InterAktive Issue 4 2017

Our eMagazine showcasing
Aktive in action
August 2017

A message
from the CEO
Have your say:
As part of our vision of Auckland being the world’s
most active city we want to hear from you. We want
to know how we can better communicate to and
service your organisation to help achieve our vision.
We have put together a short 5-10 minute survey and
would love to hear from you. To complete the survey,
click on the link below.
www.surveymonkey.com/r/Aktivesurvey
Recently you may have read that Aktive and its former
delivery agent, Counties Manukau Sport (CMS),
have parted company. Whilst disappointed with this
development, Aktive’s focus to deliver The Auckland
Approach to Community Sport in the Counties Manukau
area is undimmed.
We are excited to have made significant moves in
this region, for example we recently announced that
the new local Counties Manukau KiwiSport round is
open for business. In addition, College Sport Auckland
has been signed up to develop intra-sport and intersport
competitions that will provide fresh participation
opportunities to a new generation of Counties Manukau’s
kids. In coming weeks, further announcements will
complete the picture for provision. Our investment of
almost $900,000 will provide a platform for improved
sporting experiences and increased participation in the
Counties Manukau area.
This new issue of InterAktive profiles our community
sport strategy, The Auckland Approach to Community
Sport, updates you on the progress being made with
new signature projects such as Good Sports, HERA
(encouraging girls to be more active) and Targeted
Populations and lets you know how you can save money
through Aktive Shared Services.
Please take a few minutes to flick through this issue
– and click on the survey link to let us know what you
would like to read about in future. We are all part of the
vision to make Auckland the world’s most active city and
we value your input.
Best wishes
Sarah Sandley
Chief Executive Officer
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The Auckland
Approach to
Community Sport
Co-creating a world-class
sport system in Auckland,
community by community
Who does what?
We have formed a collaborative group under the banner of The Auckland Approach to Community Sport
- our blueprint for success. The core participants are RSTs, Aktive, Sport NZ and Auckland Council.
The challenge
How do we take Auckland – a diverse, complex,
sprawling and rapidly growing city – and make it the
most active city in the world?
How do we help our city’s young people – our friends,
our students, our sons and daughters, our grandkids
– to be active for life?
And how do we make the most of limited resources,
unlock new sources of support, and connect a wider
range of people and organisations to help build a world
class sport system in Auckland?
In short, community by community.
The Auckland Approach to Community Sport represents
a shift in how community sport is delivered across a
complex environment. It depends upon a unified and
targeted approach, and one that develops a community’s
ongoing ability to engage people and increase
participation through varied quality opportunities.
The Auckland Approach identifies “Communities of
Activity”: neighbourhoods and suburbs where we
can involve communities in shaping delivery and
connect those programmes and facilities with potential
participants. We’re working to co-create a world-class
community sport system for Aucklanders.
Think regionally, act locally
Since its formation, Aktive – Auckland Sport &
Recreation has led a move towards stronger
alignment and collaboration in the Auckland sport
and recreation sector.
With Aktive investing millions of dollars into the
region, the importance of getting bang for buck for
taxpayers, ratepayers and our young people is clear.
Guided by Aktive, there is now a commitment
among core organisations like Auckland’s Regional
Sports Trusts (RSTs) and including key players such
as Sport NZ and Auckland Council on the strategic
priorities and best approaches for Auckland as a
whole. The Auckland Approach to Community Sport
brings this to life, neighbourhood by neighbourhood.
What’s new in this approach?
The Auckland Approach is more targeted than ever
before, puts the community at the centre of decision
making and aligns the approach from Auckland
communities right up to national level.
That strategic alignment is fundamental and has been a
core focus of Aktive since its creation in 2014. Shared
services are providing a more efficient back office for the
sector, extra funding has been unlocked, and Auckland
now has a strong and unified voice when decisions
affecting the region are being made.
