About

Sport Canterbury has a vision of an equitable physical activity system for wāhine that is safe and understanding, and enables them to unleash their potential as wāhine toa. We want to ensure Women and Girls in sport and active recreation are involved, valued and visible at all levels. We are striving to bring together communities so we can collaboratively create a positive and sustainable impact that enhances the wellbeing of women and girls.

By establishing a Women and Girls group within our organisation, we have successfully gained momentum and initiated several internal projects. The most significant of these was the launch of our Women and Girls Strategy.

The Sport Canterbury Women and Girls group consists of three working groups: Organisation, Delivery and Participation. Each subgroup has been working on initiatives and events to ensure women and girls are engaged, valued and visible in all aspects of play, active recreation and sport.

In these pages, you will find links to resources, case studies and other relevant communities supporting you and your organisation in creating an equitable system.

ORGANISATION

Board members, CEO/Organisation Lead, Workforce

The Organisation sub-group addresses systemic inequities affecting women in play, active recreation and sport, focusing on enhancing organisational capabilities

More specifically, work is aimed at supporting governance, management, and the general workforce to review and, where necessary, improve internal processes to achieve equity for women.

Initial focus areas include updating or establishing new policies, staff and management development opportunities, resources to raise awareness and address unconscious gender bias, pay gap analysis, and more.

DELIVERY

Coaches/Officials, Volunteers within sport

The Delivery sub-group focuses on advocating for women within these roles, by sharing best practices amongst sports organisations to achieve equity for women.

The initial focus areas include analysing data to understand the percentage of females in coaching, volunteering and officiating roles in our regions, and reviewing strategic plans and policies within sporting organisations and clubs to ensure women are well represented and supported.

We will then share best practices to upskill and share ideas between sporting organisations. We will allow women a voice by showcasing their journeys within their chosen sports and roles through our online platform.

PARTICIPATION

Women and girls in active recreation and sport

The Participation sub-group focuses on bringing communities together, sharing insights and stories to encourage collaboration while sharing best practices and ensuring the environment is inclusive and has equality. 

We will advocate for and promote best practices to increase participation in play, active recreation and sport. These outcomes will be achieved by conducting regular research and collecting and sharing case studies across various physical activity settings.

The overall aim is to create a virtual community of best practices all communities can engage in, supporting women and girls' participation in physical activity.