Provision of play, active recreation, and sport facilities, infrastructure, resources, and opportunities is important to a large proportion of the population.

• In 2022:

  • 73% of the adult population and 92% of young people (aged 5-17yrs) participate each week in play, active recreation, and sport.

  • 79% of adults and 63% of young people would like to be doing more play, active recreation, and sport

  • High deprivation, Asian, and Pasifika population groups are significantly less likely to participate

• Research into New Zealanders’ beliefs around the value of sport and active recreation in 2017 found a broad base of support for sport and active recreation and a belief in its value to New Zealand and New Zealanders. The value of sport and active recreation is seen to lie in the contributions it makes to individuals, families, communities, and the country as a whole.

Play, active recreation, and sport is a cost-effective investment towards local government wellbeing outcomes.

International and domestic evidence clearly demonstrates that play, sport, and active recreation generate significant value for society across multiple wellbeing domains and outcomes, many of which are specifically relevant to the outcomes sought by local government.

• The combined value of taking part in community sport and active recreation in Aotearoa New Zealand in 2019 was $20.8 billion. This is made up of $16.81 billion of social value and $3.96 billion of economic value.

• Recently published research from a Social Return on Investment study found that for every $1 spent on play, active recreation, and sport, there is a social return of $2.12 to New Zealand. This means that for every dollar invested in play, active recreation, and sport, the social return is more than doubled. This is a conservative figure and the actual return, especially for those currently missing out on opportunities to be active, is likely to be higher.

• In 2019 participation in play, active recreation, and sport generated $3.32 billion return in subjective wellbeing (life satisfaction and happiness) within New Zealand.

• Research demonstrates that peer and parent engagement through developmentally appropriate play offers the opportunity for children to develop social-emotional skills such as problem solving, collaboration, and negotiation as well as language, and self-regulation skills that build executive function and support effective social interaction with others.

• Play has been shown to support the formation of the safe, stable, and nurturing relationships with parents and caregivers that children need to thrive.

• Regular participation by young people in sport, particularly team sport, is associated with improved social skills, social integration, competence, cooperation, and teamwork.

• Participation in sport and recreational physical activity, particularly when it takes place in teams or groups, can help foster improved social cohesion, community connectedness, and community identity.

  • The Sport NZ SROI analysis estimated that in 2019, $1.13 billion return could be attributed to enhanced social capital within New Zealand as a result of participation in play, active recreation, and sport.

  • Evidence from a recent literature review showed positive impacts reported for older adults in the form of social support, making friends, and feeling integrated as a community, and for young people through developing friendships, a sense of who they are among others, a sense of belonging, and a sense of community.

  • 73% of respondents to a Value of Sport survey believed sport and physical activity help build vibrant and stimulating communities. This view was stronger amongst Māori respondents (80%).

“Sports clubs provide social connection and community – club rooms are full of pictures which contain friends, family etc…providing a sense and link to the community – there’s my father, there’s my grandfather, there’s my uncles…”

[Cultural Organisation, Wellington]

• Performance of our athletes on the world stage increases New Zealanders’ feelings of belonging to New Zealand. 70% of adults and 61% of young people rated their agreement with the statement “I feel a sense of belonging to New Zealand when New Zealand athletes and teams compete” 6 or more out of 10 in the Active NZ survey 2021.

• 70% of respondents to a Value of Sport survey in New Zealand agree that “high performance sport brings communities together”.

• Evidence demonstrates that provision of equitable and safe sport and active recreation opportunities that are inclusive of the whole community can connect individuals and groups across lines that might typically divide society (such as race, class, gender, or religion).

• Participation in sport and physical activity programmes has been shown to support feelings of belonging and inclusion for migrant populations.

  • In 2019, the most common social group or club for new migrants to belong to was a sports club or group (22%), followed by a religious group (19%)

  • Nearly all participants of the Auckland Council-funded Connect2sport programme for new migrants felt that taking part in the programme helped them feel more at home in New Zealand.