Importantly, the investment and the thinking behind the
Auckland Approach is underpinned by blueprints in five
key strategic areas: advocacy; young people; coaching
and talent development; sector development, and
spaces & places. Genuine collaboration between Aktive,
RSTs, government agencies, Auckland Council and
Sport New Zealand formed those plans.
A collective stocktake across the sector identified the
best of what Aktive and Auckland’s RSTs were already
doing and what other approaches could be introduced to
create a best practice approach for Auckland.
To bring these plans to life, Aktive channels investment
through its local partners, notably Sport Auckland,
Sport Waitakere and Harbour Sport, with a network of
partners being set up for the Counties Manukau area.
These agents are charged with building the capability of
organised sport and other organisations which in turn are
mobilising people on the ground.
Think locally, act regionally
A key to the success of the Auckland Approach
to Community Sport will be capturing best local
practice and sharing these insights across Auckland.
An early example of that is AktivAsian, which
targets Auckland’s large and growing Asian
population. First launched by Harbour Sport, the
programme is now being developed across the city,
with local lessons being scaled for greater impact
and modified according to local capability and
strengths.
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Where do we start?
First, we target areas where we can have the greatest
impact. That means focussing on young people (aged
5-18 years) who, when engaged in the right way, can
develop a love for physical activity that lasts a lifetime
and brings positive health and wellbeing outcomes for
themselves, their families and their community.
It also means focussing our efforts on groups with the
lowest participation rates: girls aged 10-18 years, Māori,
Samoan, Indian, Chinese, and those who live in low
socio-economic areas.
Sport Matters
We will continue to work across the whole of
Auckland. Guided by the blueprint plans, we will
help National and Regional Sports Organisations,
clubs, schools and community groups in key
areas such as governance and leadership,
organisational capability, facility planning, and
coach development.
How are we going about it?
RSTs have identified communities in their own catchment
areas that meet the above criteria and are also
connecting the dots between facilities, schools, other
leisure providers, sports clubs and community groups
- particularly those already engaged with young people -
and even other sources of funding. A Community Sport
Engagement Manager in each RST is leading this work.
At the heart of a community of activity is the participant.
So, we involve those local participants and communities
in determining their aspirations for sport and physical
activity. Local people support the design, delivery and
creation of the programmes, opportunities and activities
so they build on the strengths and interests in their
communities, while still being safe and stage appropriate
for a child or young person.
The HERA – Everyday Goddess programme is an
example of an initiative that has been co-designed with
teenage girls every step of the way.
Using their local knowledge RSTs will work on the
ground to build a system around participants and their
needs. The gap in a certain area might be access to
appropriate spaces to play, the lack of quality coaches
or volunteers or programmes that just don’t fit what local
young people need or want.
In building a network of existing and new partners the
community, with support from RSTs, will start to unlock
more flexible and appealing solutions.
The Move it Youth Project in Ranui tapped into new
funding to create and then expand a holiday programme
that has now had four years under its belt and seen
significant social impacts for the community as well as
health, education and employment benefits for the young
people involved.
Meanwhile, Aktive will continue to work to attract
new funding, find efficiency savings and advocate
at the highest levels of local and central government
for the needs of the sport and recreation sector in
New Zealand’s biggest city. Aktive will also continue
to lead collaboration between RSTs, organised sport,
Council, the Ministries of Health and Education, Sport
NZ and other agencies to review and refine the Auckland
Approach to Community Sport.
How do we make it last?
The idea is not just to be successful in one community
but to see this success continue when we move on to
the next community. We’re building a system rather than
just delivering an initiative.
We work with others in the community – it could be
a school, sports club, national sporting body, charity,
facility, church, commercial provider or the Council –
anyone who can add to the success of the activities
in that community. We’ll also strengthen abilities
of people like teachers, coaches, administrators
and volunteers in that community to deliver the
programmes and then to grow and shape them,
creating a lasting legacy.
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Aktive’s Māori
Advisory Group
The Aktive Māori Advisory Group
(AMAG) was established to advocate
a Māori voice and perspective to the
work that Aktive and the Aktive group
undertake to effectivley engage the
Māori sport and recreaction space.
