–
Sport &
Community
Recreation
Sport and community recreation touches the lives of virtually
all New Zealanders. This industry brings communities together
– in teams, on the sidelines as spectators, in recreation
facilities as users, and at recreation events as participants.
The benefits of sport and recreation for New Zealand include:
•
•
•
•
An active and healthy population
Personal wellbeing, resilience and stamina
Increased social bonds and cohesive communities
Positive impact on youth offending .
Sport and community recreation delivers valuable learning
and personal development for those who take part. Graduates
of sport and recreation qualifications build transferable
skills they can take with them into other industries and
occupations. Self-management, planning, leadership, goalsetting, perseverance and teamwork are some examples of
skills that are valuable in other fields.
Participation in sport and community recreation has been
demonstrated to reduce juvenile crime and increase youth
motivation to get into employment, education or training. This
reduces strain on the justice system as well as unemployment
and other social welfare benefits.26
26
38 Sport & community Recreations
Skills Active Workforce Scan 2017
NZIER, Report to the Ministerial Taskforce on Sport, Fitness and Leisure, 2000
Skills Active Workforce Scan 2017
Sport & Community Recreation 39
Industry Snapshot
10%
20%
Employment by Age
15–19
20–24
25–29
30–34
Sport and Recreation
35–39
40–44
45–49
50–54
60–64
65+
Total Economy
Employment by Gender
Economic Contribution
2,379M
Sport and Recreation
Male 57%
55–59
$
Female 43%
Total Economy
1.1% of New Zealand’s GDP in 2015
Male 53%
Female 47%
Demographics of Employees
Regional Employment and Growth
32,944 people were employed in the industry in 2015 compared to
28,708 in 2005.
Auckland
Skills Active Workforce Scan 2017
%
Sport and Recreation
66%
3,609
9,4
Rest of NZ
33.1%
10,892
(2005)
11%
3,0
3,685
68
40 Sport & Community Recreation
11
Waikato
2,8
Wellington
76%
3,9
4,466
28
Sport and community recreation
professionals build transferable
skills they can take with them into
other industries and occupations
10,258
14%
67
Total Economy
9
3
,36
31
%
Canterbury
82
2015
-
Total Employment
2005
28,708
2015
32,944
Percent Full-Time in 2013
Skills Active Workforce Scan 2017
Sport & Community Recreation 41
Industry Profile
The sport and community recreation industry is complex, comprising a range of public, non-profit and private organisations
working at local, regional and national levels.27
Government/Community
Funding Organisations
A simple way to conceptualise this industry is to divide it into the following areas:
FACILITIES (INDOOR AND OUTDOOR)
Sport New Zealand
Ministry of Culture
and Heritage
Te Puni Kōkiri
Ministry of Education
Management and operation of sport and recreation facilities (e.g. swimming pools, parks and open spaces).
PROGRAMMES AND EVENTS
Planning, management, promotion and delivery of sport and recreation programmes and/or events.
COACHING/OFFICIATING/ATHLETES
Ministry of Business
Innovation and Employment
Ministry of Health
Ministry of Social
Development
Internal Affairs (Lotteries)
Coaching and officiating of sports teams and individual athletes.
TWO MAJOR INDUSTRY GROUPS
Gaming trusts
Community trusts
Philanthropic trusts
Commercial sponsorships
Tertiary Education
Commission
National Organisations
Local authorities (primarily councils)
• Ratepayer-based, with annual expenditure of up to
$800 million on the provision of sport and recreation
programmes, green spaces and facilities.
• This group employs a significant proportion of the
industry workforce and is estimated to have $7 billion
• Associated with this group are the various councilcontrolled organisations and private/commercial
businesses working out of council-owned facilities.
LOCAL
AUTHORITIES
(COUNCILS)
Sport and recreation providers
• Includes many incorporated societies and non-profit
trusts, delivering over 140 sport and recreation
services. It also includes some commercial
businesses like Kelly Sports and Community Leisure
Management (CLM).
• Also in this group are over 150 national and regional
sport and recreation organisations, 14 regional sports
trusts, over 15,000 clubs, out-of-school caregivers,
Pasifika church and community groups, health
Entertainment Venues
Association NZ
National Sport
Organisations
NZ Recreation Association
Local Government
New Zealand
Water Safety New Zealand
invested in recreation and sport assets.28
services and an increasing number of iwi offering
marae-based traditional Māori activities.
