Would you like to engage your female workforce, and increase women and girls' participation in recreation? Research shows that strong female leadership leads to a positive work environment, increased profitability, innovation, and more female 'customers'. Recognising this, SportNZ announced its 'circuit-breaker' policy in 2018, requiring all qualifying funded partners to have a minimum of 40% women on Boards or face a penalty.

This presentation will explore the specific hurdles wāhine/women face to becoming and flourishing as leaders. It will explore practical solutions to uplift female leadership skills and create a more equitable playing field.

By investing in wāhine/women in leadership, we invest in the future of the sector. Be a part of inspiring the next generation of women leaders, and create your organisation's pipeline for future female leaders.

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  Esther Bukholt, ARPro

  Director of Solstone

We find ourselves in a climate where environmental sustainability and weather events are at the forefront of our thinking and where fiscal constraints are an everyday reality for providers, enablers, and users of spaces and places. Social capital offered by quality community infrastrucure has never been more important for upholding community wellbeing. This context provides us the opportunity to be innovative and think smarter about how we provide spaces and places for physical activity that are responsive to the changing needs of our communities – ‘build it and they will come’ cannot be the motto of our future.

In this presentation Sport New Zealand will provide an overview of the new and updated guidance available to the sector to support quality planning and provision of spaces and places for physical activity. The content should stimulate your thinking about how we solve current and future provision challenges, as well as providing a clear pathway for further support and information.

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  Zanta Jones

  Spaces and Places Consultant at Sport New Zealand
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  Glenn McGovern

  Spaces & Places Manager at Sport NZ

One of the key objectives of Auckland Council's climate plan (Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri) is to establish a low-carbon food system within the city. Our vast network of over 4000 unique parks and open spaces will play a crucial role in realising this goal, offering opportunities for various kai growing activities such as food forests, fruit trees, teaching gardens, community gardens, māra kai, and rongoā harvest. With the increased public demand for accessible healthy and nutritious food, the case for having kai grown on council-owned/managed land becomes more pertinent. This presentation will focus on the challenges faced by parks to encourage and enable these activities, how we can overcome them, and how we are rethinking kai in public open spaces to make it more accessible for the public.One of the key objectives of Auckland Council's climate plan (Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri) is to establish a low-carbon food system within the city. Our vast network of over 4000 unique parks and open spaces will play a crucial role in realising this goal, offering opportunities for various kai growing activities such as food forests, fruit trees, teaching gardens, community gardens, māra kai, and rongoā harvest. With the increased public demand for accessible healthy and nutritious food, the case for having kai grown on council-owned/managed land becomes more pertinent. This presentation will focus on the challenges faced by parks to encourage and enable these activities, how we can overcome them, and how we are rethinking kai in public open spaces to make it more accessible for the public.

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  Shivran Chandra

  Senior Parks Projects Specialist at Auckland Council

We all know that participating in recreation is beneficial for us physically and mentally. Everybody shares the right to access recreation programmes and services to gain those benefits, however members of our gender diverse communities face additional barriers and challenges to participate in recreation. Join this presentation to hear why access to recreation can be life-changing for our gender diverse communities, what some of the barriers are and how access can be supported in our facilities with our draft guidelines.

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  Arshia Tayal

  Parks & Facilities Advisor at Matamata-Piako District Council

In New Zealand, where at least 1 in 4 people have a disability, our collaboration with Golf New Zealand is making waves in the world of golf accessibility. This project flips the script on how we view disabilities and access needs—not as barriers but as chances to innovate and grow.
At Be. Lab, we're all about turning these chances into real changes. Working closely with Golf NZ’s Diversity & Inclusion team, we’re pushing the envelope on how golf clubs across the country approach accessibility. With Golf NZ set to launch their new Disability Action Plan, the goal is clear: show that golf is one of the most accessible sports and spread the word to both the golf world and the disability community.
So, what are we doing? We’ve put together a special self-assessment tool for golf clubs. This tool helps clubs evaluate their accessibility, offering tips ranging from quick fixes to long-term improvements.

This project isn’t just about checking boxes; it’s about setting new standards for inclusivity in sports. By combining our innovative approach with Golf NZ’s dedication, we’re aiming to make New Zealand a global leader in accessible and inclusive recreational spaces. Together, we’re building a more welcoming and environmentally responsible future for everyone.

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  Emily Steel

  Be. Lab

Do you use email, social media or online forms to communicate with members of your community?