After a period of establishment for
AMAG there was an identified need
by members for a uniquley South
Auckland perspective where a
large portion of the Auckland Māori
population live. After a selection
process Ayla Hoeta was appointed
as the newest memebr of AMAG.
She brings a youthful perspective to AMAG with wideranging
technology, research and project management
skills and experience. Ayla applied to join AMAG having
completed the Ka Eke Poutama governance leadership
programme in 2016.
Ayla is of Tainui and was born, raised and works in
South Auckland. With a grounding in community she is
heavily involved in rangatahi engagement and Māori and
community development through her work as a Youth
Innovator for The Southern Initiative.
She confesses to a love of sport that has seen her play
at a representative level in Basketball, having played for
both Auckland and Auckland Counties Manukau. She is
now starting to give back to the game through coaching
her twin boys.
“I have real passion for Māori
development, sport and
whānau wellbeing so I am
very excited to be a part of
this group because I will be
involved in all of those things.
Aktive is also a great chance
for me to use the skills I learnt
on Ka Eke Poutama around
Māori governance from a
rangatahi perspective. Because
of the exciting work I am
involved in at The Southern
Initiative, I can put a different
perspective on the board
room table. Working
with key influencers and
decision makers means
rangatahi have a voice
and that voice can be
strengthened.”
- Ayla Hoeta
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Targeted Population
Groups (TPG)
Aktive’s Targeted Population Groups (TPG) Innovation and Development fund
has committed $496K to 15 community initiatives through 13 organisations
in the past year.
Based on Sport NZ insights work, TPG investment aims
to reduce barriers and increase participation to sport
and recreation by Pasifika and Asian populations.
Targeting Indian (initially) and Samoan populations in
Auckland captures 41% of the total population of the
Asian and Pasifika communities - 17% of the total
Auckland population. Health factors, non-communicable
disease states and projected population growth rates of
these communities also provide strong rationale for the
focus on these groups.
Auckland Council, Sport NZ and Aktive currently form
the panel that have chosen the 15 (out of 25 applications)
initiatives to be delivered by 13 organisations.
Organisations funded include:
• Watersafe Auckland
• All Nations – Health, Fitness Wellbeing Trust
• Parafed Auckland
• Massey Park Aquatics and Otahuhu Recreation Centre
• Community Leisure Ltd
• Netball Northern Zone
• YMCA Auckland
• Sport Waitakere
• Auckland Cricket
• Auckland Hockey
• Crosspower
• Auckland Basketball Services Ltd
• Rānui Youth Promotion Trust
The initiatives can be typified as falling
into the following six types:
• Access to Waterskills
Reducing intrapersonal barriers to water-activities
• Developing youth leadership
Growing and learning to lead
• Taking action to healthy lifestyles
Looking after oneself
• Culturally grounded community-led
Empowering communities
• Cultural capability building and engagement
Understanding to be more relevant
If you would like to know more
about Targeted Population
Groups Innovation and
Development fund then please
contact Māori Engagement &
Priority Populations Manager:
Veronica Thompson
Email: veronica.thompson@aktive.org.nz
Phone: 022 639 1563
Case Study: Watersafe Auckland
Watersafe Auckland applied for funding in the first round of investment.
This programme worked with the samoan community and was run inconjuction
with the Te Atatu Samoan Methodist Church and had 33 (mainly secondgeneration)
adults complete the Watersafe WaiWise programme. The focus
was on improving water confidence and competencies – such as safety
attitudes, behaviour and knowledge for pool and open water environments.
100%
increased
confidence in,
on and around
water
After completing the programme
participants self-reported...
100%
improvement
in swimming
ability
88% 84%
of the participants
are more likely
to participate in
aquatic activities
100%
increase in
practical water
safetly skills
felt the barriers
to participation
have now been
reduced
100%
improvement in
knowledge of
water safety
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HERA -
Everyday
Goddess
Rethinking How We Reach Girls Through Sport
and Physical Activity
The research doesn’t lie. From the age of 10 we begin to see increasing drop-out
rates in sport by girls and at a drastically higher rate than what we see in boys.