SPORT AND
RECREATION
PROVIDERS
Wet and dry facilities, sport
grounds, entertainment and
event venues, arenas and
stadiums. Parks and open spaces,
out-of-school care operators,
recreation programmes
and events.
• Many of these organisations rely on government,
philanthropic and gaming funding. With such a high
rate of external funding many organisations have
few paid workers and depend on a large unpaid/
volunteer workforce, with almost one million adults
volunteering each year.29
National Recreation
Organisations
Entertainment
Technology NZ
National, regional and local
sports organisations,
regional sport trusts, schools,
commercial operators
e.g. CLM, not-for-profit
e.g. YMCA
VOLUNTEERS
Community sport coaches,
officials, administrators
and programme
or event personnel
Marae-based sport and
recreation activities
Participants
In 2015, there were 10,712 sport and community recreation
businesses, or 2% of the total businesses in New Zealand. While
the average staffing level was 3.1 people, numbers employed at
larger councils would far exceed this figure.
The industry has some big employers. For example, Auckland
Council employs around 2,000 people to deliver sport and
recreation programmes, places and spaces. Many of these staff
Historically, Skills Active has clustered culture, sport and recreation together, as has been the practice of Statistics New Zealand and the Ministry of Culture and Heritage. However, this industry profile focuses on sport and community
recreation and excludes arts and culture.
are in the parks space, but headcounts in the policy and planning
areas are increasing.
Some 20% of council budgets and staff are dedicated to the
provision of sport and recreation, with the greatest investment in
parks and facilities like pools and leisure centres.30
27
28
Sport NZ, Economic and Social Value of Sport and Recreation, 2014
42 Sport & Community Recreation
29
Sport NZ, Active NZ Survey, 2013/2014
Skills Active Workforce Scan 2017
30
Auckland Council Long-Term Plan, 2012, and Hamilton City Council Long-Term Plan, 2015
Skills Active Workforce Scan 2017
Sport & Community Recreation 43
Workforce Profile
Regional Employment
31%
Auckland
10,258
TOP FIVE JOBS IN THE SPORT AND COMMUNITY RECREATION INDUSTRY
Job
2005
2015
Other Sports Coach or Instructor
1,915
3,991
Swimming Coach or Instructor
1,255
2,434
Lifeguard
1,246
1,698
Sports Administrator
1,222
1,539
Corporate General Manager
373
493
There were 32,944 people employed in sport and community
recreation in 2015, which amounted to 1.4% of the total New
Zealand workforce. In 2015, the industry saw employment growth
of 2.9%, compared with overall growth in the New Zealand
workforce of 2.3% for the same year. Employment growth is
predicted to continue over the next few years with dips forecast in
2017 and 2019.
11%
Waikato
3,685
Demand for coaches and swim instructors has more than doubled
over the period 2005 to 2015. According to the Skills Active 2016
Workplace Survey, swim instructors and lifeguards were among
the most difficult roles to recruit for the industry.31
There were 32,944 people
employed in the industry in 2015,
representing 1.4% of the total workforce
in New Zealand.
73
North Island
%
11%
Wellington Region
3,609
Canterbury
South Island
27%
14%
4,466
Of the 32,944 people employed in sport and
community recreation in 2015, over 10,200 were
based in the Auckland region; this equates to
31% of the total industry workforce. Some 14%
of industry professionals were in the Canterbury
region, while 11% were in the Wellington region
and the same number were in the Waikato region.
Total Employment
2005 28,708 — 2015 32,944
31
Skills Active, Workplace Survey, 2016
44 Sport & Community Recreation
Skills Active Workforce Scan 2017
Skills Active Workforce Scan 2017
Sport & Community Recreation 45
Workforce Makeup
GENDER
EARNINGS
In 2015, the gender makeup of the industry was 57%
male and 43% female.
Many sport and recreation professionals feel that their pay does not
adequately reflect their skill level or the tasks they perform.
Male 57%
While the number of women employed in the industry
has been rising, that growth has not matched the rate
of increase for women employed in the total economy.
Female 43%
39.2%
Age of Adult Volunteers
26.8%
Turnover of volunteers in the industry is high. Often
this reflects the fact that many volunteers are
supporting sport and recreation activities for their
children, and they typically do not volunteer beyond
the involvement of their family Almost one million
adults volunteered in the sport and community
recreation industry in 2013/2014, up 3% from
2007/2008.
25.7%
23
.7%
19.8%
Income was raised as a concern by many of the respondents to the
2016 Sport and Recreation Paid Workforce Survey.
Average Earnings 2015
50k
18–24
EMPLOYMENT BY AGE
The industry employs significantly more 15- to 24-year-olds (22%)
than are employed in the national labour force (13.7%).