• Play has a therapeutic and rehabilitative role in helping children recover following crises (such as Covid-19, the Christchurch earthquakes, or the effects of Cyclone Gabrielle). This includes supporting children to regulate the body’s stress response, providing an opportunity to make sense of what has happened to them and their community, and develop or rebuild social connections through shared experiences and achieving a sense of belonging. e.g., the teddy bear hunt during the Level 4 Covid-19 lockdown.

“Participating in the programme has helped remove insecurities and given new migrants confidence in the New Zealand community. It has made them feel ‘’wanted, and that New Zealand is an inclusive country that welcomes and supports migrants from all ethnicities’’.

Auckland Council. (2014) Active Communities Investment: Project Exit Report. Connect2Sport September 2014

“Sport helps me to overcome the feeling of being in a new country”

Respondent

“I think sport has a unique capacity to bring people together. For instance, a social football game, when you're playing as part of a team and you have these experiences together and you feel the elation of when you score or whatever, high five each other. I feel like that would be pretty awesome team building, compared to anything.”

Respondent 

• Evidence suggests that the connection with supportive individuals or groups within structured community sport and recreation programmes encourages the development of a number of ‘protective factors’ which may reduce antisocial behaviour.

• Improving local sport and recreation facilities such as local parks can improve participation levels and community pride, while reducing perceived instances of antisocial behaviour within a community.

• Higher levels of social capital have been found to be correlated with a number of desirable outcomes, such as lower crime rates.

• 77% of respondents to a “Value of Sport” survey agree that sport and physical activities help instil a sense of pride in our communities.

• Major sporting events increase exposure and can improve perceptions of host cities.

  • 85% of public attendees at the World Masters Games 2017 agreed that the event was well delivered and enhanced their pride in the city (Aucklanders only)

Drawing on the power of sport as a tool for engagement, Community Connect is a Touch NZ initiative that aims to increase social capital in communities, particularly those which have been identified as high deprivation, through regular community-led social sport, culture, and recreational activity.

The first Community Connect pilot hub, Tāmaki Touched, was trialled in Auckland in 2016. A local steering group was established with local community representatives. The steering group’s overarching goals were to create positive community outcomes such as increased community engagement, improved community health, and reduced crime by using sport as the delivery mechanism.

Tāmaki Touched offered a children’s competition and a mixed gender, all-ages whānau competition. As well as touch, other activities are offered to cater for the whole family, including a boot camp and programmes for tamariki involving cultural dance and songs and games. A DJ helps create a fun atmosphere, and free food and prizes from sponsors are used as incentives to encourage attendance.

Between 2016 and 2018, six Tāmaki Touched sporting modules were delivered, engaging over 2,100 participants. Feedback from participants has highlighted how this initiative is positively impacting the social and physical wellbeing of individuals and communities. Building on the success of this pilot, an additional six hubs have been launched in targeted communities across the wider Auckland and Northland regions.

"We saw Tāmaki Touched as an ideal project to help achieve positive community outcomes as a whole, as it is family-friendly and also community-led. The two coordinators are both local and have strong community connections which help connect with this targeted group.” –

Inspector Joe Tipene, New Zealand Police

“It brings everyone together in the community, helps the community to get fit.”

– Participant

"The teams are made up of all sorts from Touch reps through to complete newbies... they also involve getting some of those young ones who miss out on playing in the mainstream competition teams. They love the opportunity to play with their whole whanau.”

– Sandi Hackett, Touch NZ

Sources and Related Links:

• Tamaki Touched Full Case Study

• Tamaki Touched Video

• Community Connect Moving Manurewa Video

• Touch NZ Community Connect website

Lumsden Place in Hastings was a hive of activity on Sunday March 12th 2023. Around 25 children and their whānau enjoyed a playful and fun afternoon. This was the beginning of their personal Cyclone Gabrielle recovery journey as the first hosts of a Play Street in Hastings.

Play Streets temporarily restrict vehicle traffic on quiet local streets, so that tamariki, whānau, and their neighbours can connect and play safely and freely outside their own front door.