Why though?
New research from Girl Guides NZ on what matters
to New Zealand girls may provide some insight. 53%
of participants (New Zealand girls aged 10-17 years)
ranked ‘Sport/being fit’ as being an important activity in
their lives; 82% ranked themselves as ‘Good at sports’.
Sport NZ data reflects this as it states that 60.3%
of girls ‘like playing sport a lot’. So maybe that age-old
excuse of “girls don’t like sports” might not be as true
as first thought.
However, let us take our sports hat off here for a
second. Are we doing enough to meet not what girls
like but more of what is a priority to them? The same
Girl Guides research found that girls across all ages
said doing well at school was their highest priority. They
also found that the most important activity in their lives
was hanging out with friends (70%). In focus groups
that we ran when establishing the HERA – Everyday
Goddess project a resonating statement was:
“I’m keen to be involved in activity where you could
rock up when you want, have involvement with how to
manage the day, how to manage the uniform, be able
to leave when you want”
Have we asked the girls enough questions?
As much as research can tell us the statistics, it’s short
sighted to assume that we can base our programmes
off this alone. A blanket structured approach might
not work and there may need to be rethink of how we
deliver our programmes. You may or may not have
heard of participant lead design. It is as self-explanatory
as the name suggests; give up some control and get
the participant to tell you what they want and how
they would like it delivered.
Recently an 11-year-old girl on Waiheke held New
Zealand’s first ever hobbyhorse event. She was the
driver of this new experience that was a great success,
gaining support from the local pony club and pulling
the community together by encouraging other girls to
get involved.
HERA – Everyday Goddess promotes girls
and young women to lead sport and physical activity.
We are looking to work with organisations or sporting
bodies that are keen to adopt this new approach to
how sport and recreation is delivered to girls.
Visit the new HERA – Everyday Goddess
website and make any sport
or activity a HERActivty
www.heragirls.org.nz
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To see examples of the work HERA - Everyday
Goddess is doing click here.
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Good Sports
Project Update
The Good Sports project continues to champion the need for key adults in
children’s sport, parents, coaches, teachers and sport administrators, to reflect
on the actions that they take to ensure all children have great experiences in
sport, and ultimately develop a lifelong love of sport.
At the most recent Good Sports Developers Course,
we were joined by 18 community sport professionals
who represented a diverse cross section of the sector.
Sport NZ, NSOs, RSOs, RSTs, clubs and private
providers were all represented in attendees. Despite
the varying backgrounds, there was universal recognition
among attendees on the key issues faced in the
environments that are created for children playing
sport, including:
• Disaffection by children with current pathways
and systems
• Too much focus on winning, at the extent of all children
being afforded the opportunity to enjoy their sport
• Too much focus on talent selection at an early age
as opposed to player retention
• Overuse injury.
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A reoccurring theme from Developers Courses is that
the key adult influencers in children’s sport rarely think
about these issues, let alone discuss them critically –
that is until it’s too late and a child breaks down, quits
sport, or a dispute between coaches occurs.
Stop and think for a minute
We know these adults are busy. We also know that
for some adults, them not being able to find the time
to reflect on how they act in and think about children’s
sport means that the same old problems will continue
to perpetuate. So, think about your sport. If you’re not
going to create a space to help THAT coach or THAT
parent to reflect on their own actions and thoughts
about children’s sport, who will Good Sports impact
in the community?
Good Sports’ impact in the community
• Six Good Sports Developers courses have been run,
training a total of 90 Good Sports Developers.
“A really valuable workshop. It has just
reignited my beliefs /purpose of why
I am in my role. Sometimes you feel like
you are fighting a losing battle, so being
able to collaborate with others on the
same page will be really refreshing
and helpful – well done!”
