AusLeisure

High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ) is to benefit from a $36.8 million core investment programme for 2020, which included some notable backing for women’s sport.

In December 2018, HPSNZ provided all tier 1, 2 and 3 targeted summer Olympic and Paralympic sports with a two year investment commitment, based on performance and available funding, to provide more certainty around preparations for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

Announced before Christmas, the funding for the final year of the Olympic and Paralympic cycle confirms there are no changes to those levels of funding, with sports generally tracking well in the lead up to 2020.

Welcoming the backing, HPSNZ Chief Executive, Michael Scott explained “this approach is designed to give Olympic and Paralympic sports more certainty on which to base their transition from the Tokyo to Paris Olympic cycles and their preparations through the Paris cycle.”

The funding announcement also sees some significant gains for women’s sport, especially netball and cricket. Netball’s funding has increased from $1.50 million to $1.88 million per annum for each of the next four years in preparation for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and 2023 World Cup. Cricket investment of $500,000 per year shifts from the Black Caps to the White Ferns for the next two years to support preparation for the 2021 ICC Cricket World Cup, to be hosted in New Zealand, and the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which will feature women’s T20 cricket.

Scott added “the importance of funding certainty extends beyond Olympic and Paralympic sports. We are seeking to evolve our model to achieve this, and on this occasion we are delighted to be able to give greater support to elite women’s sport.”

Other notable features of the funding announcement included:

• Increased investment in rugby league (up from $350,000 to $450,000);
• Investment in one new sport (karate) and increased investment in two other sports (boxing and surfing) to include previously unfunded campaigns.
• Decreased investment in softball (Black Sox down from $350,000 to $200,000, White Sox down from $30,000 to $0) and shooting (down from $155,000 to $55,000).

Scott says HPSNZ’s investment decisions are based on the same four criteria for all sports: past performance; future potential; quality of the high performance programme and campaigns; and the individual sport context.

The allocations also follow detailed performance discussions with the NSOs concerned.

HPSNZ will make further changes to its investment process during the year, beginning in March 2020. At that time, an investment equivalent to 60-80% of current funding levels will be confirmed for targeted Summer Olympic and Paralympic sports for the four years of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic cycle.

Following the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, all sports will be assessed based on Tokyo performance, with final investment decisions to be announced in December 2020. This will include any remaining investment for tier 1 and tier 2 sports, along with investments in other sports and campaigns.

In addition to investing funding in the NSOs and their campaigns, HPSNZ provides high performance expertise to targeted and campaign sports in areas such as strength and conditioning, technology and innovation, performance nutrition, performance psychology, performance technique and analysis, performance physiology, high performance coaching and performance health.

HPSNZ currently has more than approximately 90 staff working directly on Olympic and Paralympic campaigns ahead of Tokyo 2020, either in partnership with or embedded in NSOs.

The Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic cycle has also seen more than 70 Tokyo Focus innovation projects either completed or underway at HPSNZ to enhance performance at Tokyo 2020 and subsequent pinnacle events.

Images, including Michael Scott (middle) courtesy of HPSNZ.

Related Articles

20th January 2020 - Indoor Throwing Facility planned for Christchurch’s Ngā Puna Wai Sports Hub

17th January 2020 - Halberg Foundation announces finalists for 57th sport awards 

8th January 2020 - New Zealand’s elite basketball leagues to combine under NBL brand

2nd January 2020 - National Athletics Championships to return to Hawke’s Bay in 2021 and 2022

31st December 2019 - New Zealand sport celebrates New Year Honours

24th December 2019 - adidas and New Zealand Open form long-term partnership

14th November 2019 - New Zealand Cricket facing ‘challenging year’ after 2018/19 financial loss

19th November 2019 - Drug Free Sport NZ holds successful first anti-doping conference

15th October 2019 - Sport NZ’s new Disability Plan looks to address inequality

26th September 2019 - Sport NZ announces new strategy to get New Zealanders active

3rd September 2019 - New Zealand sporting bodies come together to change youth sport

23rd July 2019 - Sport NZ recognises innovative ways to get young women in active

11th December 2018 - Sport NZ releases review of athletes’ rights and welfare

31st October 2018 - Sport NZ seeks public views on sporting integrity

12th October 2018 - Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern launches Sport NZ Strategy for Women and Girls in Sport and Active Recreation

28th June 2018 - Sport NZ survey shows significant drop in activity participation among teenagers

22nd June 2018 - New Zealand high performance sport model ‘not fit for purpose’

7th September 2017 - High Performance Sport NZ announces Chief Executive appointment

15th December 2016 - Funding winners and losers as New Zealand sport looks to Tokyo 2020

5th August 2015 - New Zealand tracking towards record medal haul at Rio Olympics

12th February 2015 - High Performance Sport NZ congratulates Halberg Sportsman and Sportswoman Winners

---

Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.