Part 6 cont'd.
6.10.2 National Sport Organisations
National Sport Organisations provide the vision and structure for the majority of participants in New Zealand sports. If they are strong then sport in New Zealand is strong. Active New Zealand will work in partnership with National Sport Organisations to achieve mutual goals for sport generally and specific goals for the organisation's guardianship of their particular sport.
All National Sport Organisations must take on the primary responsibility for planning initiatives for their sport at all levels and determine their own destiny. To achieve this National Sport Organisations must improve their governance practices, structures, planning, coaching systems and services to members. New Zealand can not expect to achieve any form of ongoing high performance sport success without substantial funding increases on a continuous basis. Participation levels will not be sustained without support for the volunteer infrastructure that underpins the efforts and operations of the national sports delivery system. Every encouragement should be made to align like activities and cluster national sports organisations at all levels.
To ensure Active New Zealand's expectations of National Sport Organisations are met there must be substantial increases in the allocation of funds. All future investments must be focused on strong governance, leadership, strategic planning, coaching and management improvement.
National Sport Organisations' key areas of work must include plans and programmes for:
- national teams and squads
- talent identification and development
- national competitions
- coach development
- regional development
- participation
- volunteer support
- Maori
- ethnic groups
- people with disabilities
- officials development
- facility development
- interagency links
- international relations
If the above key areas are not immediately the focus of each National Sport Organisation's vision, sports will struggle to survive and will attain lacklustre results.
Active New Zealand's relationship with National Sport Organisations will involve:
Regular meetings and close liaison.
- An emphasis upon National Sport Organisations providing vision, leadership, and robust national structures and programmes. This will require effective links and support of regional or district delivery structures which have working relationships with Regional Trusts.
- Working closely with National Sport Organisations to identify and implement opportunities for shared facilities and operations. It is expected that national sport organisations will move quickly to a greater sharing of facilities, resources and delivery.
- Negotiation of annual funding allocations based on the national sport organisation's clear strategic plans, which include coaching and high performance, a focus on participation and innovative features supported by strong governance and robust management practices at national, regional and club levels.
- The implementation of a funding framework that is conditional and in part contestable, and always measurable and accountable. Evaluation criteria shall be focused on outcomes and involve the following key categories: vision, excellence, coaching, regional development, participation development and management practices.
- Active New Zealand carrying out a full governance and operational audit of all funded national sport organisations within the first year of its operation.
6.10.3 Regional Recreation and Sport Organisations
For sport to survive in New Zealand the local and regional structures and operations are critical. Much of the present emphasis for regional organisations relates to organised sport. The comments that follow, however, have relevance for regional recreational organisations which are markedly fewer in number. The needs consistently expressed in this report for national organisations to improve their leadership governance and operations are equally applicable to the regional level. Regional sport organisations must closely align themselves with their national bodies on the one hand and community participation on the other. Regional Sport Organisations are pivotal in grassroots participation and the pathway to elite individuals and teams at the national level. Regional recreation and sport organisations will be supported by their national bodies and through Regional Trusts to develop thriving, efficient, strategically planned and proactive operations that result in the regional recreation and sport experience achieving a higher rate of participation and achievement.
As noted in the section on Grassroots Participation, the Taskforce fully recognises that regional organisations, clubs and schools are the foundation of recreation and sport in this country. For regional recreation or sport organisations to succeed they must be characterised by the following:
- Strong links with their national body and a full understanding of their special role within an integrated structure.
- Strong leadership, strategic planning and effective operations.
- Adequate facilities and resources.
- Integrated policies and operations.
- Being receptive to new initiatives and leadership from Regional Trusts and local government.
- Partnerships that result in increased participation levels.
- Effective coaching and talent identification.
- Volunteers identifying with, and being supported by, their organisations.
Regional Alignment
The Taskforce strongly recommends Active New Zealand leads the rational-isation of boundaries for recreation and sport organisations and encourages alliances amongst organisations to ensure resource use is maximised. The proposed Regional Trust model in 6.9.1 should be considered as the basis for this rationalisation.
