Rural Travel Fund snapshot 2024/25
Rural Travel Fund snapshot 2024/25
12 March 2026
Sport NZ’s Rural Travel Fund supports tamariki and rangatahi aged 5 to 18 by helping rural sport clubs and school teams subsidise the cost of travelling to local competitions.
Each year, the fund is distributed by 35 Territorial Authorities across Aotearoa and has provided nearly $9 million in support since it began 23 years ago, supporting around 652,000 tamariki and rangatahi to be active.
Below is a snapshot of the funding between July 2024 and June 2025.
Key findings
- 382 applications approved
- $1.36 million in requests received
- 39% of requested funding approved
- 32,203 tamariki and rangatahi supported to take part in local sport
- 28% of approved funding supported rugby, football and netball opportunities
Investment summary
| Number of approved applications | Total approved investment | Young people supported | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 382 | $533,695 | 32,203 |
| Sports clubs | 223 | $292,405 | 15,653 |
| Schools | 159 | $241,289 | 16,550 |
Top 10 sport investment
| Sport | Investment total | Participants supported |
|---|---|---|
| Combined sports* | $215,787 | 17,028 |
| Football | $61,875 | 3,707 |
| Rugby | $55,481 | 3,462 |
| Netball | $42,117 | 1,792 |
| Hockey | $34,949 | 1,409 |
| Cricket | $25,566 | 1,020 |
| Swim aquatics | $13,434 | 519 |
| Rugby league | $12,315 | 670 |
| Athletics | $11,749 | 716 |
| Volleyball | $5,100 | 532 |
*Where funding sought by club or school is for more than one sport
Demographics
Breakdown of tamariki and rangatahi supported by the fund
| Sports clubs | Schools | |
|---|---|---|
| Tamariki (Primary school aged) | 10,485 | 4,490 |
| Rangatahi (Secondary school aged) | 5,168 | 12,060 |
Diversity breakdown
| 14,098 Female participants |
17,791 Male participants |
171 Disabled people* |
*Identified individuals to have received support from the fund
Ethnicity breakdown (school data only)
Participation by ethnicity
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European | 6,814 | 5,820 | 7,569 | 8,077 |
| Māori | 3,335 | 7,316 | 6,081 | 5,999 |
| Asian | 1,753 | 786 | 943 | 1,094 |
| Pacific people | 957 | 457 | 469 | 524 |
Investment by ethnicity
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European | $124,274 | $135,565 | $120,295 | $106,016 |
| Māori | $128,682 | $136,473 | $115,669 | $93,845 |
| Asian | $8,970 | $10,976 | $14,277 | $13,608 |
| Pacific people | $5,029 | $7,927 | $8,641 | $7,075 |
Based on Rural Travel Fund council annual reporting where school listed as the applicant.
Calculations are based on the 2025 school roll demographic data.
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