Tough economic times has forced cuts across Sport Wellington, including a scaling back of hours at its Wairarapa office. The group's chief executive Paul Cameron reported to Masterton District Council that with the current economic climate, it was necessary for Sport Wellington to review its structure during the second half ofits financial year. "This resulted in two general manager positions being disestablished and the work being disseminated to other staff in Wairarapa, Kapiti and Wellington." Changes that affected the Wairarapa office directly included a cut in administration and support hours, meaning the office now closes at 4pm instead of 4.30pm each day, and a reduction in the hours of sport development adviser Doug Bracewell. "The regional development manager Dayle Clarkson will continue as per usual and the overall responsibility for the Wairarapa office and its outcomes will be the responsibility of general manager programmes, Tracey Diack." Mr Cameron said Sport Wellington-Wairarapa was tasked with "improving the capability and capacity of the Wairarapa community to deliver sport and physical activity, and will need to do this more efficiently and with identified priorities". "Notwithstanding these changes, which took effect on July 1, 2009, Sport Wellington-Wairarapa has continued to contribute to the increasing capacity and capability of the Wairarapa community." Mr Cameron said the Wairarapa Sports House continued to be in high demand as both a physical premise and for information and resources. "The database of sport, recreation providers and others is constantly kept up to date and is used for a number of information publications which are provided to targeted parts of the community including school-leavers, families and older persons." Sport also continued to be delivered primarily by volunteers in Wairarapa, he said. "Cricket, rugby and hockey are the only sports with fulltime equivalent paid staff. "Anecdotally, rural clubs are doing very well in traditional sports attracting players and in particular volunteers in the 30 to 40-year age group, and seem to continue to have strong sideline support." Visits to Wairarapa's sporting venues included from 200 to 500 spectators at club rugby, 2500 people at local netball courts and a ratio of at least two supporters to each players at junior fixtures, he said. Sport Wellington Wairarapa had also held community workshops for more than 350 people.
