Sport Calendar Review

Introduction:

The current sports calendar has not undergone a formal structural review in many years, with the sports calendar largely unchanged since Project Groundswell (2010). Yet there is strong consensus across the movement that it could be reshaped to better support clubs, volunteers and athletes - while staying aligned to our core purpose of preventing drowning on Aotearoa’s beaches.

Feedback from club Chairs in a series of Strategy-focused hui with the CEO mid-2024, subsequent discussions with the SLSNZ Board and National Volunteer Committees, and a 2025 the Member Calendar Survey identified three systemic issues:

  1. Event scheduling conflicts
  2. Inconsistent event delivery standards
  3. Unsustainable event delivery model.

There is also consistent feedback that the sheer number and scheduling of events is placing strain on the equipment and resources for patrolling, at times exposing club capability gaps. This issue has been raised again in the Regional Chairs’ Forums currently underway.

To address these challenges member feedback is sought on three proposals to optimise event delivery, improve member experience and ensure long-term sustainability.

The proposals are to:

  1. Introduce a nationally coordinated calendar process for Sports events. Click for proposal A details
  2. Create greater consistency across event delivery standards and experience, through establishing a second tier of National events.  Click for proposal B details
  3. Nationally drive and Support a local participation delivery model.  Click for proposal C details

These proposals have been discussed with all Local Sport Committees, firstly in December 2024 and more recently through April and early-May 2025. The volunteer-led National Sport Committee has also endorsed the proposals. Items for consultation also align with strategic documents: SLSNZ Strategy 2025-27 (Appendix 1) & Sport Strategy 2026-28 (Appendix 2).

Key Documents:

Your Voice:

Before any decisions are made it is important that the wider voice and opinions of our membership are heard and taken into account.

In keeping with the Consultation Framework (click here) a sensitivity analysis has been conducted and the proposals are considered to be in the Yellow Category.

All feedback is to be sent to the Ask Your Team Survey by midnight 4 June 2025. 

If you would like to provide feedback (positive or negative) on the recommendations contained in this document, we invite you to complete a short survey.

  • Each question will have three answer options ‘Yes’, ‘No’ and ‘n/a’, as well as a free text field where you can write any comments you have about that particular recommendation.
  • This is a shareable link to the online survey: Click here. Unique links will be sent to all SLSNZ registered members 9am, 19 May.
  • This online survey will be open for 2.5 weeks (until midnight 4 June 2025), so if you would like to provide feedback, please complete the survey before then. 
  • The survey starts with two mandatory questions: Which Club you belong to and what your role at Surf Lifesaving is, ie.  Participant, Official, Parent, Lifeguard, etc. You will also be invited to provide your name, however, this is not mandatory so leave this field blank if you would prefer to remain anonymous.
  • We do encourage clubs to engage in this discussion and welcome collective club views. To that end, there will be an option to outline whether you are providing feedback on behalf of yourself or on behalf of your club.

There will be two online Q&A sessions provided and a dedicated account to manage enquiries specific to this consultation (SportsCalendarFeedback@surflifesaving.org.nz)

Please note that should recommendations be enacted, they will be phased in. With a number of dates in the 2025/26 Sports Calendar already locked in, some changes (if actioned) would come into effect for the 2026/27 season.