Minister Chris Bishop orders urgent independent review of Sport NZ funding amid concerns

Infrastructure and RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop announcing the Government’s controversial fast-track projects during a press conference at the Beehive, Wellington, 06 October, 2024. NZME photograph by Mark Mitchell

The Government has ordered an independent review of Sport NZ and how it allocates public funds, with one insider saying there is an impression the organisation’s strategy has become “a cash free-for-all”.

Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop has initiated an independent rapid review into the Sport NZ group, which governs sport and recreation in New Zealand, including High Performance Sport NZ.

However, it is understood the review is not related to the issues in the high-performance system that have come to light during the inquest into the death of elite cyclist Olivia Podmore this month.

Rather, it is focused on how the Sport NZ group allocates public funds.

In a statement provided to RNZ, Bishop confirmed Sport NZ’s “operations and performance” were undergoing independent review by senior public sector leader Brendan Boyle.

“The objective is to provide assurance and visibility to the Minister for Sport and Recreation, and to the public, that the use of public funding by the Sport NZ Group is efficient and effective,” Bishop said.

“Mr Boyle’s review is underway and an update will be provided in due course.

“The Government is committed to ensuring its expenditure achieves value for money. To this effect, a number of agencies have been reviewed over the past year.”

High Performance Sport NZ directly invested $131 million into 44 sports in the last four-year cycle.

Sport NZ invests a further $70m each year into national sporting bodies, regional trusts, community groups, and recreational bodies, to get all New Zealanders active.

However, one sports official with knowledge of the review said there were concerns Sport NZ’s funding strategy had become a “cash free-for-all”.

“There’s organisations being funded that sit more at the recreation end of the scale than the sport side, and some of them have a pretty tenuous claim to helping getting Kiwis active and all the good health outcomes that go alongside that.

“I guess the minister is questioning the value in some of that.”

In a statement, Sport NZ group chief executive Raelene Castle said the agency was supportive of the review’s aims “and any findings that will help improve both the effectiveness and efficiency of what we do across the Physical Activity, Community Sport and High Performance Sport sectors”.

“It is important that we measure the value of our work into communities and the sector, along with the effective allocation of public money, and we see the review as an important step and evaluation for us as a Crown agency.”

It is understood Sport NZ staff were only informed of the review on Tuesday.

Under the National-led Government, several other Crown agencies and ministries have undergone a “rapid review”, including police and the Ministry for Social Development.