From the Chief Executive
Kia ora tatou,
With the end of the year fast approaching, I am reminded of what a remarkable 12 months it has been. 2021 has challenged us in ways we never anticipated, yet it has also rewarded us with some brilliant high points.
Firstly I’d like to acknowledge the incredible grit and perseverance that I have seen from across the high performance sport community in the face of the continuous curve balls thrown by the pandemic. Against a great number of odds, the sector enjoyed incredible success through the New Zealand Team in Tokyo. Just getting to Tokyo was a massive challenge, yet the Olympic and Paralympic teams’ performance was nothing short of inspirational, and testament to the work that went in for the duration of the extended cycle.
With the inception of the COVID-19 Protection Framework, now is the time to look to the exciting opportunities ahead of us. Today’s HPSNZ Update is focused on funding and investment decisions for the next three years.
The new Targeted Investment Framework process we have undertaken has meant additional effort for everyone involved. Thank you for your input. It’s also hugely positive to see what sports are doing to embed a greater focus on wellbeing into your high performance programmes. Doing everything we can, collectively, to ensure the wellbeing of every person within our high performance system is vital and goes hand in hand with the performance edge we’re continuously seeking.
I have a strong sense of optimism and hope for 2022.
He rā ki tua – Better times are coming
As we start the new year, our Winter Olympic and Paralympic athletes will be in their final build-up for Beijing 2022, and we can look forward to the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 as the first of the major international women’s sporting events being hosted in New Zealand through 2022 and 2023.
I hope you share this optimism and pride in all you have achieved in 2021. Thank you for your support and hard work. I wish you all an enjoyable and restful festive season.
Ngā mihi
Raelene
HPSNZ investing $131 million directly into sports to 2024
HPSNZ will invest $131 million directly into 44 National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) over the next three years.
The investments are the first announced under HPSNZ’s new Targeted Investment Strategy and will see more sports and more athletes supported than ever before.
Chief Executive Raelene Castle says the investment package is designed to maintain the targeted approach that has helped deliver ongoing international success for Kiwi athletes, while increasing support for the wellbeing of those in the system and investing in a wider range of sports to achieve results that inspire New Zealanders.
Wellbeing a key priority in HPSNZ 2022-2024 investments
HPSNZ investments announced today reflect a multi-faceted approach to the wellbeing of athletes and all those in the high performance sports sector.
A total of $131 million direct investment to sports over the next three years is designed to support both performance and wellbeing outcomes.
In addition to that, HPSNZ is investing $19 million in the provision of Performance Support services, most of which directly support athlete mental and physical wellbeing and a further $7.4 million in wellbeing initiatives.
HPSNZ invests in 16 new sports through Aspirational Fund
A total of 34 sports will benefit from HPSNZ’s new Aspirational Fund from January 2022, including 16 sports that did not receive HPSNZ core funding in 2021.
HPSNZ General Manager Performance Partnerships Eddie Kohlhase says the Aspirational Fund is designed to enable investment in a wider range of sports than ever with the potential to inspire more New Zealanders.
“It is about investing in a variety of sports that resonate with different types of New Zealanders and have potential to produce inspiring performances on the world stage now or in the future.”
Cross sport wins through Women’s World Cups
Over the coming 18 months New Zealand will host three major international women’s World Cup events. The White Ferns, the Black Ferns and the Football Ferns will each contest their pinnacle event here on home soil, which comes with the chance to showcase their exceptional talent and inspire New Zealanders.
This lines up with HPSNZ’s strategic shift towards partnering with a wider range of sports including campaigns that can inspire New Zealanders through our Aspirational Fund. Respected HPSNZ Performance Team Lead Hannah Porter is engaging with the three Ferns campaigns as a result.
“The opportunity came to work closely with these three sports that have impending world cups on home soil. We’re able to lend an independent view, support and challenge, also to bring the cross sport groups together. There’s no better people to learn from than the people working through similar challenges,” Hannah says.
Elevating and empowering more Women Coaches in High Performance Sport
16 Women Coaches from 15 different sports across Aotearoa New Zealand have been selected for HPSNZ’s second intake to Te Hāipaitanga, a women’s coach development initiative.
Te Hāipaitanga – the act of elevating, lifting and empowering.
Te Hāipaitanga is one of a number of HPSNZ initiatives in our ongoing commitment to Women in High Performance Sport. It is a holistic coach development initiative designed to enable more females to pursue and maintain a career in high performance coaching in Aotearoa New Zealand