In this presentation we will share some hacks, tips and tricks that you can use to ensure you are being inclusive of all members of the community when you engage with them digitally.
From adding macrons to Māori kupu, accessible layouts, or including closed captions to your Linked In videos this session is aimed at supporting individuals working for the community.

This session is about you, the individual sharing information with your community and making it easier for them to share with you too.

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  Jenna King

  Diversity and Inclusion Lead at Aktive

Our sector has a high requirement to deliver or consider activating social procurement. While social procurement forms the backbone of many projects it isn't necessarily ' hardwired' in process and project structure at the beginning.

Social procurement isn't very well understood, or consistent, and not very well resourced. There are only a few case studies or standards to help the parties involved including community groups, or tangata whenua. What about risk? What about the longevity of benefits? Fair? What are the issues and opportunities?

During this presentation Geoff will put a mirror up for the sector to consider how we are really doing with social procurement while providing some answers to these questions and yours.

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  Geoff Canham, ARPro

  Principal Parks & Recreation Specialist at Thrive Spaces and Places Ltd

From athletes wearing their national colours at the Olympic Games to the instant recognition of golden arches signalling a cheeseburger, colour wields a profound influence over our emotions, behaviours, and perceptions. Its impact is evident in both personal experiences and global symbols, shaping how we connect with and interpret the world around us. It acts as a powerful psychological tool, subtly shaping our daily experiences and influencing our choices.

Topics covered:
Our culture and attitude towards colour the trepidation to go too bold.
How the creative use of colour and art can connect, strengthen identity, and promote clarity (wayfinding).
How we perceive and respond to colours in different contexts. The value of site-specific engaging art and or colour placement.

How to involve the local community in creative public art projects, for example working with Rangatahi to collaborate on a mural.

Design and marketing is built around colour association, brands carefully select colours to evoke specific emotions that align with their identities. Why is this not embraced when creating or upgrading our recreation and public areas?

The professionals who create the building often don’t use the building. What is the cost of this?
Why am I passionate about colour in public spaces? From years of experience painting murals, I have seen first-hand how colour connects, breaks down barriers, and can reinvigorate dead spaces. Colour transcends all ages and backgrounds. It speaks purely and directly
Why am I passionate about colour in public spaces? My years of experience painting murals has shown me how profoundly colour can impact our surroundings. I've witnessed how public art fosters connections, dismantles barriers, and revitalizes neglected areas. Its universal appeal transcends age and backgrounds, Through colour, we can transform spaces into vibrant, inclusive environments that resonate with everyone.

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  Melinda Butt

  Play Advocate at Whangarei District Council

We often ask the question, what does the future look like for community sports facilities? But how often to we check in to see how our direction towards it is tracking.

When we talk about benchmarking, we often refer to examples and case studies from previously completed projects. In this instance we can only ever be relating to the past, to things we’ve already done before. We can test these as good and successful examples from the context that they were designed within, but if we are benchmarking against history how we do we make significant change. If we only aspire to do what we’ve done well before, then is it that the best we can do is the same.

Where is the future aspiration for community sports architecture and are we heading in the right direction?

What are the measures we should be using to understand this trajectory towards the future and what are the steps we need to undertake to ensure this direction and momentum?

With these considerations, we can implement initiatives that allow us to set a project up in the right direction from the very beginning.

Asking the right questions at a projects genesis enables the creation of a framework, ensuring the right decisions are made, and achieving the goals that makes a facility successful. This puts in place the foundations for the project to which all decisions should be measured, during design, construction and most importantly the use of our communities for the next 50 years.

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  Matt Body

  Architect at Warren and Mahoney Architects

Ensuring Good Practice in Education Outside the Classroom: Focus Areas for Safety and Quality Learning

In this presentation, we will explore the critical aspects of working with schools to ensure good practice in providing education outside the classroom (EOTC) events. As recreation professionals, it is essential to understand the unique challenges and issues that arise in this area, including risk management, supervision structures and quality communication.

We will discuss the common issues faced by schools and organisations, such as ensuring student safety, meeting the school's requirements, and providing inclusive and accessible learning experiences. We will talk about the focus areas that organisations can prioritise to meet good practice standards and the knowledge and tools necessary to support schools in delivering safe, high-quality EOTC experiences that enhance student learning and development.

