Background

Across New Zealand we know that disabled people participate less in any given week, and in fewer sports or activities than non-disabled people.  Additionally we know the gap is biggest for disabled people in confidence, competence, and opportunity to take part in activities of their choice, compared with non-disabled people.[1]

We want to change these statistics for disabled people living in the Hawke’s Bay region.

In 2020 Sport Hawke’s Bay undertook a Community Information Gathering Project to better understand the needs, barriers and opportunities as identified by disabled people, whānau, disability organisations, and local sport and recreation providers regarding inclusion in Play, Active Recreation and Sport. Key action areas highlighted through this Project were: Increasing accessibility of the places and spaces to be active, creating more opportunities for disabled people to be active, improving the communication of opportunities, increasing the knowledge and confidence of local providers, ensuring disabled people’s voices are heard, and improving sector connectivity and collaboration.

In response to these action areas, Sport Hawke’s Bay established a Regional Advisory Group in June 2021 to develop a strategy to address and action these key community insights. The following sets out our commitments over the next 3 years and will be reviewed annually during this time alongside our community to develop specific, yearly commitments.

[1] Sport New Zealand Spotlight on Disability Report, 2018