Part Two: SPARC's game plan

Delivering our strategy

Young New Zealanders

We want young New Zealanders (0–18) to develop a love of sport and recreation that leads to lifelong participation.

To achieve this, we will focus on:

1. More organised sport and recreation in primary schools – including after-school programmes
   • by providing a range of initiatives during school hours through partnerships with schools and community providers such as Regional Sports Trusts – so that kids are encouraged to participate in sport and recreation as part of their learning, schools have resources to provide sport, and teachers are supported to help deliver sport
   • by providing after-school sport and recreation activities with community partners, clubs, regional sports trusts and territorial authorities – so kids can access a range of opportunities, with quality coaching and resources, outside of school time.
2. More secondary school students playing sport and taking part in recreation
   • by increasing opportunities for students to participate during the school day and through clubs, after-school and organised events, and supporting schools to deliver on the curriculum and providing resources
   • by ensuring parents, teachers, coaches and other volunteers are providing quality experiences to encourage young people to stay and play in sport.
3. More young people participating in sport and recreation, with an emphasis on participation through clubs
   • by building links between schools and sport and recreation clubs, by bringing schools and clubs together, supported by national sport organisations, national recreation organisations, regional sports organisations and regional sports trusts, so resources are shared and kids stay in sport post school.
4. Ensuring young people (aged 0–12) develop the fundamental movement and basic sport skills to participate in sport and recreation for life
   • by investing in people, programmes and resources to get young New Zealanders participating in quality fundamental movement and basic sport skill experiences, so they have the right building blocks to play sport for life.

In 2015 our success will be measured by:

• an increase in the number of kids participating in sport and recreation through clubs and organised events
• an increase in the number of primary school and secondary school pupils playing organised sport
• an increase in the level of fundamental movement and basic sport skills in kids under the age of 12 years.

High Performance

We want New Zealand’s athletes and teams to win on the world stage.

To achieve this, we will focus on:

1. A targeted and co-ordinated high performance approach²
   • by leading and co-ordinating the high-performance system in New Zealand, through bringing together the key players (National Sports Organisations, the New Zealand Academy of Sport and the New Zealand Olympic Committee) to share resources and deliver on agreed plans and targets
   • by continuing our approach of “depth over breadth”, with a primary focus on targeting resources (funding and expertise) to the sports, athletes and teams that are the most capable of winning on the world stage.
2. Enhancing training facilities, coaching and support personnel
   • by working with the sector to improve the facilities available for high-performance athletes and teams, and helping selected sports to develop world-class training facilities
   • by continuing to provide specialist and technical advice to increase the capability of New Zealand’s high-performance personnel, particularly in coaching, talent identification and pinnacle event planning
   • by investing in National Sports Organisations to attract, develop and retain world-class coaches.
3. Talent development – the next tier of athletes
• by focusing on moving high performance to the next level, through talent identification and development, including working with and investing in national sports organisations on talent development plans.
4. Developing and utilising world-leading research and technology
   • by sharing knowledge and developing good practice tools and guidelines to drive collaboration and innovation, to make our resources go further in a competitive environment and position New Zealand as a world leader.
5. Delivering results at the Summer and Winter Olympics, Paralympic Games, world cups, world championships and other pinnacle events
   • by working with and investing in national sports organisations to prepare coaches, athletes and teams to win on the world stage
   • by investing in the New Zealand Academy of Sport to support athletes and teams that are capable of winning on the world stage.

In 2015 our success will be measured by:

• an increase in the number of world-ranked New Zealand athletes and teams
• an increase in the capability of the people within the high-performance system.

Grassroots sport

We want healthy, sustainable and co-ordinated organisations delivering quality sport to their communities.