- Paul Hope, Sport Northland
• Good Sports Developers have collectively delivered
88 community workshops to a total 1939 key adults in
children’s sport. See feedback about the community
workshops below:
“An eye opener of how much affect your
opinion/comments have on your kids.”
“As a coach and parent, it has made me
think more about allowing the kids to
have fun rather than just win.”
“It has been refreshing to be reminded
it’s about the growth of our children
and not the game outcome.”
“I have always been a big believer in
positivity through sports. Whether it be
competitive or social, but, to realise that
5-year-old kids just want to play, makes
me re-evaluate my beliefs in positive
sports. Maybe fun is all that matters.”
• Paul Strang also talked to the Breakfast Team at TVNZ
about tips for first time coaches. To watch the video
click here.
Good Sports’ impact in the sector
• At the request of New Zealand Rugby League, Good
Sports will be delivering a Developers Course for all its
Development Officers on 15 & 16 August.
• Athletics New Zealand have embedded the Good
Sports Spine into the redevelopment of their support
resources for Run Jump Throw (its foundation
programme junior athletics).
• Good Sports presents at the Auckland Rugby Union’s
First XV Launch and Junior Coaching Expo.
Coming Up
The next Good Sports Developers Course is on 11 and
12 October at AUT Millennium. Cost is free, but spaces
are limited. For more information click here.
If you are interested in collaborating
with Good Sports or learning more
about how Good Sports might be
able to help you, contact Good
Sports Project Manager Hamish
Rogersfor more information.
Hamish Rogers
Email: hamish.rogers@aktive.org.nz
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Greater Auckland Aquatic Action Plan (GAAAP)
Schools Go Beyond the Pool
In line with Water Safety New Zealand’s new approach to water safety;
Water Skills for Life, there is a greater emphasis on teaching water safety
skills prior to stroke and distance focused swimming skills and greater
exposure to a range of aquatic environments (such as rivers and cold
open water) is crucial part of water safety learning.
Auckland Council and Second Nature Charitable
Trust provided a limited number of places for year
7-8 GAAAP school students to extend their water
safety knowledge at Vector Wero Whitewater Park.
Participating children were given the chance to learn
how to paddle a guided 8-person raft in unison before
heading to the grade 1-2 Tamariki River to paddle
down. The children were then given the choice to
swim down the river before performing a river crossing
as a group.
“The Wero experience provided a
unique opportunity for our students
to learn how to operate safely in
and around water. The team were
very skilled, flexible and tolerant of
our students. They recognised that
some students required adaptions
to ensure that they could all take
part and did so in a non-threatening
and progressional manner. The
experience assisted in building
confidence and competence in our
students who are now more willing
to be safely active in the water.
Truly an inclusive and positive
experience for our Whanau.”
There are still places available for
GAAAP schools to participate in the
Wero Whitewater Park. If schools are
interested, please contact Project
Manager Jacqui Johnston for more
information.
Jacqui Johnston
Email: jacqui.johnston@aktive.org.nz
Phone: 027 548 4614
GAAAP lessons to date from
30 June 2016 to 1 July 2017:
137,056
Water Skills for Life
lessons delivered to
21,393
students
- Charlotte Castle, Principal, Red Hill School
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Coaching & Talent
Development
Pathway to Podium (P2P)
For the Thorpe family, dinner time is important parenting time – a time when
parents Julie and John can focus on supporting and developing their children
as balanced people, not just developing triathletes.
Coach Evolve
A cohort of 50 development coaches from 22 different sports have been
selected to take part in Coach Evolve 2017.
The first workshop was led by Dr Ralph Pim in March
and focused on the effectiveness of embracing a values
based approach to coaching. Follow-up regional forums
were facilitated by each of our RST partners in April to
further embed learning from the first workshop.
Kiwi adventurer and round the world cyclist Jeremy Scott
was the guest speaker at the second Coach Evolve
workshop. 36 development coaches were in attendance
to hear Jeremy talk about how heart surgery as a child
became his reason to ride around the world raising
money for the Heart Foundation. His story was one of
human endeavour, tenacity and self-discovery.