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  Fiona McDonald

  Education Outdoors NZ

"Pretty mountain, pretty river, and pretty boring" is a popular saying among Chinese migrants to describe their living experience in a foreign country. It reflects a cultural phenomenon frequently mentioned by researchers: despite migrants can generally functioning in a new country, they can still feel culturally restrained to fully blend in. In New Zealand, outdoor recreation, an essential component of Kiwi daily life, can also evoke this sense of alienation as it is an inevitable experience for every newcomer.
This research focuses on Chinese students’ outdoor recreation in New Zealand, considering the Chinese community is one of the largest ethnic groups in the country. Understanding whether and how these students feel culturally restrained in their local outdoor involvement can not only be benefit economically but also socially. Building on leisure constraints theory and in-depth interviews, this study found that the ability to decode and interpret the culture embedded in local outdoor recreation is the main cause of the "boring" perception. This issue arises from two aspects: the ability to decode and the opportunity to do so.
Through this research, the author uncovers, from an emic perspective, an outdoor recreation constraint rooted in cultural differences and offers recommendations for improving Chinese people's outdoor experiences.

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  Dr Kiko Qin

  Kaiako at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa

David Tait is passionate about the outdoors and how technology impacts our outdoor experiences. Partly this stems from the GO-4-12 Youth Adventure Race, created in 2006 to allow youth to take part in an authentic adventure race. In 2015 the event was at risk of being cancelled due to internal safety concerns. The main concern was that there were periods during the 12-hour event when race organisers could not answer that important question, 'Where are the participants and are they safe?'

In 2016 Spot NZ (now TrackMe) came on board as a supporter of the event and all teams are live-tracked and have the ability to signal for assistance or rescue at any point during the day. The race organisers use hardware such as Garmin inReach units and Starlink Satellite units to help manage the day. Along with the hardware, there is a raft of technologies and applications that not only help organisers manage the day but also tell the story of the day by providing live race maps of the internet for people to ‘dot watch’. Event organisers and organisations in general have access to a range of map layers including Topo 50, satellite imagery and 3D mapping. Organisers can do bulk messaging, and get weather reports, and warnings. There is also a range of Health and Welfare monitoring tools available that are being utilised by a wide range of organisations including the recreation and outdoor sector to help our adventures and work be safer and more enjoyable.

Hear from David about the technology used to support the GO-4-12 Youth Adventure Race and what technology he sees coming in the future which will further shape outdoor recreation.

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  David Tait

  Ambassador for Adventure, Fun & Safety at GO-4-12 Youth Adventure Race

Take the opportunity to discuss Sport Integrity Commission Te Kahu Raunui, the Integrity Code and how it will interact with recreation with the CE Rebecca Rolls.

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  Rebecca Rolls

  Chief Executive at Sport Integrity Commission Te Kahu Raunui

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  Sarah Murray

  Chief Executive | Kaiwhakahaere Matua at Recreation Aotearoa

This workshop focuses on practical strategies for incorporating youth perspectives into recreational and sports initiatives, ensuring that programs are appealing and tailored to young people. Including youth voices is crucial for building impactful and engaging programs. When young people are given a platform to express their interests, preferences, and needs, it significantly enhances the quality and effectiveness of recreational initiatives.

Enabling youth to participate in the design and delivery of recreational activities fosters a sense of ownership and commitment. It transforms passive participants into active contributors, increasing engagement, higher participation rates, and a greater understanding of the community. Youth driven programs promote inclusivity and diversity, making recreational activities more accessible and appealing to a broader audience.

In this workshop, attendees will learn practical strategies for involving youth in program development, strategies to overcome common implementation barriers, and the tangible benefits of youth-centered approaches.

Join us to discover why youth voice is indispensable in building active, thriving communities and how embracing it can lead to innovative, impactful recreational programs that resonate with the next generation. Learn how to harness the power of youth voice to create programs that meet young people's needs and inspire and empower them to take an active role in their communities.

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  Sarah Finlay-Robinson

  Director of InCommon
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  Hannah Dunlop

  Project Manager at ReVision Initiative

This workshop is for anyone involved in the planning, development, design, or maintenance of outdoor spaces in Aotearoa. You’ll hear from people with lived experience of disability about the impact accessible outdoor spaces have on their lives and why improving accessibility is so important. Through kōrero and sharing experiences, we’ll look at practical examples of projects that have enhanced outdoor access in Aotearoa.

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  Simon Alefosio-Tuck

  Kaitohu Whakahono Rēhia - Recreational Partnerships Advisor at Rotorua Lakes Council
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  Katie Owen

  Disability Inclusion Programme Manager at Recreation Aotearoa
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  James Littlejohn

  Co-founder & Secretary of AdaptMTB
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  Dave MacCalman

  Senior Advisor at Halberg Foundatioin
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  Mark Mandeno

  Director of Adventure Works Ltd