Important Message from School Sport NZ

By NZSSSC | Posted: Wednesday October 27, 2021

School Sport NZ, in consultation with its sport partners, announces the cancellation of the Term 4, 2021 School Sport NZ Calendar of Events.

We appreciate and empathise with all students, families, and schools who will be affected by this decision. School Sport NZ thanks its sport partners for their ongoing support and relationships in these very difficult times.

In reaching its decision the Board of School Sport NZ noted:

• The timeline toward a nationwide move to the ‘traffic light system’ is uncertain, with a review date set for the 29th November. Planning with any certainty is almost impossible.
• As such, the current alert level system restrictions impact greatly on the viability of the vast majority of events scheduled on the Calendar of Events for Term 4, 2021.
• The compulsory vaccination mandate for staff and volunteers that come into contact with schools is yet to be fully interpreted by the Education sector, and how this pertains to school sport.
• The recent spike in confirmed COVID 19 cases and its spread to regions outside of Auckland.

While we are disappointed to again be announcing the cancellation of events, we trust that this provides clarity for the remainder of the year.

Where possible under alert level restrictions, we hope that students are able to engage and participate in school sport. This is more likely to happen at a local and regional level than it will at a national level. School Sport NZ does not support any un-sanctioned event at this time that brings together schools from multiple regions to participate.

We encourage all schools to work with Regional School Sport offices (RSDs) to ensure that where there is a desire and appetite to participate in school sport, it is being delivered in a safe and appropriate way. If your school has any questions in relation to a participation opportunity offered to you, please do not hesitate to contact us.