After facing low-level flooding in the street as a result of the recent cyclone, play was seen as a priority by the resident Play Street Organiser Pia Bradshaw. Initial feedback from adult residents was hugely positive. Many made comments about the delight in being a part of the Play Street kaupapa to re-create opportunities and experiences of their childhood for the youth of today to enjoy.

Support was high for Play Streets to become a regular activity for the street, which was echoed with gusto from the children as they enjoyed “making new friends” and “having so many others to play with”.

The Hastings District Council Te Waka Tākaro provided large blue foam building blocks, a highlight for many of the children. Other activity highlights included chalk drawing, throwing games, scootering, skating, and biking. One family even wheeled out their portable basketball hoop into the middle of the street for everyone to ‘shoot hoops’.

The Lumsden Place Play Street is part of a region-wide approach by all four Councils to enable more opportunities for whānau to connect and strengthen relationships, and be active in their communities comfortably, confidently, and safely.

“Having all four Hawke’s Bay Council’s working together as a collective and advocating for play streets will mean region-wide consistency and support for whānau to be able to connect and increase play within their neighbourhoods”.

Nicki Heremaia – Play Lead, Sport Hawke’s Bay

“Our tamariki need to have more play experiences, especially in light of recent events. Connecting with those children close to them who have had a similar experience is really valuable”.

Pia Bradshaw, Play Street Organiser

Sources and Related Links:

• Sport Hawke’s Bay Case Study – Lumsden Place Play Street

• The sport and recreation sector contributed $3.96 billion, or 1.4% of GDP in New Zealand in 2019.

  • 36% of this was generated outside of the sport and active recreation sector through services such as construction and manufacturing that are related to sport and active recreation. This highlights a strong connection of sport and active recreation industries to the rest of the New Zealand economy.

  • In 2019 consumers spent $3.8 billion on sport and active recreation. Consumer spending is largely driven by community participation in sport and active recreation (68%), meaning an increase in participation would have a strong impact on sport-related economic activity.

• A study assessing the contribution of mountain biking to the Rotorua Lakes economy found that:

  • $103.4m was spent by visitors who visited Rotorua for the sole purpose of mountain biking with a further $36.4m contributed by those who mountain biked while staying in Rotorua for other reasons – a total contribution of $139.8m

  • At this level of spending, the mountain bike visitor economy is just under 20% of the size of the total visitor economy in Rotorua at its pre-covid peak.

• The sport and active recreation sector generated 53,480 jobs in 2019 or 2.5% of all employment in New Zealand.

• The percentage of sport and active recreation employment as a proportion of total employment is greater than the equivalent share of sport and active recreation gross value added (1.4% compared to 2.5%). This implies that sport and active recreation is an efficient generator of employment and investment in this sector and generates more employment than the average sector of the economy.

• Participation in physical activity can have a positive impact on population productivity due to improved health outcomes, quality of life, and reduced sickness and absenteeism.

  • The Sport NZ Social Return on Investment report estimated the value of higher output from reduced absenteeism associated with participation in physical activity to be $889m in 2019.

  • An Australian study estimates the impact of sport on increased productivity to be $0.8b annually due to lower absenteeism from work, greater personal productivity, and increased human capital as a result of participating in sport.

• A significant non-profit workforce of volunteers coordinates and delivers active recreation and sport opportunities to communities every week, representing significant savings for communities.

  • Active NZ 2019 estimates around 1,230,000 adults volunteered at least once in the previous 12 months for a sport, exercise, or recreation activity (25% of estimated resident population).

  • The Sport NZ Social Return on Investment report found the replacement value of volunteering in 2019 to be $3.09bn.

  • It is estimated that if volunteers were taken away, clubs would have a rise of at least 50% in expenses to provide the same services which would get passed onto the participants.

• Hosting major sporting events has significant economic benefits for New Zealand as a whole as well as the regions where these events take place.

