About

Sport Canterbury has a vision of an equitable physical activity system for wāhine that is safe, understanding and enables them to unleash their potential as wāhine toa. We want to ensure Women and Girls in sport and active recreation are involved, valued and visible at all levels. We are striving to bring together communities so we can collaboratively create positive and sustainable impact which enhances the wellbeing of women and girls.

With the establishment of a Women and Girls group within the organisation, we have been able to harness momentum and driven a number of projects internally. The most significant of these was the launch of our Women and Girls Strategy.

The Sport Canterbury Women and Girls group compromises of three working groups – Organisation, Delivery and Participation. Each of the sub groups have been working on initiatives and events to ensure women and girls are engaged, valued and visible in all aspects of sport, active recreation and play.

On these pages you will find links to resources, case studies and other relevant communities to support you and your organisation to create an equitable system.

ORGANISATION

Board members, CEO/Organisation Lead, Workforce

The Organisation sub-group focuses on the systemic inequities for women that impact play, active recreation and sport providers from an organisational capability perspective.

More specifically, work is aimed at supporting governance, management, and the general workforce to review and, where necessary, improve internal processes to achieve equity for women.

Initial areas of focus include updating or establishing new policies, staff and management development opportunities, resources to raise awareness and address unconscious gender bias, pay gap analysis, and more.

DELIVERY

Coaches/Officials, Volunteers within sport

The Delivery sub-group focuses on advocating for women within these roles, by sharing best practice amongst sports organisations to achieve equity for women.

Initial areas of focus include analysing data to understand the percentage of females within coaching, volunteering, and officiating roles in our regions. Reviewing strategic plans and policies within sporting organisations and clubs to ensure women are well represented and supported.

We will then share best practice, with the aim to upskill and share ideas between sporting organisations. We will allow women a voice through showcasing their journeys within their chosen sports and roles through our online platform.

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PARTICIPATION

Women and girls in sport and active recreation

The Participation sub-group focuses on bringing communities together, sharing insights and stories to encourage collaboration while sharing best practice and ensuring the environment is inclusive and has equality. 

We will advocate for and promote best practice to increase participation in sport, active recreation and play. These outcomes will be achieved through regular research, collating and sharing case studies across various physical activity settings.

The overall aim is to create a virtual community of best practice that all communities can engage in, supporting women and girls to participate in physical activity.