In a highly interactive session coaches were able to
relate their context of being on a coaching journey to his
insights and experiences. His powerful story was emotive
and his messages inspirational.
Throughout the talk the facilitation of the RST coach
leads meant participants could collectively mobilise
knowledge and join the dots in a meaningful way.
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The impact of his talk was tangible with many coaches
resonating with the planning, reflective learning and
resilience required to complete the journey, things they
can apply in their day to day coaching.
“I thought the experiences that
Jeremy shared were valuable not
only in a personal sense but for
self-reflection in a coaching
capacity. I liked the breaks to
discuss relevant points in an open
forum and how to apply them
to coaching. I left feeling very
inspired.”
- Coach Evolve programme participant
The Spanish have a word for it: sobremesa.
It translates as ‘over the table’, but what it really means
is ‘conversations at mealtime’. Researchers have
confirmed what Julie Thorpe knows instinctively:
dinner time is important parenting time…
“We’re a family who eat together,” Julie says. “It’s
important. It provides the opportunity to talk about
what’s going on for the children: how they are doing
and what they might need.” Julie and John Thorpe’s
children are the triathletes Ainsley and Trent and their
older brother, Marcel.
Sport was a big part of Thorpe family life from early on.
Marcel was into athletics and so they all went along.
Ainsley is no doubt embarrassed that her mother is
still telling people how she won her first race, at age two,
in nappies. At school, the children were into any sport
that was on offer: softball, cricket, netball, rugby, touch.
When Trent was 10 years, at a swim meet, Julie and
John were told he achieved the qualifying time for
the nationals.
“It became obvious early that they were good,” says Julie,
“We’ve always encouraged them to do their best and be
competitive in whatever they are doing, but it’s always up
to them what they do and how far they want to go.
Our role is to provide support and, if necessary, we help
them reassess. When Ainsley broke her shoulder last
year, I said to her, ‘if you don’t want
to do this anymore, that’s
absolutely fine with us.
It’s your decision.’”
Julie adds: “When
they became part
of the Sport NZ Pathway to Podium programme that
helped us a lot. It meant we could step back from
supporting their development as athletes and leave that
to Bruce, Jan and Jana* who have the expertise in the
different disciplines and who take responsibility for their
strength and conditioning. Our role became providing
everything else they need: financial support, emotional
support, help with planning and organisation and—
above all, perhaps—providing a stable base. With their
development as athletes taken care of, our focus as
parents is their development as people.”
“When the children are home, and we sit down together
as a family for a meal,” says Julie, “It’s about much more
than topping up their food intake. That’s when we can
talk about how they are coping, what help they need
and how to prioritise. Something we’ve discussed has
been their life after triathlon as a result, Ainsley and Trent
are both studying at AUT. As well as apart from having
something to go on to later, they need something other
than tri to think about now.”
It’s not unusual in New Zealand for sport to be part of
the sobremesa: the conversation over the dinner table.
In a select few households, however, sport becomes
a much more important conversation. When children
become high performance athletes, their parents are
required to become high performance parents.
In those families, as the Italians would say, “la vita
è una combinazione di magia e pasta”: life is a
combination of magic…and pasta.
Bruce, Jan and Jana are Trent and Ainsley’s coaches
as part of the P2P programme. This case study was
originally prepared by Sport NZ
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Auckland
Facilites Plan
Shared Services
Sport Plan Sets Facility Agenda
With funding for sports facilities under increasing pressure, and growth in
Auckland happening at an even-faster-than-predicted rate, making good
investment decisions is more important than ever.
Everyone agrees that building and maintaining a network
of fit-for-purpose facilities in the right locations that will
be well-utilised by Aucklanders now and into the future,
is crucial.
