Prime Minister John Key today launched the National-led Government’s Kiwisport initiative for young people which will invest $82 million in school sports over the next four years.

Kiwisport will provide $45 million in direct funding to schools over the next four years, with a further $37 million to go into a regional partnership fund for initiatives involving clubs, schools and community groups to support sport for school-aged children.

“Funding for Kiwisport has been provided by the Ministers of Health, Education, and Sport & Recreation identifying savings from social marketing campaigns, websites, and tagged funding programmes,” says Mr Key.

“The Kiwisport initiative delivers on the Government’s promise to put money directly into the frontline to help more New Zealand children participate in organised sport.

“Schools are a vital catchment area in which we can introduce young New Zealanders to organised sport.

“Sport has undeniable benefits in terms of physical fitness, teamwork, and leadership.  Getting more kiwi kids involved at school level can lead to a lifetime of involvement in organised sport.

 “This is a good example of putting funds from the back office to the frontline, where it can have much more impact. 

“Kiwisport puts the money where it is needed – whether it be directly to schools or via the regional partnership fund to clubs and community organisations – to ensure we have more children participating in sports.

“I look forward to this direct support leading to more New Zealand children getting involved in sport and strengthening the partnerships between schools, clubs and community groups to support sport.”

KIWISPORT  - Questions and Answers

What is Kiwisport?

Kiwisport is an $82 million boost to get more young Kiwis involved in organised sport.  The two elements of Kiwisport are Direct Funding to Schools and a Regional Partnership Fund.

Kiwisport delivers on the National Party’s pre-election commitment to get more Kiwi kids involved in sport by focusing sporting dollars where they make the biggest difference – at the front-line in our schools and sports clubs. 

How much money will Kiwisport make available for sport for school-aged children?

A total of $82 million over the next four years (and $20.485 million per year in out years).  This will consist of:

• $24 million for a Primary School Direct Fund (year 1-8 students). 
• $21 million for a Secondary School Direct Fund (year 9-13 students).
•  $37 million for a Regional Partnership Fund (to be administered by Regional Sports Trusts (RSTs). 

The Primary School Direct Fund equates to approximately $13 per student and the Secondary School Direct Fund equates to $20.86 per student based on current roll levels.

The Regional Partnership Fund will be calculated on a per capita basis based on the number of school-aged children within the boundaries of a Regional Sports Trust.

Where has the money for Kiwisport come from?

The Ministers of Health, Education, and Sport and Recreation identified $82 million in lower-value expenditure in areas such as social marketing campaigns and websites and have redirected it to fund front-line sport.   Funding from the Sportfit programme for year 9-13 schools has also been allocated to Kiwisport. 

This package requires no new funding from the between-Budget contingency.

How will the Direct Funding to Schools work?

The Direct Funding to Schools will be funded through the Ministry of Education and will direct additional funding to Primary and Secondary Schools through operational grants.

The funding will be allocated on a per-student basis. The funding for Primary Schools will commence through the operational grant payment scheduled for 1 October 2009, while the funding for Secondary Schools will commence through the 1 January 2010 operational grant.

The Primary School Direct Fund equates to approximately $13.11 per student and the Secondary School Direct Fund equates to $20.86 per student based on current roll levels,

The funding will when fully rolled out amount to $6 million per full financial year for Secondary Schools and $6 million per financial year for Primary Schools. 

As outlined in pre-election commitments, direct funding means schools will have the flexibility and the freedom to apply the money to address their specific needs to help ensure more children play sport.   The reporting requirements for this funding will not be onerous and bureaucratic, but will hold schools to account that they are using the funds to promote sport.  Schools will account for the new funding as part of their annual reporting to the Ministry of Education.  

How will the Regional Partnership Fund work?

The Regional Partnership Fund will be allocated to New Zealand’s 17 Regional Sports Trusts (RSTs) for use in their communities.  The funding will be distributed to RSTs on a per capita basis based on the number of school-aged children in each RST region.  [See attached map for locations of the RSTs]

The Regional Partnership Fund recognises that schools aren’t the only players in the delivery of sporting programmes and that sports clubs and community groups also have an important role to play.  RSTs will use the Fund to encourage new partnerships involving schools, clubs, local and community groups that will get more young people involved in organised sport.

Programmes funded through the Regional Partnership Fund will:

• Provide increased opportunities for school-aged children to participate in organised sport.
• Leverage additional contributions from community groups.
• Build and strengthen linkages between schools and community sports clubs.
• Take the wishes of the community into account.

The Fund could be used to support school sport through, for example, the provision of sports coordinators.  It could be used to boost the provision of club sport, or to support additional coaches and equipment for popular sports in the community. Social marketing campaigns or business as usual programmes will not be eligible for funding.

The fund will consist of $6.253 million in 2009/2010 rising to $11.085 million, in 2010/2011, 2011/2012 and levelling out at $8.485 million in out-years.  RSTs will be contracted by SPARC to administer funding through the Regional Partnership Fund, starting in the 2009/10 financial year.

What will young Kiwis gain from this boost to sports funding?

This funding boost will increase the opportunities for young Kiwis to get involved in sport.  The Government wants to see more Kiwi kids participating in sport so that they get the health and lifestyle benefits of better physical fitness, as well as the chance to be part of a team, find mentors, gain a taste for competition and winning, and get more involved in their communities. 

How will the funding change affect the elements of Sportfit?

The tagged $5.3 million ‘Sportfit’ funding for sports coordinators is being reallocated as part of the $6 million direct funding to secondary schools.  It is up to schools to decide how to best use this funding to encourage more children into organised sport. 

Schools may use the funding they are allocated to continue to employ sports coordinators.   In some areas, schools may opt to cluster together to use their direct funding to employ a sports co-ordinator for a range of schools in their area, while in other areas Regional Sports Trusts may work with clusters of schools to hire regional  sports co-ordinators.

SPARC will continue to support out of baselines the 35 regional sports directors who help organise inter-school/region competition and play a vital role in supporting secondary school sport.