sport and cultural diversity - Sport New Zealand

vi.
Cost and Time
A factor that was noted by RSOs, ethnic/immigrant organisational and community
representatives was the cost of sports in New Zealand. Even something that was relatively low
cost such as cricket noted that cost was an issue for some families. The SPROUT representative
commented that in origin countries, there was little cost; all that was needed was sufficient
participants and a park. But cost and time were important for another reason; immigrants were
working hard to establish themselves in New Zealand and sports impinged on the time required
for work.
Immigrants are busy paying the mortgage and will often work extra hours on
Saturdays and Sundays. It is difficult to find time for sport (SPROUT).
A rugby administrator commented that he thought Asian parents tended to stress educational
performance rather than sporting participation or excellence, and that Saturdays were devoted
to study rather than sports.
vii.
Age Specific Participation
Some RSOs noted that while ethnic and immigrant communities might participate in their
sports, it was often confined to particular age groups. In basketball, for example, Asians would
participate at secondary school level but that there was a significant drop-off in terms of
continuing on into senior club basketball. Similar trends were apparent in other sports. In the
case of badminton:
There is a trend where the young ones that come into the junior programme drop
out of the sport all together as there is pressure on them to study. There is major
pressure on Asian university students to stop all their sports and to focus on their
studies.
This drop-off in participation is not confined to ethnic and immigrant communities. Many sports
struggle to keep participation levels up, especially after the age of compulsory education. Even
the issue of education versus sporting participation is not a cultural one, although the
experience of being from an immigrant family tends to emphasise the importance of
educational achievements (educational opportunities for children is a major goal and reason for
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