Increased investment in High Performance Sport New Zealand

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.