In 2014, Sport NZ identified a real need nationally for an extension to the high performance system that identifies and develops the next level of sporting talent in each region (below the ones already being worked with at a national level in each sport).
And so in partnership with Sport NZ, NorthTec and local company Educare, Sport Northland launched the Educare Northland Sports Talent Hub in 2014, which has subsequently identified the best young Northland sportspeople aged 15-18 and started developing them with a goal of seeing them go on to represent NZ at open level in their chosen sport.
From 2014-18, 51 of Northland's top young sportspeople were selected and given training in the generic skills (strength and conditioning, nutrition, athlete life, performance psychology, drugs in sport and physiotherapy/recovery) required to enable them to enter the national "carded" system within their respective sports.
In 2018 Sport NZ withdrew its funding from the initiative (in favour of giving it to the national sports organisations to deliver) which forced Sport Northland to reconsider the model being delivered, especially given the high resource input to the Hub (financially and human) for a limited number of athletes.
A revamped model is now operating, increasing the number of athletes involved to 40 per year (the previous model catered for an average of 12 per year) and involving a series of educational workshops throughout the year open to the 40 athletes and their parents and coaches.
