#Hakinakina: Is Sport in Aotearoa in Crisis?

As Aotearoa welcomes in the new year, our communities are being urged to reflect on an issue that’s quietly threatening the foundation of sport in this country – a shortage of leaders in our amateur sporting codes. This concern isn’t just about missing coaches or volunteers on the sideline – it goes right to the heart of how sport is delivered, how communities connect, and how our tamariki and rangatahi experience healthy, active lives.

Across New Zealand, sports clubs in towns and cities are asking a hard question: “Where have all the coaches, administrators, and leaders gone?”

Volunteer leaders – coaches, managers, committee members, and administrators – are the lifeblood of grassroots sport. They keep doors open, fields maintained, practices running, and tamariki smiling. But in recent years, many of these roles have gone unfilled, and too many clubs are running on the goodwill of just a handful of people.

According to sport sector surveys, the average number of volunteers in sport clubs has plunged significantly over the past few years. Where once clubs might have had 30 or more helpers, many now have fewer than 20. That means fewer coaches for teams, fewer parents to organise games, and fewer people with the time or energy to sit on club committees.

This shortage isn’t just about sport: it’s about community safety, wellbeing, and connectedness. Clubs do more than play games – they’re places where young people learn teamwork, discipline, and resilience, where whānau make connections, and where volunteers give back to their communities. Without strong leadership, the entire structure of community sport is fragile.

There are many reasons behind the drop in volunteers and leaders. Life pressures like work, family commitments, and rising costs can make regular volunteering difficult. Compliance rules – from health and safety to governance requirements – have grown more complex, placing extra work on the same small group of dedicated volunteers.

Sport leaders, researchers, and community advocates are now calling for practical support, including:

• better training and development pathways for volunteers,

• resources to reduce administrative burden,

• recognition for the work unpaid leaders do, and

• strategies to attract rangatahi and diverse voices into leadership roles.

Sport New Zealand offers leadership development tools and programmes designed to support clubs and codes build capability – but more collaboration and community engagement will be key to reversing the trend.

As we head into 2026, the message is clear: if we want thriving grassroots sport in every town and marae, we need leaders. Support your local club, step forward if you can, and kōrero with others about how we can build stronger, more resilient sporting communities together.

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