Over one-third of respondents to the Skills Active Workplace
Survey reported that they were actively working with schools to
recruit staff.33
25–34
35–49
50–64
65+
These figures may reflect the fact that roles such as pool
lifeguards, sport coaches and community centre programme
providers are often filled by young people who are still associated
with the schools and youths groups to whom they are delivering
services.
Employment by Age
0k
$48,457
$56,030
Sport and Recreation
Total Economy
SKILL AND QUALIFICATION LEVEL
In 2013, there were fewer low-skilled workers in the industry (33.1%)
than in the total economy (38.5%). The proportion of medium-skilled
sport and community recreation workers was nearly twice that of the
total economy (29.8% and 17.2% respectively).
10%
20%
Only 12% of those working in the industry had no qualifications in
2013, compared to 16% in 2006. This is a lower rate than in the
national labour force (13.6% in 2013 and 17.8% in 2006). In 2013,
some 40.8% of the people employed in the industry had a level 4
qualification or higher, compared to 45.7% of the total workforce.
15–19
20–24
25–29
Sport and Recreation
30–34
35–39
40–44
45–49
50–54
55–59
60–64
65+
Skill Level for Sport and Recreation Vs Total Economy
40%
SPORT &
COMMUNITY
RECREATION
TOTAL
ECONOMY
Total Economy
30%
20%
ETHINICITY
Sport NZ, Active NZ Survey, 2013/2014
We get to see our customers grow and
develop in physical confidence and become
more active. Using our facilities makes our
community happy – there’s a community feel,
they have a good time, they enjoy socialising
and getting the physical rewards of being
active, which benefits not just their body but
their mental wellbeing as well.
However, we are struggling to get the
employees that we need. There appears to be
a shortage of people wanting to work in this
industry who have the qualifications that we
require. We are dealing with this by ensuring
we hire people with the right attitude and
desire to work in this industry and train them
in order to obtain the qualifications.
10%
According to Sport New Zealand’s 2016 Paid Workforce Survey,
the majority of people working in sport and community recreation
identify as Pakeha/NZ European (80%). People identifying as
Māori accounted for 13% of the industry.34
32
National Business Capability
and Education Specialist
Auckland Council
The average annual earnings in the sport and community recreation
industry were $48,457 in 2015, lower than average annual earnings
in the total economy of $56,030. Industry earnings have grown at a
slower rate than the total economy over the past 10 years.
The salary extremes of high performance coaches, professional
athletes, planners and policymakers, somewhat skew the earnings
figures for the industry as a whole. The reality is that many sport and
community recreation professionals work for small organisations
that depend on public funding, and many work fewer than 30 hours
a week.
TYPE OF EMPLOYMENT32
66% of sport and community recreation professionals
work full-time. The industry has a
large part-time and volunteer workforce as well.
Jane Foote
33
Skills Active, Workplace Survey, 2016
46 Sport & Community Recreation
34
Pasifika people who made up 6% of all people in the sport and
community recreation industry, according to 2013 census data.
The workforce has seen steady growth in people identifying as
Asian. The Asian workforce grew from 4.3% in 2006 to 6% in
2013.
0%
LOW
SKILLED
MEDIUM
SKILLED
MEDIUM-HIGH
SKILLED
HIGH
SKILLED
Sport NZ, Sport and Recreation Paid Workforce Survey, 2016
Skills Active Workforce Scan 2017
Skills Active Workforce Scan 2017
Sport & Community Recreation 47
Impact
PARTICIPATION35
SOCIAL
While rates of physical activity decline around the world, here in
New Zealand participation has remained steady. According to the
Sport NZ Active NZ Survey, 2.5 million adults take part in sport
and recreation in any given week (this figure also includes outdoor
recreation, exercise, snowsport and dance):
• The most popular recreational activities are walking, swimming,
cycling and jogging, and the most popular sports are golf,
soccer, tennis, netball, cricket and touch rugby.
• Of those survey respondents who engaged in sport and
recreation, 67.5% did so three times a week or more.
• Māori and Pasifika are more likely to participate in netball,
ECONOMIC
In 2015, the sport and community recreation industry contributed
$2.379 billion to the New Zealand GDP, or 1.1% of total GDP.