  • The 2011 Rugby World Cup was estimated to have resulted in short-term expansion of the national economy to around $1,730m, sustaining the equivalent of 22,890 extra jobs for one year.

  • The World Masters Games 2017 added $63m to GDP.

  • The 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup (held across 7 cities throughout New Zealand) attracted 225,000 unique visitors to New Zealand. 20% of these were international visitors, providing $110m to GDP in New Zealand and an additional 2,360 jobs.30

  • Hosting major events offers longer term benefits for communities through the development of new and existing facilities. For example, the ICC CWC 2015 helped support the redevelopment of Hagley Oval in Christchurch and the Gender-Neutral Facilities Upgrade project saw all three match venues and eight RWC 2021 training grounds (many of them grassroots rugby clubs) refurbished to be gender-neutral and to world class standards.

• Childhood outdoor recreation has been positively linked with adult pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours.

• The provision of well-designed green spaces for physical activity can provide urban environments better suited to cope with weather extremes such as heavy rain events, contribute to keeping urban environments cool and increasing the health and wellbeing of residents.

• Improved environmental and wellbeing outcomes can be achieved by supporting more active transport. A European study found that an average person cycling one trip/day more and driving one trip/day less for 200 days a year would decrease mobility-related lifecycle CO2 emissions by about 0.5 tonnes over a year.

• Research by the University of Auckland found that a 5% shift in vehicle kilometres to cycling would save approximately 22 million litres of fuel and reduce transport-related greenhouse emissions by 0.4%.

• Provision of public green spaces, including those for recreational and sport activity, have been found to be associated with greater mental wellbeing.

Scott Point Sustainable Sports Park is a 16.4ha area of land in the northwest of Auckland that is about to be transformed from a rural landscape to a public park to meet the needs of a new community of up to 20,000 residents in the next few years. This project will help steer the future course of design, development, and management of parks across Auckland in a way that responds to the urgent environmental needs of our planet.

The park will comprise three main areas: an area for sports and active recreation, an informal recreation area, and an area of ecological restoration and conservation. The layout of the park has been driven by the retention of natural landforms to minimise the need for earthworks. Re-use of materials that exist on site, as well as utilising reclaimed materials from other demolition projects, will minimise construction waste. New materials will be permeable, have lower energy and emissions expended to produce and install them and include modular products to enable future reuse.

Renewable energy such as solar panels, wind turbines, and kinetic energy will be used providing a ‘closed energy loop’ for the park. For example, paver technology will harness kinetic energy, produced when people walk on them, and energy generated from children on playground equipment will be reused for things like powering LED lighting. Provision for sustainable transportation to, from and around the site, like public transport, electric vehicles, and e-bikes, has been included. Best practices for stormwater capture, treatment, and reuse will minimise maintenance and use of potable water for irrigation for sports fields.

"The sports park truly embodies the realisation of Auckland Council’s vision of an Auckland that celebrates our diversity and cultural richness, enhances and cares for our outstanding environment, and leverages our innovative nature."

Lisa Whyte, Upper Harbour Local Board Chair

Sources and Related Links:

• Scott Point Sustainable Sports Park - ISCouncil

• Scott Point Sustainable Sports Park | Auckland Council - YouTube

The new Naenae Pool and Fitness Centre is one of the most significant infrastructure projects currently underway at Hutt City Council. A sustainability focus for the rebuild has seen Hutt City Council approved for only the third Green, Social and Sustainability loan to a New Zealand council from the Local Government Funding Agency (LGFA).
A key driver across the Naenae Pool and Fitness Centre planning is sustainability, not just during the project build but also for the ongoing operation of the facility. The design team is working alongside crown agency Callaghan Innovation to be the first aquatic centre in New Zealand to have a Green Star Five rating.

Environmentally friendly practices are being used throughout construction of the pool. For example, 90% of all building materials have been recycled or reused, saving more than 13,000 tonnes of scrap metal and concrete from going to landfill.

