landscape and potential cost pressures. 
• Reflect on the effect of increased user-pays on the accessibility of sport and recreation. 
• Be open to aligning physical education, school sport and extracurricular activities with the refocus on core academic subjects. 

What questions should we be asking ourselves today?  

• How can we redefine and communicate our value proposition to align with the government's priorities, and what messaging strategies will effectively convey our value to stakeholders? 
• How can we position sport and recreation as a significant contributor to addressing societal challenges, and what evidence can we provide to demonstrate our positive impact? 
• What opportunities exist to partner with schools to integrate sport and physical activity into the curriculum, and what resources do schools need to implement this?