This amounts to an average of 1.1% growth per annum over the
last five years, which is less than the 2.5% growth per annum seen
in the total economy. However, between 2014 and 2015 alone, the
industry’s GDP contribution jumped by 3.9%.
touch rugby and dance than people identifying as NZ European/
Pakeha. NZ European/Pakeha are more likely than other ethnic
groups to take part in canoeing/kayaking, golf and tramping.
Asian peoples are more likely than other ethnic groups to play
badminton and cricket.
• Men and younger adults (16- to 24-years-old) were the two
groups most likely to take part overall.
Local sports clubs and recreation groups provide a range of social
benefits for New Zealanders.
Sport and recreation increases social interaction, builds capacity
and skills, and a shared sense of community and belonging for
both participants and spectators. This in turn leads to stronger,
more resilient communities.
“Physically active kids who
are participating in sport are
healthier, and more focused
in the classroom.”
• Almost 1 million adults and approximately 45% of all 10- to
18-year-olds volunteer in the industry each year.
• Some 550,000 adults take part in sport and recreation events
each year – fun runs and walks are the most common events.
2,379M
$
Minister for Health and for Sport and Recreation Jonathan
Coleman said in 2016 that physically active kids who play sport
are healthier and more focused in the classroom. He drew the
connection between sport and better educational achievement
and argued that, statistically, this will lead to better social
outcomes for any given group.38
Economic Contribution
GDP
Dr Jonathan Coleman, Minister for Health and for Sport and Recreation.
1.1% of New Zealand’s GDP in 2015
TOURISM
Sport has played a central role in international and domestic
tourism over the last 10 years, with New Zealand successfully
hosting the Rugby World Cup, Cricket World Cup, Under 20
Football Championships and Triathlon World Series events.
With these events comes a strong tourism component and
increased interest in other activities and attractions besides the
main event. The 2011 Rugby World Cup saw 133,200 tourists arrive
in New Zealand between July and October 2011, spending some
$387 million during their stay.
The World Masters Games, scheduled for 2017 in Auckland
and Waikato, will bring in 25,000 athletes, plus supporters,
spectators and volunteers, who together are expected to inject
some $52 million into the New Zealand economy.36
HEALTH
Physical inactivity was estimated to cost New Zealand $1.3 billion
in 2010, which at that time represented just less than 1% of New
Zealand’s GDP.37
Pasifika adults and children are over-represented in New Zealand’s
ill health statistics. Māori adults are also 2.5 times more likely
than their Pakeha counterparts to die of cardiovascular disease,
and twice as likely to be hospitalised as a result of it. Both Pasifika
adults and children are 2.5 times more likely to be obese than
non-Pasifika, which in turn increases their risk of type 2 diabetes.
In October 2015, the government launched the Childhood Obesity
Plan, which contains 22 initiatives involving the private and public
sectors, communities, schools and families. At the core of the
plan is a new childhood obesity health target and strategies to
improve access to support for children and families including
household nutrition advice and help with activity and lifestyle
changes.
The Ministry of Health’s New Zealand Health Strategy, launched in
2016, encourages a cross-sector approach to health promotion,
rehabilitation and disease and injury prevention. There are
increasing expectations of close cooperation between the health
sector and the sport and recreation industry.
35
Sport NZ, Active NZ Survey, 2013/2014, and Sport NZ, Young People’s Survey, 2010/11
37
Market Economics Limited for Auckland, Waikato and Wellington Councils, The Costs of Physical Inactivity: Towards a Regional Full-Cost Accounting Perspective, 2013
48 Sport & Community Recreation
36
Fairfax Media, Huge Economic Benefit Likely Through 2017 World Masters Games, 2016
Skills Active Workforce Scan 2017
38
Dr Jonathan Coleman, speech to the Sport NZ Connections Conference
Skills Active Workforce Scan 2017
Sport & Community Recreation 49
Trends / Issues / Risks
POLITICAL
•
•
TECHNOLOGICAL
Physical literacy for all:
In 2015, Sport NZ announced its Physical Literacy Strategy,
which aims to modify the way sport and recreation is
delivered in order to make it more accessible to more people,
and increase overall participation. The physical literacy
approach puts less emphasis on traditional, organised
sport and instead focuses on understanding the changing
preferences and needs of New Zealanders and finding ways to
introduce more physical activity into their lives.
•
•
Responses to obesity:
There is continued political focus on the connection between
lack of physical activity and obesity; subsequently, a growing
share of public health expenditure is being channelled into
this area.
Sport in primary and secondary education:
Teachers are spending more time on paperwork and reporting
(particularly around health and safety compliance and
Education Review Office requirements), which may reduce
their availability to coach, manage and officiate sport,
redirecting that pressure onto the industry.
