Women were more likely to do aerobics, pilates, yoga, netball or calisthenics and bodyweight training. Men were more likely to play golf, football, cricket or hunt.
The survey, conducted in 2013-14 and released last year, found participation rates generally were changing because of a number of lifestyle factors.
Sport New Zealand's (SNZ) general manager of community sport Geoff Barry said participation was mostly declining around the country.
Mr Barry said Kiwis were finding it difficult to fit sport and exercise into their increasingly time-poor lifestyles. As a result, there has been a shift toward casual, flexible activities - such as going for a walk or hitting the gym - and away from club and organised sport.
"There are changes that are happening in the way people are participating - people are looking at physical activity that suits the time and cost structure they have available," Mr Barry said.
"People might be more inclined to go to a gym ... where they can do it when they want and when they have time, rather than making long-term commitments like a 16-week football or cricket season."
He said this has resulted in greater attention and investment directed to local and regional sporting trusts, and less into more traditional sporting bodies.
It was hoped this would allow local bodies to adapt to each region's needs.
Almost all who exercised in the Bay did so casually, either on their own or with others, while just over a quarter took part in a regular club competition.
Ninety-four per cent of people took part in free activities, and around half of participants were a member of a club, gym or centre.
Mr Barry said a particular challenge was instilling positive and healthy values in young people. He said this was becoming difficult, in part because of technology.
"How we respond to that challenge of young kids having lots of other things they can do with their time these days is a real challenge.
"What we're finding these days is young people need a constant fix, they need to understand why they're doing things, and they need the experience to be really good or they get turned off quickly."
A SNZ Strategic Plan document estimated Kiwis over 12 years of age spent 80 per cent of their leisure time on passive media and social entertainment activities.
About two-thirds of Hawke's Bay residents were interested in either trying a new sport or doing more.
One commonly desired sport was golf, which more than one in eight people in the Bay already play each year.
Robyn Stallard picked golf up two years ago after her tennis friends said it was easier on the body.
She said she took on a beginner's course at Hastings Golf Club and was hooked.
"It's a challenge, but it's a good challenge ... Learning a new sport has been fun," she said.
"The social side means you can go out and even if someone's a top-class golfer you can play with a learner, and it doesn't matter because of the handicap system. It's quite cool."
A handicap is a scoring system that allows people of different abilities to effectively compete equally with each other.
Ms Stallard, who is 58 years old, said it was a perfect sport for people of any age, and it had been fantastic for her health.
"My mum's 82 and she plays golf a lot with other friends in that age group. You're walking probably four or five kilometres, and not just flat land - you're up and down hills. You're also outside and getting fresh air which is really beneficial." NZME
