Secondary Schools
Did you know time spent being active typically peaks at age 12 before dramatically declining? A key focus for us is to support rangatahi aged 15 to 17 to be more active. Boosting their chances for wellbeing as they venture into adulthood.
We all want to create quality sporting opportunities in our schools. Here you’ll find forms, calendars, initiatives, information and resources to help.
Together we can keep our rangatahi moving.
Our role
The Rangatahi Strategic Director of School Sport and Recreation and School Sport and Recreation Advisor are roles both supported by Sport New Zealand, School Sport New Zealand (NZSSSC), Sport Bay of Plenty and secondary schools in the BOP Region.
Sport Bay of Plenty manages the Regional Sport Director contract in the Bay of Plenty region. The responsibilities of which are split between the Rangatahi Strategic Director of School Sport and Recreation and School Sport and Recreation Advisor.
These roles work with schools to:
- Provide quality sport and recreation opportunities in the secondary school context for secondary school age students.
- Improve the quality of sport and recreation provision in schools.
- Increase opportunities for students to be involved in sport and recreation.
- Promote the ethics of fair play.
- Promote collaboration between schools and community sport and recreation providers.
Terms of Involvement
All those involved in school sport (students, teachers, coaches, officials, spectators) have the right to enjoy their sport in a healthy positive environment, which values above all else, respect for fair play principles in sport.
Players, coaches and supporters are reminded that the highest levels of sportsmanship, fair play and conduct are expected in relation to opposition players, coaches and officials. This constitution is the basis of the policy and guidelines to protect the above. Please complete the below form to show you understand these Terms of Involvement. If you're looking for further information about way to encourage a positive sporting environment, then check out Balance is Better resources.
Principals Management Group
The Principals Management Group (PMG) purpose is to oversee secondary school sport in the region and act in an advisory capacity to support the Rangatahi Strategic Director of School Sport and Recreation and School Sport and Recreation Advisor. Along with other funding partners, the PMG establishes strategic outcomes for secondary school sport and the RSD.
The PMG consists of Secondary School Principals from across the Bay of Plenty, who meet three times annually to provide direction, and support the Rangatahi Strategic Director of School Sport and Recreation. The PMG act on behalf of all member secondary schools and when required, will share information for discussion with the wider BOP Principal Association.
Meet the members: Ben Hancock – Tauhara College, Sarah Davis – Rotorua Girls’ High School, James Bracefield – Western Heights High School, Matt Dalton – Aquinas College, Peter Barsdell – Whakatane High School and Luke Frame – Sport Bay of Plenty.
Active As
A project with Sport New Zealand Ihi Aotearoa supporting secondary schools and wharekura to provide quality active recreation and sport opportunities.
In our region, the following schools are being supported to design and implement their own physical activity initiatives through to December 2026:
- Murupara Area School
- Rotorua Girls’ High School
- Western Heights High School
- Ōpōtiki College
Our Rangatahi Strategic Director of School Sport and Recreation can assist with any questions about this project.
Learn more: Sport New Zealand
Voice of Rangatahi Report
The report provides insights into the physical activity patterns of Bay of Plenty rangatahi, including how they participate in physical activities in and out of school. A good read if you’re looking to add more impact to your school’s sport and recreation opportunities.
Your school may have taken part in the survey, thanks to those that did: Aquinas College, Mount Maunganui College, Otumoetai College, Tauranga Girls’ College, John Paul College, Reporoa College, Rotorua Lakes High School, Tarawera High School, Edgecumbe College, Ōpōtoki College and Whakatane High School.
Bay of Plenty Ideal State of School Sport
The Ideal School Sport Plan is our region’s plan to improve the well-being of Rangatahi through the continued development of our school sport system. This plan has been developed collaboratively with Rangatahi, the education system, local and regional sporting bodies and councils throughout Bay of Plenty. Ensuring there is a collective strategic agreement between these key parties is critical to ensuring future sport and physical activity opportunities meet the needs of our Rangatahi.
Consultation took place in 2020 and 2022, here is some feedback:
Alignment between schools and resourcing is key, as we need to strive for equity and support schools to get all of their students active. This model makes sense in terms of achieving that.
One Principal commented how they are trying to work towards reaching their school’s sporting potential, in terms of participation and teacher involvement. Being part of the ideal state of school sport will be integral to achieving our goal – “we will be a key part of this moving forward”.
Supporting our coaches
CoachForce is available to support our coaches including in Secondary Schools. We want happy, skilled coaches who have opportunities for development and recognition. Education can take the form of workshops, webinars and in-school lessons. The Coaching Passport allows you to record any completed development and continuous learning.
There are CoachForce Officers across multiple sporting codes. The best thing to do is get in contact with the relevant Officer for your sport. They can let you know what opportunities they have coming up.
Also available is the 9-month Development Coach Advance programme run by our Sport Development Advisor. She can also help with any coach development questions you may have.
Learn more: CoachForce, Coaches, Sport New Zealand - Coaches
Balance is Better
Balance is Better is about creating quality sport experiences for our children to maintain their love of being active. It is a philosophy that has been developed by the New Zealand sport system. If you are looking for ways to improve youth sport in your school, there is a dedicated website packed full of resources.
Good Sports is a behaviour change initiative aiming to create positive sporting experiences for children by educating and supporting the key adult influencers in youth sport - in particular, parents and whānau.
Sport New Zealand have plenty of useful resources, including their Youth Sport page. Active rangatahi are more likely to become active adults, let’s help them get there.
Learn more: Balance is Better, Good Sports, Sport New Zealand - Youth Sport