Vulnerable Children Act 2014:
The emphasis on formalising recruitment processes, police
vetting and child protection training requirements for people
delivering sport and community recreation to children may
lead to increased costs and/or deter people from putting
themselves forward for roles that involve working with
children.
•
•
•
Reduced investment in sport and recreation:
Any drop in external funding (such as government or Lottery
grants) has the potential to scale back investment in the
industry. Some 65% of respondents to the Skills Active
Workplace Survey identified funding cuts and the subsequent
impact on wage budgets as a barrier affecting their ability to
recruit staff.39
and financial resources will be unlocked, opening up
opportunities for the industry to deliver more sport and
community recreation services to Māori organisations and
individuals.
•
Increased investment in health:
This may lead to increased opportunities in the industry to
address health issues, particularly for Māori and Pasifika.
Greater economic focus on Auckland:
This could affect investment in other regions.
•
Treaty of Waitangi settlements:
As more Treaty settlements are finalised, physical
Drive for efficiencies:
A shift towards merged organisations, sport hubs and
“Sportville” resource and facility-sharing projects, as well
as national/regional facility strategies, may change the
workforce requirements of sport and community recreation
employers in future.
Growth of large franchises in the out-of-school care
industry:
May squeeze smaller providers and affect training costs for
all.
SOCIAL
•
Busy lifestyles:
Sport and recreation is one of many competing opportunities
available to fill people’s leisure time.
•
Pay-to-play:
More New Zealanders are opting to engage in sport on an
ad hoc, pay-to-play basis, rather than maintaining ongoing
memberships with traditional clubs. Some 35.2% of
participants now prefer pay-to–play.40
•
39
Baby boomer market:
New Zealand’s ageing population is staying well longer
through improved healthcare, creating a growing market
of older New Zealanders who wish to take part in sport and
community recreation.
Skills Active, Workplace Survey, 2016
40
•
•
Delivery of culturally appropriate activities:
An ethnically diverse population increasingly expects to
receive services that match their culture and values. This
will lead to increased demand for sport and community
recreation professionals skilled at communicating and
working with different ethnic groups.
Emerging activities:
The rising popularity of new events like Iron Māori, which has
seen an explosion in participation in recent years, and new or
existing activities like mountain biking, waka ama and kī-orahi will bring with it a growing appetite for new and different
coaching and instruction skills, as well as more officials and
administrators.
Sport NZ, Active NZ Survey, 2013/2014
50 Sport & Community Recreation
•
Recreational apps and gadgets:
New technologies could bring both positive and negative
changes to the industry, with some New Zealanders
using social technology such as Fitbits to augment their
participation in sport and recreation, and others choosing
sedentary recreation, such as gaming consoles, over physical
activity.
training and better monitoring and assessment.
•
Increasing use of smartphones and tablets:
The increasing penetration of mobile technology creates
many new opportunities for the industry to interact with New
Zealanders, particularly young people, and deliver enhanced
sport and community recreation experiences.
Shifts towards online learning/assessment:
This provides opportunities to deliver more cost-effective
Training Environment
ECONOMIC
•
•
Some 44.7% of people working in the sport and community recreation industry hold a post-school qualification. Of these, 30% of hold
a level 5 diploma and 20.6% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher.
On-job training in the industry is delivered through a combination of in-house learning and collaboration with other providers, such as
industry training organisations.
BARRIERS TO INDUSTRY TRAINING AND QUALIFICATION COMPLETION41
The industry has identified cost as the biggest barrier to industry
training and on-job qualification of staff, particularly the cost of:
• The training itself.
• Having to roster on others to cover staff away at training.
• Assessment for those organisations where in-house assessment
is not available.
• Workplace capacity to deliver and coordinate training.
• High staff turnover.
• Staff availability and commitment.
• Difficulties in defining the return on investment of training.
• Access to and availability of relevant training.
CURRENT AND FUTURE SKILL NEEDS42
Sport and community recreation employers would like to see more
training options in the following areas:
• Foundation skills.
• Lifeguarding and swim coaching.
• New technology.
Skills Active, Workplace Survey, 2016
• Customer service.
• Sport coaching .
• Leadership.
• Health and safety.
41
Skills Active Workforce Scan 2017
In addition, the industry reports the following barriers:
42
• Facility operations.
• Systems change.
Skills Active, Workplace Survey, 2016
Skills Active Workforce Scan 2017
Sport & Community Recreation 51