Enter a new piece of work, Auckland’s Sports Facilities
Priorities Plan, (ASFPP) built by Auckland’s sports
organisations for themselves, under the guidance of
Aktive with Auckland Council and Sport NZ. Challenged
to determine their own priorities across Auckland,
national and regional bodies within codes have come
together. Armed with existing regional facility plans and
their best data on current and future playing numbers,
each sport has developed a list of which projects, where,
and in what timescale, are needed to meet demand.
Under construction since mid-2016, involving a series
of eight workshops with sports codes, and conferring
with major facility operators and with Local Boards,
the Plan will be approved and launched in August. The
Plan also includes a process which allows comparison
of projects between codes to be run by a group
representing codes. Consistent evidence-based advice
from within the sport sector can then be offered to all
funders, including Auckland Council and major charitable
trusts, on the investments sport itself see as most
important.
The benefits to Aucklanders of leading healthy, active
lives are proven. As we rush headlong towards a city
of 2.5 million people, finding the spaces and places to
be active, especially in the existing urban area, will
become increasingly difficult. The Sports Facilities
Priorities Plan will play a big part in getting the best
return on every dollar available, and help create, and
keep humming, the sports facility network the super
city needs and deserves.
What we offer:
Accounting Services
We have a team of qualified accountants who can
provide their expertise across a full or select suite of
accounting services, tailored towards your organisation’s
needs including general accounting services, project
management and automated board reporting. We use
Xero based accounting solutions which offers an online,
user friendly interface, easy integration with excel and
a suite of add-on tools depending on your organisation’s
needs.
• We have a proven track record. We are working
with a number of regional and national organisations
including College Sport Auckland, Triathlon NZ, Hockey
NZ, Bowls NZ, Sport Waitakere and Harbour Sport.
• This success has been achieved through reduced
duplication of both people and financial resources
(by centralising back office operations to a team of
specialists), improved economies of scale
and increased buying power.
Procurement
Our team source the best deals enabling you to
access competitive offers from trusted and credible
organisations. Our current offering includes fleet options
with Holden, printing and photocopier solutions from
Ricoh and legal expertise with Simpson Grierson.
Why Consider our Services?
• We understand the needs of the sport and
recreation sector, as we are a part of it.
• As a not-for profit we can offer professional services
at affordable prices.
For enquiries about Aktive’s
Shared Services & Procurement
please contact:
• To date, Aktive’s Shared Services & Procurement has
provided realisable savings of over $1m (net
of costs), and is driving an average of 40%
savings - money that can and has been reinvested
back into sport at the grassroots.
Ian Jagger
Corporate Services Manager
Email: ian.jagger@aktive.org.nz
Phone: 021 722 289
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21

Case Study
Bath
Rugby
22
BACKGROUND
Bath Rugby, established in 1865, is one of the oldest rugby
clubs in the world. Over its prestigious history, international
stars such as Jeremy Guscott, Jason Robinson, Phil de Glanville,
Mike Catt and Mike Tindall have all played for the club.
THE CHALLENGE
In 2010, Bath Rugby signed a 99-year lease on Farleigh House,
to be used as the club’s training and administrative facility—
while maintaining The Rec as its traditional home ground.
Challenges associated with having two facilities centre on fast
and efficient transference of communication and improving
club operations both on and off the pitch.
THE SOLUTION
Bath Rugby and Ricoh have formed a partnership covering
corporate sponsorship and hospitality, business services and
knowledge exchange. At the core of the partnership is the
application of innovative Ricoh technology to improve player
development. The Ricoh Communication Services solution
comprises interactive whiteboard (IWB) technology, Ricoh
Projectors and Ricoh Multifunction Products (MFPs) at Farleigh
House, along with Event Digital Signage at The Rec.
WHY RICOH?
“Ricoh has relationships in sport, so it understands sport—the
ambition, pressure and competition, which is very important
for us. We can be quite demanding as a partner. We are
pushing the boundaries and [at the same time, probably]
asking some slightly unrealistic questions,” says Mat Powell,
Business Development Director at Bath Rugby.
“We need to create a
progressive environment
and the Ricoh technology
allows us to be as efficient
“
as we can with players...