To achieve this, we will focus on:

1. Building stronger links between schools and sports clubs to keep young people participating in sport into adulthood
   • by bringing schools and clubs together (supported by national sports organisations, regional sports organisations and regional sports trusts) to ensure kids are able to access sport opportunities and quality coaching at all levels of sport
   • by helping the sector understand the opportunities that new sports and events have to increase participation and strengthen the traditional sport base
   • by increasing opportunities for people to participate in community sport that is delivered within a kaupapa Maori context.
2. Continuing to increase the number and quality of volunteers, especially officials, coaches and administrators
   • by providing resources to equip and train parents, teachers, coaches and other volunteers to provide quality experiences that encourage young people to stay and play in sport
   • by investing in initiatives and providing resources to develop and retain coaches and support officials, referees and umpires
   • by improving the ability of sports to recruit, train and retain their volunteers by providing the resources and information they need to effectively manage those volunteers.
3. Getting national and regional sports organisations improving the delivery of sport in communities
   • by setting clear outcomes for our investment in sport development that expect greater accountability for community sport outcomes – for example, getting resources and support to clubs
   • by working with selected sports towards adopting a “whole-of-sport” approach to strengthen the nationwide delivery of community sport
   • demonstrating how they will work to get more kids in sport and strengthen grassroots sport
   • by working with sports organisations, where appropriate, to restructure their organisations at national, regional and club levels to better meet the changing needs of participants and the needs of their regional and club organisations.

In 2015 our success will be measured by:

• an increase in the number of people participating in clubs and organised events
• an increase in the number of volunteers supporting community sport
• a reduced rate of 16–20-year-olds dropping out of sport
• key national sports organisations providing more effective leadership to regional sports organisations and clubs
• more effective leadership is provided by key national sports organisations to regional sports organisations and clubs.

Recreation

We want a healthy, sustainable and co-ordinated recreation sector delivering quality opportunities that get more New Zealanders participating.

To achieve this, we will focus on:

1. More young people participating in recreational activities
   • by working with the Ministry of Education and other organisations, including schools, to get more kids participating in recreation, especially outdoor recreation
   • by working with national recreation organisations to encourage sharing of resources, to ensure kids are able to access recreation opportunities and quality training at all levels.
2. Strengthening the capability of recreation organisations
   • by working with targeted recreation organisations to better structure and deliver recreation
   • by working with organisations that provide training and development opportunities for participants and leaders to ensure quality recreation experiences
   • by improving the ability for recreation organisations to recruit, train and retain their volunteers by providing the resources and information they need.
3. Implementing the outdoor recreation strategy, including working with the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Recreation Council
   • by establishing and working with the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Recreation Council
   • by continuing to be the lead agency to drive and implement the outdoor recreation strategy
   • by working in partnership with the Department of Conservation, Walking Access Commission, New Zealand Transport Agency, Ministry for the Environment and territorial authorities to advocate for access to and encourage more New Zealanders to make more use of the great outdoors.

In 2015 our success will be measured by:

• an increase in the number of people participating in recreation
• the actions in the outdoor recreation strategy have been successfully implemented.

Partner capability

We want our partners to be sustainable and capable of delivering results (with an emphasis on financial responsibility and capability in recognition of the current economic environment).

To achieve this, we will focus on:

1. Fostering the skills of key organisations, especially in leadership, governance and management of finances and people
   • by encouraging partnerships with other sectors, such as the commercial sector, to share knowledge and expertise in relation to leadership, governance and management
   • by providing and investing in initiatives, such as our CEO seminar series, that develop those key skills in our partners.
2. Providing tools and resources and sharing good practice to help organisations improve their processes
   • by providing resources, such as good practice guides, to increase efficiency, share expertise and improve capability across the sector
   • by using our Organisational Development Tool to assess and target support that develops the capability of the partner organisations we invest in.
3. Providing technical expertise to the sector in specialist areas
   • by providing high-quality technical sport and recreation advice that will lift the performances of coaches, instructors, teachers, administrators, teams and athletes.

In 2015 our success will be measured by:

• an increase in our investment in public/private partnerships leveraging resources from the commercial sector
• an increase in the number of partners in which we invest being assessed as more capable
• an increase in the number of partners in which we invest being assessed as more financially sustainable
• an increase in the number of partners in which we invest delivering on agreed outcomes.

The role SPARC plays

Lead

We will provide clear and strong leadership, and work in the best interests of the sport and recreation sector. This means advocacy, facilitation and bringing the sector together to be stronger and more effective.

We will work across central government, local government, sport and recreation organisations, funding bodies and other potential stakeholders to better access and leverage investment opportunities.

Key to this will be investigating and measuring what value sport and recreation provides to the nation, in terms of economic benefits, health savings, social and cultural gains. We will use sound evidence to help us demonstrate value and will share this evidence with our partners, to assist them in leveraging more resource.

