Basketball New Zealand and Warriors Community Foundation join Hine Manawa Rau

Women in Sport Aotearoa has welcomed new partners which include Basketball New Zealand and Warriors Community Foundation to the nationwide network, Hine Manawa Rau and celebrate its first gathering for the nationwide network

Hine Manawa Rau - "Women of multiple qualities and possibilities" - formed to deepen connections to proactively design and integrate solutions and initiatives to create positive and lasting system change for women and girls.

The network comprises Regional Sports Trusts, National Sporting Organisations and Not For Profits across Aotearoa and already has 11 partners on board, with more in the pipeline. Hine Manawa Rau will officially launch in June 2023.

In 2022, Women in Sport Aotearoa set out to unite people, groups and organisations to help drive gender equity system change for women and girls in sport and active recreation in Aotearoa.

WISPA Acting Chief Executive Nicky van den Bos notes "we believe that system change is a collective effort, and together we can generate and implement change that is going to improve women and girls’ experiences in sport and active recreation.

“Hine Manawa Rau is a vital part of the puzzle. Our role is to connect people and create opportunities for them to exchange ideas and support one another. The WISPA Insight Hub will also play a key role in profiling the networks insights, case studies and toolkits, so the sector is better equipped to advance change right through from grassroots to high-performance."

Yesterday, the network came together for its first online meeting to share what has changed for them and their organisation since attending the 8th IWG World Conference on Women & Sport. The meeting started with a roundtable discussion followed by a jamboard session that called out:

• best practices for collaboration

• programmes and tools they were undertaking to help contribute to gender equity system change

• key activities that are happening in response to the IWG Indigenous Statement and the conference Call to Actions.

The Warriors Community Foundation are among the latest to join the network and is doing fantastic work in the community through their programme Tupu Māia. Community Programmes Coordinator Charlotte Scanlan advised "Joining a network like Hine Manawa Rau opens up a wealth of knowledge and insights into how other organisations are making real change.

“Being at a table where the focus is creating opportunities for our women and girls through policy and strategic planning left me feeling inspired about what I can do here at WCF to lead this space. I left the meeting today with the desire to do more in a way that’s sustainable and to keep this Kaupapa front of mind."

Warriors Chief Executive Lincoln Jefferson added "supporting wahine in the community is one of our long-term goals at the Warriors Community Foundation. Joining WISPA will ensure that we are promoting the best that is available, thanks to the fantastic network that it has created. There was so much knowledge and understanding of the complexities that lie ahead and it was reassuring for us that some of the other organisations are facing similar challenges yet championing amazing projects."

WISPA is excited to form these important relationships across New Zealand and, especially, be able to connect a diverse group of people to collaborate, design and implement system change initiatives.

Basketball New Zealand is the first NSO to join Hine Manawa Rau, and they were also one of the largest Aotearoa-based contingents to participate in IWG 2022.

Participation and Wellbeing Lead, Meaghan Wilby shared "this is another exciting step for us as an organisation and a symbol of the progress we’re making towards better supporting women and girls in our sport.

“We’re incredibly grateful for the opportunity to join this network and connect with other organisations that are all driving gender equality across the country. We’re looking forward to learning from them as we continue our journey to ensuring that basketball truly is a sport for all New Zealanders at all levels of the game."

The network comprises Regional Sports Trusts, National Sporting Organisations and Not For Profits across Aotearoa and already has 11 partners on board, with more in the pipeline. Hine Manawa Rau will officially launch in June 2023.

For more information about Hine Manawa Rau or to find out how you can become a partner, please get in touch with Shanee Kiriau 

Current Hine Manawa Rau Network
Organisation/Group Location Sport Northland Northland Aktive Auckland Auckland Sport Gisborne Tairawhiti Gisborne Sport Manawatu Manawātu - Wanganui Sport Hawkes Bay Hawkes Bay Nuku Ora Wellington Next GEN Network Nationwide Women in Sport Waitaha Canterbury NZ Warriors Community Foundation Auckland Basketball New Zealand Nationwide Allies for Gender Equity in Aotearoa Sport Nationwide