Once up and running the new pool will see significant reductions in both energy usage and emissions. The new pool will be 65% bigger than the old pool with up to 53% reduction on energy use. Emissions will be reduced by nearly 50%.
The new pool is due to be completed in mid-2024.

“Right from the beginning we have ensured this project meets our new sustainable priorities. We are focused on reducing the impact on our environment, providing a state-of-the-art facility that delivers for our community, reduces ongoing operational costs and achieves a New Zealand Green Building Council 5 Green Star rated aquatic building – a first in New Zealand.”

Hutt City Council Chief Executive - Jo Miller

Sources and Related Links:

• Naenae Projects | Hutt City Council

• HCC focus on environmental sustainability gets approval for the third LGFA green loan | Hutt City Council

Finalised in April 2019, the Hamilton City Council Play Strategy is a 20-year vision that focuses on the Council’s contribution to making Hamilton a great place for everyone to play.

Prior to the strategy, play was only considered at locations such as playgrounds, parks, and sport facilities. The strategy expanded on this traditional definition to focus on providing opportunities across the city, nurturing spontaneous play and making better use of the natural environment. With this change in focus alongside a recognition of the positive wellbeing outcomes of play, has been a commitment from Hamilton City Council to enable play and look for opportunities to embed it in their work across business units.

The impact of this strategy is clear with play now embedded in a diverse range of strategies, policies, and plans across the organisation such as the Nature in the City Strategy, Central City Transformation Plan 2021-51, Disability Policy 2022-25, and the Hamilton Urban Growth Strategy.

An example of this integration is an innovative approach to incorporate play into new spaces as part of a major wastewater pipeline project in 2020.

The project required the digging up of grass berms and other earthworks to install new wastewater pipes. Rather than return those areas to how they were, Hamilton City Council staff, in partnership with Sport Waikato, saw a chance to install some play features including a painted footpath “maze”, an obstacle course of rocks and logs, and a spot to measure your jumping distance. This space now presents an opportunity for communities to “play on the way” as they move through this area. A great example of how play is so much more than just playgrounds.

“It [the Play Strategy] was borne out of a desire to improve the sense of connectedness in our communities and to think of all our public space as potential play spaces, where children can explore their neighbourhoods, play cricket in the streets outside their home and roam the gullies.”

Amanda Banks – Hamilton city Council Policy and Strategy Advisor

“The Play Strategy …is proving a valuable tool for guiding our thinking and planning, not just when it comes to parks, indoor facilities and aquatics, but the wider Council too.”

Lance Vervoort, Hamilton City Council General Manager for Community

Sources and Related Links

• Hamilton City Council (2019). Hamilton City Council’s Play Strategy. Tuuhura te tini taonga o Kirikiriroa hei whakapakari tinana, wairua, hinengaro. 2019-2039.

• Hamilton City Council (2019). Hamilton is the place to play. 29 November 2019

• Hamilton City Council (2022). When play becomes business as usual. 21 October 2022

• Participation in play, active recreation, and sport provides opportunities to strengthen cultural ties and foster feelings of cultural identity and belonging, especially where the participation may be in traditional games, sports, or activities (e.g. Māori games and activities such as kapa haka and Ki o Rahi, or the growth of festivals such as the Pasifika Village Games).

• The evidence based on research with Māori communities indicates that the ability of Māori to participate in traditional Māori sports, or in sport more generally “as Māori”, fosters a sense of wellbeing. This is achieved through strengthening social connections, intergenerational relationships, connection to the whenua, and feelings of identity and culture that are built around sport and physical activity.

• A literature review on the value of play, active recreation, and sport in Aotearoa New Zealand in 2021 found that much of the research on social wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand relates to Māori communities, which suggests that, for Māori, the social wellbeing outcome is an important outcome of sport and recreational physical activity.

From humble beginnings less than 40 years ago to events that attract more than 3,500 participants today, waka ama is on a growth trajectory in New Zealand.

In 2019 the 30th annual Waka Ama Sprint Championships on Lake Karāpiro attracted a record number of paddlers. More than 1,700 teams from 61 clubs raced for national sprint titles, with crowds of up to 10,000 cheering them on. Participants ranged in age from 5-81 years old.

