Move to mobilise Aucklanders

Auckland councils are being asked to support a new sports strategy aimed at making Aucklanders the most active winners in New Zealand.

Declines in health, levels of physical activity and concerns about the success rate of Auckland sports teams and individuals are behind a move to revamp the delivery of sporting initiatives in the region.

The goal is to get councils, sports organisations and other agencies to work together better.

By the middle of next week organisers will know whether the region's local and regional politicians support the plan which will cost Aucklanders $200,000 a year for five years.

The four regional sports trusts - Sport North Harbour, Sport Auckland, Sport Waitakere and Counties Manukau Sport - will also contribute.

The Government will put $1 million into the strategy but the funding will be dependent on support from the councils.

So far Franklin, Waitakere and Rodney, making up about 25 per cent of the region's population, have considered the strategy and, according to project manager Brian Shaw, they received it "extremely well".

He said: "We expect it to be endorsed by all of the councils as they go through their meetings.

"This is about Auckland working together.

"If they can't, quite frankly, work together to accept some funding from central government then they probably won't work together too well delivering the strategy."

The strategy says several factors show the need for improved regional co-ordination in sports including population growth creating demand for facilities in the face of competition from roading, housing and other infrastructure.

In a forward to the draft strategy the project chairman, Manukau City manager Colin Dale, says: "The Auckland region has an abundance of recreation and sporting opportunities yet our participation is declining, our clubs and organisations are struggling, health issues resulting from a lack of physical activity are on the rise and there are gaps and duplication in delivery across the region.

"We have a five to 10-year window in which to reverse these trends beyond which the problems will be so large they will be unmanageable."

The strategy, due for public consultation if supported by councils, will focus on better co-ordination and collaboration in planning and providing sport and recreation. Finding out information on the region's sporting opportunities will be improved.

At present planning for sport is focused on local authority boundaries, regional sports organisations, regional sports trusts and local communities.