Lion Foundation Continues Support for Regional Volunteer Projects

Sport Hawke’s Bay today announced the ongoing support from the Lion Foundation in the pioneering ‘Achieving Better Outcomes for the Sport and Recreation Volunteer Workforce’ volunteer initiative. Partnering with six regional sports trusts - Sport Hawke’s Bay, Sport Gisborne Tairawhiti, Sport Manawatu, Sport Taranaki, Sport Wellington and Sport Whanganui – the funding allows for the continuation of local initiatives. The joint project also commits the regional sports trusts to work closer together, sharing and exchanging resources including research and information, promoting best practice and innovation in sport volunteerism.

The Lion Foundation, one of New Zealand’s oldest charitable trusts with a strong commitment to community development, has pledged its ongoing support for the second year of the three-year project. 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 and their time is calculated to have an economic value of over $1 billion.

“The continued support from the Lion Foundation allows for a number of regions to benefit from an improved sport system through support for volunteerism” says Matthew Witheford, Sport Hawke’s Bay’s Development Officer – Clubs/Volunteers.

Sport Hawke’s Bay CEO says “Volunteers are the backbone of sport in New Zealand and in Hawke’s Bay we have 37,000 volunteers making sport happen. The ongoing support from the Lion Foundation helps Sport Hawke’s Bay to further support this sector and we are proud to work alongside other regional sports trusts, all working to achieve similar outcomes.”

The initiative is now into its second year with a clear focus on four key areas that will support driving a regional ‘Volunteer Strategy’. This includes reviewing the current strategy, implementation of club support plans in targeted clubs from throughout the region, further support to regional sports organisations to implement volunteer strategies and creating new initiatives to draw retirees back to volunteerism.

As a result of the programme, Sport Hawke’s Bay has developed ‘Hands Up Hawke’s Bay’, a sport and recreation volunteer database, a number of whom have gone on and volunteered for numerous sporting events throughout the region. “Hands Up Hawke’s Bay is a great example where we are helping grow the volunteer workforce in Hawke’s Bay. It is encouraging to see so much support from the region behind sport and recreation volunteers” Matthew adds.

Within sport and recreation there continues to be a shortage of skilled people in roles or having a thorough understanding of what is expected of them. The volunteer project assists regional sports trusts, sports organisations and schools to plan and collaborate more effectively for the benefit of the sport and active recreation workforce.

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