Regional Sports Trusts work alongside The Lion Foundation on joint Volunteer Project

Sport Wellington is pleased to announce the involvement of The Lion Foundation in a ground-breaking and innovative Regional Sports Trust volunteer initiative. This is the first time The Lion Foundation has funded a joint project of this nature in the sports and recreation space. Sport Wellington, Sport Gisborne Tairawhiti, Sport Hawkes Bay, Sport Manawatu, Sport Taranaki, and Sport Whanganui will each develop local volunteer initiatives. The partnerships will see them exchange resources including research and information that will promote best practice and innovation in sport volunteerism.

The Lion Foundation, one of New Zealand’s oldest charitable trusts, promotes its principles of doing the right thing for communities, fronting up to challenges and being stronger together through caring for people by supporting such enterprises to ensure their success.

“This initiative would not have proceeded without the funding support of The Lion Foundation, they have provided an opportunity to make a significant difference to the sporting system across a number of regions” says Ken Allen, Sport Wellington’s Volunteer Strategy Senior Advisor.

The project is about ensuring the sustainability of volunteering and volunteers as well as the systems and processes to support sport and active recreation volunteering. Based on current participation rates the benefits of this project will reach up to 800,000 people.

Sport Wellington CEO, Phil Gibbons says “Volunteers sit at the core of the New Zealand sporting system. The project will lead to growth of regional volunteerism, greater recognition and status in regional sports volunteerism, and a sustainable approach to the volunteer process taken by regional sporting organisations. Sport Wellington is proud to work with The Lion Foundation and collaborate with other regional RSTs on such an important project.”

There continues to be a shortage of skilled people in the right roles, or skilled people having a thorough understanding of what’s expected from them; this project is about RSTs, sports organisations and schools planning and collaborating more effectively for the benefit of the sport and active recreation workforce.

Volunteers in the sport and recreation sector in New Zealand are critical to its delivery and its future. They have a significant impact on their communities through their contributions to the sport and recreation sector and their time is calculated

ENDS

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