Sport BOP Snippets

Sport Bay of Plenty Māori Strategy

The External Māori Advisory Group has continued to meet regularly over 2017/18 and is making positive progress towards finalising a Sport Bay of Plenty Māori Strategy.

We are very appreciative and humbled by the advice and support offered to us through our group members. In addition to our Sport Bay of Plenty staff and board members, we would like to extend special thanks to

Reweti Te Mete from Nga Mataapuna Oranga PHO
Paora Te Hurihanganui from Te Papa Takaro o Te Arawa
Dr Chris Tooley and Dillon Te Kani from Te Puna Ora o Mataatua
Cherryl Thompson from Parafed Bay of Plenty

While we have progressed with writing our strategy, we are also currently part way through a survey of kaupapa Māori clubs in the WBOP and gathering their insights and feedback to inform potential input from Sport Bay of Plenty in the future.

Sport Bay of Plenty also has an Internal Māori Development Group made up of staff representatives to ensure we can operationalise the key goals and objectives that come from the strategy. As these are currently being finalised, we are focussing on improving staff cultural competency relating to Māori tikanga and language.

The Bay of Plenty Spaces and Places Strategy

The strategy provides a high level framework for regional sport and recreation spaces and places (facility) planning in the Bay of Plenty. The strategy began the three year implementation period in July 2017 and has been actively used by the community and councils to guide decision making. Click here to read more about the strategy.

Achievements during the first year

The investment decision-making framework has help guide 16 different proposed projects through various stages of planning and investigation.
Support provided to a number of groups to obtain over $3,000,000 of funding towards facility developments.
Support provided to both Community and Councils through the 2018-2028 Long Term Plan consultation to insure priority projects were included where applicable.
National and Regional Sporting Organisations have developed a greater understanding towards the new approach to facility planning and are supportive knowing to make sporting facilities sustainable we need to be working together as a collective.

Success Stories

Rotorua Netball Centre Resurfacing Project

Rotorua Netball Centre completed stage 1 of their $1,300,000 upgrade to the court surfaces. Having had an asphalt surface which was becoming unsafe to play on due to cracks opening up, loose gravel through the breaking down of the surface and very slippery conditions when wet. The status quo was not an option moving forward. Having had the resurfacing as a priority project within the Spaces and Places Strategy we were able to successfully advocate and support the centre receiving a large amount of community funding to complete stage 1 of the resurfacing project with a new rebound ace surface which improves player welfare and safety increasing the longevity of participation. Also within stage 1, new LED lighting was installed to ensure clubs have access to all year round training and saving the centre money with low costs to the new LED technology. Stage 2 is due to be complete in the 2018/2019 summer period. Insert image

Tauranga Athletics Track Resurfacing

Having had 10 years of use with more than 10,000 people every year accessing the only all-weather track in the region caused the surface to deteriorate to a standard where it no longer met performance or safety standards so was in urgent need of repair. Working alongside Tauranga City Council, Millennium Track Trust and Community Funders $766,702.00 was raised to complete a resurfacing over the 2017/2018 Summer. The track is a crucial facility for athletics in both the Bay of Plenty and Waikato and is identified within the Spaces and Places Strategy. This, along with the collaborative approach of all stakeholders we were able to complete the resurfacing and ensure the facility continues to provide for the athletics community on all levels of participation.

Communications, Operations and Insights

The functions of Communications, Operations and Insights continue to provide support to ensure Sport BOP staff are able to undertake their work with the most up to date technology, and information and knowledge to support them to deliver to their best.

Our sector Vision 2030, and the Strategic Plan, continues to steer us in our work, with reflection and feedback a constant in our work.

Every two years we undertake a Stakeholder Survey, with pleasing results. Click on the image on right to find out what our stakeholders are saying about us.

Our digital channels continue to provide wealth of information and resources to the Bay of Plenty community. The Get Involved Activity Directory is a great resource for finding out how and where to Get Active in the Bay!

Our social media channels are a strength in our communication portfolio, utilising the full benefits of boosting, events and groups. Through Facebook we are able to target our messaging with excellent engagement from the different communities. Sport Bay of Plenty has three main FB pages – Sport Bay of Plenty, Play in the Bay, Virtually on Track, as well as our Sport Bay of Plenty Instagram account which is a visual smorgasbord of activity around the Bay. #SportBOP

The Health and Safety of our staff and those who participate in Sport Bay of Plenty organised or facilitated events, continues to be of key importance to our organisation. The internal Health & Safety Working group has improved Operational Health & Safety by developing and refining policies & procedures, as well as creating a culture so that it becomes easy to report any incidents or hazards that may happen in or out of the office.

Workforce Development

Over the past year, Sport Bay of Plenty has focussed on enhancing our internal workforce processes and procedures. We have employed a part time Human Resource Project Leader who has progressed our previously developed Sport Bay of Plenty Workforce Plan. This focusses on the key priority areas of ‘attraction, remuneration, recruitment, induction, development, reward and retainment’.

Following this work and our subsequent learnings, we are now in the initial scoping stage of looking at the ‘human resource’ needs for the wider sport and recreation sector within the Bay of Plenty region.

Keep on Your Feet

This past year has seen the introduction of the Keep on your Feet programme. As part of the nationwide Live Stronger for Longer movement, this programme looks at decreasing falls in our older people by improving strength and balance.

42 different classes are on offer across the Eastern and Western Bay of Plenty spanning from Katikati to Kawerau, with a class in Opotiki in the planning stages.
A referral pathway has been set up with primary and secondary health providers, as well as St John’s ambulance and medical alarm team to help reach older adults at risk of falls and link them to a strength and balance class.

Highlights

By the end of June, we exceeded our targets provided by ACC, offering 938 places in classes each week - target 900.
A partnership with St John developed a referral system has helped contact those hard to reach in our community who are prone to falls and could benefit from increased strength and balance. By the end of June, St Johns had referred 67 older adults to our programme.
Nearly 1000 older adults have participated in one of our many classes on offer, with participants stating improved strength, balance and social enjoyment.

Success Story

Jan (70) and Ken Worthington (71), a married couple from Tauranga have been attending a Keep on your Feet class together since it started in March. Both are thoroughly enjoying the classes and are seeing multiple benefits including less pain in arthritic joints, increased mobility and the ability to move more freely. They also enjoy the friendly and social atmosphere. Their advice to others would be to come along and give it a go!