Aktive's Strategic Framework 2020-2040

parks and ranges, sports facilities
and community halls, walking and
cycleways, Auckland has some great
spaces for sport, play and active
recreational activity.
Aucklanders value being active. The
majority participate in some form of
physical activity in any given week,
whether through involvement in
organised sport, going to the gym,
swimming, cycling, or going for a
walk. This is supported by a wellestablished
sport and recreation
sector, which in turn is supported by
more than 300,000 volunteers.
However, the ways in which
Aucklanders participate in sport,
play and active recreation are
changing. Auckland faces challenges
between now and 2040 that could
reduce people’s physical activity levels
and have a negative impact on their
health, including:
• Unmet sport and active recreation
needs from a changing population
(a more ethnically diverse and
a growing younger and older
population)
• A fast-growing city, placing further
pressure on sport and recreation
infrastructure
• Growing income disparities, making
it more difficult for some people to
access sport and active recreation
opportunities
• Changing technology influencing
how people engage in sport and
active recreation
• Rising obesity levels adversely
affecting participation
• Environmental change adversely
affecting outdoor sport and active
recreation, and
• Ongoing funding shortfalls and an
associated failure to meet future
demand.
Some tough decisions will be
needed on future investment into
the sport and recreation sector.
And although most Aucklanders are
physically active in any given week,
their levels of activity are below World
Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines,
with a significant proportion either
underactive or inactive. Unless we
work together to change this, we
predict that 1.5 million Aucklanders
will be underactive or inactive by 2040.
That’s more than the populations of
Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton,
Dunedin, Invercargill and Tauranga
combined. Of these, 480,000 will be
inactive young Aucklanders (aged 17
and under) who could fill Eden Park
ten times over.
These people are Aktive’s priority.
We aim to strengthen Auckland’s
sporting and recreational systems and
environments so that these people
lead more active lives through sport,
play and active recreation.
By looking up and looking long
we hope to build the right kind of
near-term expertise, strategies and
initiatives so that we achieve the
vision of Auckland being the world’s
most active city.
Aktive’s goal is for
1.5 million
more Aucklanders to be
active by 2040