Sport NZ announce new $68 million community fund

Those in lower socio-economic communities are the main focus of the first instalment of Sport New Zealand's Tu Manawa Active Aotearoa fund.

$68m will be distributed across the country's 14 regional sports trusts over the next four years for community-based programmes and projects targeting young people at risk of missing out on physical activity.

Auckland's first blanket allocation of $5,187,000 will see $2,655,173 go to the Counties Manukau region.

Sport NZ CEO Peter Miskimmin says it's important the regional trusts are scanning communities to find those missing out.

"We really want Tū Manawa to make difference for those missing out, and that means ensuring this funding is supporting programmes and projects operating in local communities, based on the needs of those communities," Miskimmin said.

"In the first year we have placed special emphasis on those whose physical activity levels have been impacted most by Covid-19, which we know from our research are girls and young women, disabled people, those in higher deprivation communities and a slightly higher age bracket of young women aged 19 to 24."

Applications for the first allotment are open until the end of the year.