A study exploring the value of sport to New Zealanders, their communities and our country. The Value of Sport is based on extensive research, including a survey of around 2,000 New Zealanders and a review of previous studies from here and around the world.

There’s no question sport is at the heart of our national identity, but this study tells us that being physically active also creates happier, healthier people, better connected communities and a stronger New Zealand.

We’ve developed a print ready infographic illustrating The Value of Sport that we hope you’ll find useful.  

Here are some key findings from the Value of Sport research: 

• 92 per cent of the people we talked to believe being active keeps them physically fit and healthy, and helps relieve stress
• 88 per cent believe that sport and other physical activities provide them with opportunities to achieve and help build confidence
• 84 per cent believe sport and physical activity bring people together and create a sense of belonging
• 74 per cent say sport and physical activity help build vibrant and stimulating communities
• 86 per cent agree that high performance sport both helps instil a sense of pride in our country, and contributes to our national identity as New Zealanders
• Sport and active recreation contributes $4.9 billion or 2.3% to our annual GDP, and the sector employs more than 53,000 New Zealanders.

Key findings

The value of sport main report

pdf - 1981 KB

Research report

pdf - 2421 KB

Undertaken over three stages, the research involved a literature review; qualitative interviews with the general public and sport and recreation sector stakeholders; and quantitative surveys involving the general public, people working in the sector, representatives of organisations operating in the sector as well as large corporates and small and medium enterprises.

Please email info@sportnz.org.nz with any queries.