In order to understand the impact of our work and the needs of participants, we need to have a clear picture of the sport and recreation environment. Over the next six years, we will ensure relevant research and monitoring is in place so we have the ability to measure and monitor our impact. We will use research to encourage our partners to understand significant environmental, social and economic changes, and respond to these in ways that meet the needs of each region and community.

In these ways, SPARC will act as a knowledge hub for the sector.

Invest

We will invest taxpayer money on behalf of the Government, and in return we will expect accountability and results. This Plan signals that we will review and streamline our investment models, where appropriate, to ensure investments are cost-effective, with fewer reporting requirements. For those organisations SPARC assesses as being “investment-fit”, investments will be consolidated into a “single pot” to simplify our way of working and reduce reporting and administration costs.

Enable

“Enabling” means building the capability of our partners and, where appropriate, providing domain experts, resources, research and good practice across the sector – for example, governance and management systems, information technology services, human resources, research and monitoring, and additional experts.

Key success measures in 2015 include:

• an increase in the number of our investments achieving agreed results
• reducing our operational costs to 10% of our total budget
• meeting the needs of the Minister for accurate and timely advice.

Monitoring SPARC’s progress

We will set targets for individual initiatives. These will be outlined yearly in the Statement of Intent that is agreed with the Minister for Sport and Recreation.³

Some of our targets within this Plan reflect the current absence of suitable baselines against which progress can be measured. In these cases, we will have to establish those baselines.

The main areas of focus for research, monitoring and evaluation work will be:

• using the 2007/08 Active New Zealand survey as a basis for baseline data on people aged 16 and over. We will also develop another survey in the field in 2012/13 to monitor trends
• developing tools to better understand young people, including participation rates in clubs and schools and establishing a baseline picture of skill levels in 0–12–year-olds
• developing a club and sport membership management template and implementing this in chosen sports to gain a baseline and to track data, including drop-out rates of participation in key age groups.

Through these tools, and others that are already established, we will monitor and track our progress.

Assessing SPARC’s performance

This Plan is a living document. We will review the priorities each year to ensure that they remain relevant and meet the needs of the sport and recreation sector and the Government.

The key actions and measures for each financial year will be detailed in SPARC’s annual Statement of Intent. Progress against those deliverables will continue to be documented in SPARC’s Annual Report. These documents can be viewed at www.sparc.org.nz.

We will also review SPARC’s progress through an independent external review in 2012. This will ensure that we continue to raise the bar, both in terms of our own performance and the performance of our partners.

Understanding the ground rules

Who we are

SPARC was established as a Crown entity to “promote, encourage and support physical recreation and sport in New Zealand” under the Sport and Recreation New Zealand Act 2002.

We are governed by a board and are responsible to the Minister for Sport and Recreation.

We are funded from public money through the Government and the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board. Through SPARC, the Government invests in the sport and recreation sector. For this investment, the Government expects us to deliver public value through sport and recreation.

SPARC has responsibility for both participation and high performance. This means our mandate goes from fundamental movement skills at pre-school age, to sports science and coaching expertise at the highest levels.

The Graham Taskforce report

Eight years ago, the Graham Taskforce report, Getting Set for An Active Nation,⁴ outlined the key challenges facing New Zealand in the areas of sport and recreation. That report formed the basis for the Sport and Recreation Act 2002, which now governs our activities.

Since that report, we have made progress in many areas. SPARC’s performance against its first Strategic Plan, “Our Vision, Our Direction”, was reviewed by Deloitte. In its report,⁵ Deloitte noted that:

SPARC can be proud of its achievements over the period 2002–2006. The organisation has performed well, “lifting the bar” across the board both in terms of its own performance and sector capability. A sound foundation has been set both within SPARC and over the wider sport and recreation sector for further development.

SPARC’s 2009–2015 Strategic Plan builds on that early vision, in alignment with new priorities under the current Government.

