Play, Active Recreation and Sport at Alert Level 4
Your Alert Level may depend on where you are in New Zealand.
The current Alert Level for your region can be found at https://covid19.govt.nz/covid-19/restrictions/current-alert-level/
Please note these guidelines are subject to change in line with Government announcements. Exemptions granted against previous Health Orders will not apply so please email covid19response@sportnz.org.nz if you have questions about aspects not covered in this table.
On 19 August, 2021, the Prime Minister announced the following principles to abide by:
- Everyone must stay home
- You can go for a walk, run or bike ride in your local area
- If you do, it must be on your own, or with your household bubble – no gathering or meeting with those outside of your bubble.
- You are encouraged to wear a face covering when leaving you home where possible, and you must wear a mask when visiting essential services (supermarkets, pharmacies, and service stations)
- If you are unwell, stay home and call your doctor or Healthline on 0800 358 5453 for advice about getting tested
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Contact sport
(e.g. team sports)
Contact Sport - is an activity, particularly a team activity, in which by participating you are coming closer than 2 metres to others as part of competing in that activity – for example, physical contact sports like rugby and wrestling, sport where there is close contact like football, basketball, hockey or netball.
Lower risk activities include things that are able to be completed by yourself without shared equipment and are unlikely to cause danger or injury – for example skill-based drills or fitness training.
Higher risk activities include things that share equipment or balls or have a higher risk of danger or injury – for example a casual or pickup game of basketball, touch or even frisbee.
Alert Level 4
- Organised sports or physical activity not allowed outside of your bubble.
- Can train, with those in your bubble, at your home, or outdoor places that can be readily accessed from home.
- Lower-risk activities only: care must be taken not to be injured and require medical care.
- Maintain physical distancing (2 metres) with people outside your bubble.
- Contact activity or sharing equipment/balls with people outside your bubble is prohibited.
- Be careful of “high touch items” like handrails, gates and park benches – avoid touching these or wash/sanitise your hands after touching them.
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Non-contact sport
(e.g. running, cycling or golf)
Non-Contact - are activities in which you can comfortably avoid coming closer than 2 metres to others as part of participating in that activity – for example, running, cycling, golf or bowls.
Lower risk – would be activities that you can comfortably undertake, and have done so previously, in conditions that do not pose any additional risk (e.g. road running or putting in your backyard).
Higher risk – would be new or challenging activities, or challenging conditions (e.g. long technical trail runs).
Alert Level 4
- Outdoor parks and fields are open, but all sport facilities are closed.
- Organised sports or physical activity not allowed outside of your bubble.
- Can train at your home, or outdoor places that can be readily accessed from home.
- Lower-risk activities only: care must be taken not to be injured and require medical care.
- You must maintain physical distancing (2 metres) with people outside your bubble.
- Contact activity or sharing equipment/balls with people outside your bubble is prohibited.
- Be careful of “high touch items” like handrails, gates and park benches – avoid touching these or wash/sanitise your hands after touching them.
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Active recreation
(e.g. walking or cycling)
Lower risk – would be activities that you can comfortably undertake, and have done so previously, in conditions that do not pose any additional risk (e.g. wide simple mountain bike trails).
High risk – would be challenging activities, or challenging conditions (e.g. steep technical mountain bike trails or those with large jumps or drops).
Alert Level 4
- Low-risk activities only: care must be taken not to be injured and require medical care.
- You must maintain physical distancing (2 metres) with people outside your bubble.
- Contact activity or sharing equipment/balls with people outside your bubble is prohibited.
- You do not need to wear a face covering but make sure you keep 2 metres distance from others.
- Be careful of “high touch items” like handrails, gates and park benches – avoid touching these or wash/sanitise your hands after touching them
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Play
(e.g. playing in homes, neighbourhoods and playgrounds)
Alert Level 4
- Play must be contained within your bubble.
- Streets, outdoor parks and fields are okay, but playgrounds are closed.
- Be careful of “high touch items” like handrails, gates and park benches – avoid touching these or wash/sanitise your hands after touching them
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Water-based activities
(e.g. swimming, kayaking, surfing)
Lower risk – would be activities that you can comfortably undertake, and have done so previously, in conditions that do not pose any additional risk (e.g. calm water or moderate temperatures).
High risk – would be challenging activities, or challenging conditions (e.g. high winds, large waves, rips or cold-water temperatures).
Alert Level 4
- You can fish from a wharf or the shore but do not cast off the rocks or fish from a boat. Boating is not allowed. Keep it local — go to your nearest fishing spot, not your favourite fishing spot.
- You can also fish for whitebait during the whitebaiting season. You must:
- keep it local and stick to your household bubble
- not use a boat or go into the water to fish
- keep 2 metres away from others
- not do anything that may expose you to danger, or require rescue services.
- All other water-based activities are prohibited (including swimming, surfing, scuba-diving, water-based activities involving boating, sailing boats, motorised craft).
- These activities expose participants to danger or may require search and rescue services.
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Commercial
(e.g. sports who sell merchandise or run bar/café facilities)
Alert Level 4
- Only essential services are able to operate.
- All indoor venues and sporting facilities, including clubrooms and gyms, are closed.
- Everyone working from home and businesses cannot open premises for staff.