Toby Booth, First Team Coach
Bath Rugby
BENEFITS
• Interactive Whiteboard (IWB)
The four IWBs enable coaches to watch and analyse
footage of a Bath Rugby game, an opposing team or
individual players. Match sequences are played and
paused so coaches can mark up the screen image,
interact with the players and discuss ways to improve
play. Content from an IWB, such as training session
analysis of an individual player, can be saved and
emailed to the player or printed out on a Ricoh MFP.
The IWBs are used to access and present information
in a dynamic, interactive way, so coaches and players
can communicate and collaborate effectively.
• Projectors—ultra short throw and mounted
A combination of portable, ultra short throw and
mounted projectors allows for the dissemination
of information to larger audiences as well as for
corporate presentations.
• Event Digital Signage solutions
Ricoh’s Event Digital Signage equipment at The Rec
is used to improve the visitor experience, such as
showing specific information and game footage in
corporate hospitality suites.
• Helping Bath Rugby improve its performance
“We constantly want to improve and stay ahead of
the opposition—it’s relentless and very competitive.
So Ricoh, particularly on the rugby side in terms of the
technology, is helping us communicate to players in
a more effective and efficient way and this is brilliant.
From a corporate side we’ve now got some great
facilities at Farleigh House, which all our partners
enjoy using. Longer term there is an opportunity
for Ricoh to help us to improve the customer and
supporter experience at The Rec. So far Ricoh has been
exceptional and has helped us perform at a world-class
level,” says Powell.
To view the video case study of how Ricoh
is contributing to Bath Rugby’s drive to
improve its performance, both on and off
the pitch, click on the link.
New Holden models aid city escape and help
explore Auckland’s hidden gems
Holden is quite literally a brand on the move, with the
iconic marque in the middle of a renaissance which will
see the launch of 24 new models by 2020.
Leading the charge is a range of exciting and dynamic
two and four-wheel drive Sport Utility and Light
Commercial vehicles, all of which were put through their
paces as part of a recent media event on the west coast
of Auckland.
The drive route included a tour to Karioitahi Beach, where
the journalists experienced the outstanding visibility on
offer thanks to the raised driving position.
Under the guidance of a 4WD expert, the media drove
south along the beach to the mouth of the country’s
longest river, the mighty Waikato, to witness it empty into
the Tasman Sea.
The chance to observe this awe-inspiring meeting of the
fresh and sea water would not have been possible in
standard road going two-wheel drive cars, but thanks to
the enhanced ride height both 2WD and 4WD models
completed the test with ease, displaying not only
fantastic versatility but also demonstrating the breadth of
choice for customers.
Following the beach drive, there was the chance to
test skills on a four-wheel drive experience in the hills
high above the beach.
Many of the press were new to four-wheel driving,
but thanks to smart technologies including driver
assistance features such as Hill Start Assist, Hill
Descent Control, reverse camera and other passive
and active systems, they were able to negotiate the
challenging terrain like seasoned pros.
The favourite vehicles on the drive were the new
five star ANCAP safety rated Holden Colorado and
Trailblazer SUV.
These vehicles delivered an unbeatable combination
of outstanding features and attributes, and were
judged perfect for work-based applications during the
week, then family and sport orientated getaways on
the weekend.
23

Our eMagazine
showcasing
Aktive in action
Aktive – Auckland Sport & Recreation is a charitable trust that
has been established with the aim to make Auckland the world’s
most active city. We are a key strategic partner of Sport NZ,
Auckland Council and various major grant makers and funders.
We invest more than $11m per annum in a range of delivery
partners, organisations and projects that will get more
people recreating and playing sport, as well as creating more
opportunities for coaches in Auckland.
Our focus is to serve the Auckland sport and recreation sector
and improve participation by providing strategic direction
and increasing investment, reducing complexity for regional
operators, offering consistent and efficient regional programmes
as well as taking costs out of the back office.
www.aktive.org.nz
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