Waka ama is practised and thrives as a sport of Pacific origin throughout the world. In New Zealand the sport has a high percentage of Māori competitors at both secondary and club level, and the opportunity to connect with their culture is an integral factor to many participants’ involvement and connection with the sport.

Waka ama is a major vehicle for Māori cultural identity for participants and supporters. Culture is deeply embedded within the sport – not just on the water but in all that occurs at events, from the language to the protocols followed.

As the sport is steeped in the powerful history and traditions of waka sailing and voyaging it is seen as not just a sport, but a vehicle for identity, pride, and community.

“I believe waka ama…has been an invaluable part of growth and development for me in my life, spirituality, emotionally, mentally, and physically. Fortunate and honoured I feel to be Māori and have a strong innate sense of connectedness to who I am through our tipuna who journeyed on waka, setting this in motion for us today...Without writing a novel waka ama is a whole lot of everything complimentary to life on land, that I have much respect for and I believe it has the potential to teach, heal and help people of all walks from an indigenous Māori perspective.”

Waka ama participant

Sources and Related links:

• Growth of Waka Ama case study

The Walking Samoans is an initiative started by the Samoan community to encourage healthy living through walking.

Initiated by Radio Samoa in 2013, the station encourages listeners to sign up to their local walking group, as a good way for Samoan families to take control of their own health as a family unit. The groups have now spread across Auckland.

The initiative is built on Samoan culture integrating aspects of language, prayer, cultural dance, family, and the community. The value of the Walking Samoans initiative is demonstrated through the growth and popularity of the walks with participants highlighting the health and social benefits they get from attending. A key reason for the success of this initiative is that it is owned by the community – “Samoan people helping themselves in a Samoan way”.

Local boards are supporting these groups as needed, often in the form of grants towards uniforms and sports shoes, and a number of walking clubs have also used council facilities.

“We get a lot of feedback about how seeing this group around the community helps everyone feel safer and more connected…It’s a good example of how the local board is able to support our diverse communities to be empowered to deliver what it is that they know will work for their communities."

Chris Makoare, Maungakiekie Tāmaki Local Board member.

Sources and Related Links:

• Tagata Pacifika – The Walking Samoans Video

• Walking towards better health - OurAuckland (aucklandcouncil.govt.nz)

• Meet the Walking Samons – Stuff article

This resource has been developed to provide an evidence base for local government investment in play, active recreation, and sport. We hope that this information can be used to support submissions to local council planning processes as well as internal discussions within councils to support the case for investment in play, active recreation, and sport.

Most of the information in this report is at a national or more general evidence level. We therefore recommend you use this information as a starting point and supplement it with regional specific data and examples where available.

Prioritisation of investment is an area of particular interest for many local government organisations. Given the variation in local priorities, outcomes, and other local circumstances, we are unable to advise on which specific projects will give the greatest return on investment. However, factors that should be considered alongside the evidence provided here include:

• What outcomes are initiatives and projects looking to achieve and how do these align to local priorities?
• How many people are expected to benefit from the proposed investment (i.e. is it expected to benefit a large number of people from across the community or a small group interested in a specific activity)?
• What is the likely demographic make-up of those expected to benefit from the investment (i.e. will it benefit communities currently missing out on the benefits of physical activity or will it benefit mainly those who are already well-served?)
• For facilities – does it cater for a wide range of uses (i.e. multi-use hubs) or is it single use?
• What impact is the investment expected to have on physical activity rates and wellbeing for your region?

• Social Return on Investment (SROI) of Recreational Physical Activity in Aotearoa New Zealand study. Case studies about the SROI from specific programmes are expected to be available shortly.
• Regional Spaces and Places Plans outline the approach to regional planning of spaces and places relating to play, active recreation, and sport for different regions throughout Aotearoa.
• Data relating to how people participate from the Sport NZ Active NZ survey