As the Regional Sports Trust for the Canterbury West Coast region, we believe in the value of being active – the impact it holds for individuals, families and communities.

To support the future of this crisis-stricken region, part of our role has been to develop a Workforce Strategy - to make sure our kids have sustainable sporting opportunities, and the right people to deliver them.

This week, one of our Community Sport Advisors, Zara Taylor, is moving to Wellington. In Christchurch, she leaves a legacy. She has been a guardian for opportunities, who cares a great deal about the future of Canterbury kids and growing quality participation.

Her new role in Wellington is with Sport New Zealand, where she will play a role in our children’s future with a national perspective. When Zara first joined the team at Sport Canterbury in 2016, she was a new graduate with great enthusiasm but little practical experience.

Zara is the perfect example of what sport across New Zealand hopes to achieve – protecting our children’s futures and growing leaders, through development opportunities and sharing expertise.  

Zara Taylor:

“I started at Sport Canterbury in January 2016 after coming from Dunedin. I’d completed a Physical Education degree and my Masters at Otago Uni. My thesis was on the effects of circuit resistance training on cardiovascular health in breast cancer survivors.

“After that I worked for ExPinkT, exercise beyond breast cancer programme, designed to support breast cancer survivors during and after treatment. I was an exercise professional who worked one-on-one with the clients, which was really rewarding. I loved working with and supporting amazing people – that was my real motivation.

“When I got the opportunity to come to Sport Canterbury and deliver the Green Prescription service, I wasn’t really sure what a Regional Sports Trust would be like and what they actually did. Being able to come in and be part of the Green Prescription team and work with such amazing people and clients was a real eye-opener for me.

“As I got introduced to what a Regional Sports Trust was, I started to see what the world of community sport was like, just through being part of the Trust. And then when a job opportunity came up to be part of the Community Sport team, I jumped at the chance.

“I came in very green but with a passion and willingness to learn.

“From there I have developed a love of the community sport world and what we are doing in communities across the Canterbury West Coast region.

“I guess the thing I enjoy most about the Community Sport Advisor’s role is that no day is ever the same. And the variation of work that you get to do with regard to working with children at Physical Activity Leaders (PALs) programmes, working with teachers and working with volunteers and other paid professionals, the real broad range of experience and expertise, but all with a love of what they do.

“In my communities (Aranui, New Brighton and Parklands) I will remember the people I’ve gotten to work alongside and local champions like the team at ACTIS, the Pukeko Centre, Eastern Sport and Recreation Trust…the people there and the work they’re doing out in the community has been a real eye-opener.

“I’ve enjoyed seeing what local champions who organise, coordinate, advocate for sport and recreation in their communities, are capable of doing, and how this results in connected communities and a sense of belonging within their own communities.

“It’s bigger than just sport itself. It creates a safe environment for people to participate and a sense of belonging.

“This is especially important in the east after the earthquakes, given all the change that’s happening in our communities. I’ve been in a position of advocacy, leadership, mentoring and support in the community, with different people at different levels.

“The Pukeko Centre having stage one complete and having had a full season of bowls and rugby with their new facility is a really cool milestone…and being part of their journey of the three organisations working together.

“With Aranui Community Trust, I’ve seen the integration of the local schools into one big superschool – witnessing the work they’ve invested into engaging with these children and what they offer these children inside and out of school time. The belief they instill in these children as well (is amazing). I supported the Community Sport Coordinator in a support and mentoring role, helping them coordinate events and deliver quality experiences.

“I love working within Sport Canterbury’s Community Sport team. Everyone is there because they are really passionate about their roles. We’ve got a team of talent. There’s amazing talent and gifts in our team – everyone cares so much and wants the best for the wider Canterbury community. Within the team there are talents, including coaching, to develop and upskill coaches, as well as Coach Developer. We provide leadership and advocacy for effective governance, and ensuring quality experiences and opportunities are available to our young people.

“Together our team is on a cultural journey with regard to traditional Maori games; sharing that has been amazing.

“The knowledge and skill that goes into advocating for physical literacy within our Canterbury community is really strong, and probably some of the best in the country.

“We all believe in holistically developing young children through sport and physical activity, and you don’t need to go far to see this in action in our local communities.

“Sport Canterbury has really invested in me to grow personally and professionally. They’ve supported me on multiple levels in regard to increasing my knowledge around locally-led delivery, insights and physical literacy. They’ve really invested time into building my knowledge in those areas. I have a strong understanding of what that looks like in practice and the challenges that sport, physical education and recreation face.”

“They’ve invested time and resource into me to study and finish my Masters in management, which I did part-time while I was working. There’s also been opportunities to grow my leadership skills within Sport Canterbury as a whole and within my team.

“And I really owe a lot of the knowledge and skills I have now to Sport Canterbury, the people I’ve worked with here and a lot of the people I’ve had the joy to work with in my three years.

“Another part of the PD has been my mentoring programme, with Chris Bailey, and that’s been an amazing experience that has really grown and developed me in ways I was never able to be challenged before. The reflection of that has been crucial in helping my personal development and self-awareness and interaction with others.

“This year, “Balance is Better: How to Raise a Champion” has been a highlight. It started off as a conversation with the Waimairi School PTA. It was something they were passionate about and something they wanted to support parents with. We had the expertise in that field to support them around the content for the event, which ended up being quite a big success in bringing together champion athletes and parents – it was amazing to have this group in one room together.

“The messages they were prepared to share, about participation and wellbeing, with an audience of Canterbury parents are timely and relevant. We were thrilled to help bring these messages to a wider audience. It’s a new journey for us. The content is something that’s starting to be seen. The approach of sharing with parents is new and we’re at the start of our journey.

“The feedback was really positive and well received amongst local champions and parents wanting to take this on board and champion this within their local community.

“Now more than ever we’re at a stage where change is going to be happening, and people are ready to embrace it for the better and help our young people be the best that they can be and have long happy healthy lives.

What is your wish for Christchurch?

“I think with all the new amazing developments that are going on post-earthquake, there are a lot of opportunities for the community to engage. Now more than ever, we’re starting to see the benefits of the rebuild and seeing people thrive and engage at those facilities and in that environment.

“The value of sport is how it brings together communities and people; Christchurch is ready to embrace and really benefit from that.”

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