What we are about

Fundamental to this Plan is understanding that:

• by sport we mean sport activities delivered primarily through organised structures – that is, activities delivered by regional sport bodies, clubs and schools, including organised competitions and events. Sport also includes physical education within and outside of school time. We acknowledge the growing place for informal sport, such as commercial pay-for-play and unstructured activities, as an area we will explore further
• by recreation we mean the diverse range of active formal and informal opportunities and experiences that make up the recreation landscape. While we will continue to support many forms of recreation, our priority in the immediate years will be outdoor recreation
• by participating we mean more people taking part in sport and recreation, more often, for life. We want everyone to participate at some level every day
• by winning we mean New Zealanders winning in selected international events, such as world cups, world championships, and Olympic and Paralympic Games
• by grassroots sport we mean sport that is generally led, organised, supported or enabled in local communities by clubs, schools, iwi organisations, event providers and community groups. It is the sport that kids, parents, teachers and other New Zealanders take part in every day
• by everyone we mean inclusive and equitable sport and recreation opportunities for all New Zealanders. We want to encourage providers to develop initiatives for New Zealanders to participate and perform in sport and recreation at all levels, irrespective of their age, race, gender, disability, religion, beliefs, sexual orientation or social background.

For us, SPARC’s core business does not include physical activities such as gardening, taking the stairs or doing the housework – these are important for New Zealanders, but they are not a priority for us.

What we believe in

Underpinning everything we do are three principles that guide all aspects of our work:

1. An effective sport and recreation pathway

SPARC’s business is informed by the sport and recreation pathway. The pathway is a participant-focused model of sport and recreation. Movement through the pathway occurs when an individual is ready, rather than at any predetermined stage.

The pathway describes the key stages of a participant’s engagement in sport and recreation through three phases:

• Foundation phase, the entry level to sport and recreation activities, where development is fostered through providing playful, fun and supportive environments for children to explore and learn skills.
• Community sport and recreation phase, where there is a need to provide for dual aspirations of social and competitive participation and diverse ranges of activities for participation.
• High-performance phase, where the performance potential of people is realised and participants are identified and supported to transition to perform and excel.

Table one: Sport and recreation pathway

We believe that, by structuring our support programmes and investments around the pathway, we will achieve the goals outlined in this Plan. In this way, the pathway can assist SPARC and the sector to create a unified view of the critical elements that are required to get more people participating in sport and recreation and winning on the world stage.

2. Sport and recreation for all

We want to encourage providers to develop initiatives so that New Zealanders can participate and perform in sport and recreation at all levels, irrespective of their age, race, gender, disability, religion, beliefs, sexual orientation or social background.

We recognise the importance of the partnership between Maori and non-Maori under the Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Central to this is section 8(f) of the Sport and Recreation Act 2002, which notes that SPARC will “promote and support the development and implementation of recreation and sport in a way that is culturally appropriate to Maori”.

With the support and guidance of our advisory board, Te Roopu Manaaki, we will:

• develop and strengthen relationships with appropriate partners, including iwi organisations, to ensure we continue to support the development and implementation of recreation and sport in a way that is culturally appropriate to Maori
• continue to grow Maori potential, including participation and winning on the world stage, in sport and traditional recreation.
• Consistent with the functions in section 8 of the Sport and Recreation Act 2002, we will also continue to encourage participation in recreation and sport by Pacific peoples, women, older New Zealanders and people with disabilities. This will occur through:
• developing and investing in initiatives that allow for inclusive and equitable opportunities
• ensuring the interests of our targeted groups are reflected in the core strategies that drive our work.

3. Ethical and fair play

We want to create a social environment that fosters a lifelong love of sport and recreation. Ethics and fair play are key contributors to fostering this lifelong love.

We are committed to ensuring that a fair, safe and ethical culture pervades sport and recreation at all levels. We will build a fair and ethical sport and recreation system by promoting respect for sport, respect for others, drug-free sport, fair play, safe play and a commitment to no violence.

As part of our work, we will continue to work with Drug Free Sport New Zealand and the Sports Tribunal, which lead the way in providing for drug-free and fair and ethical sport and recreation environments.

² As set out in detail in SPARC’s High Performance Strategy 2006-2012

³ Our Statements of Intent can be found on our website at www.sparc.org.nz

⁴Getting Set for an Active Nation. Report of the Sport, Fitness and Leisure Ministerial Taskforce. 2001

⁵ Sport and Recreation New Zealand, review of the performance of SPARC during the 2002–2006 period. 2006

→ Part Three: The playing field

Updated | 31 Jul 2009.

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