Survey rates Sports Hawke's Bay above average

Twyford School students play hakariki, a traditional Maori game, under the eye of Arama Ware, Maori sports co-ordinator, Sport Hawke's Bay.

A national survey has put Sport Hawke's Bay a cut above the rest of New Zealand's regional sporting trusts.

The Sport New Zealand survey result is a vote of confidence in Sport Hawke's Bay by its regional stakeholders, with the organisation rating higher than average compared to other Regional Sports Trusts (RSTs) in New Zealand.

The nationwide survey on the performance of RSTs also ranked Sport Hawke's Bay as performing better across all measures than in 2016, the last time the survey was conducted.

Sport Hawke's Bay chief executive Mark Aspden said the survey was a positive sign that the organisation and its 60 strong team is doing some great work in the community.

Sport Hawke's Bay chief executive Mark Aspden .

"We are very happy with the results, both in terms of stakeholder views about the positive impact we are having and also gaining great insights into the areas in which we should increase our focus.

"There were double the respondents from 2016, so that's a significant improvement too – that our stakeholders are keen to engage with us and provide feedback," Mr Aspden said.

The purpose of the survey is to support the continued development of RSTs as strong regional leaders, working with the stakeholders in the regions to support and enhance the sport and active recreation system.

"I am particularly pleased that our stakeholders see us as being keen to work closely with them and being effective in assisting them to achieve their goals."

Key highlights of the survey were:

■ 66 per cent of stakeholders rate Sport Hawke's Bay's performance very good or excellent (up from 61% in 2016)

■ 63 per cent feel Sport Hawke's Bay is doing a very good or excellent job of leading the sport and active recreation community effectively (compared with 57 per cent for the average of all RSTs).

■ Stakeholders rate Sport Hawke's Bay communications 17 per cent higher than in 2016 and it is now regarded as the first port of call for information about sport and active recreation.

Comments in the survey included:

"The team have been great in delivering programmes that our communities have identified and wanted in their communities."

"Sport Hawke's Bay has supported our organisation with management and governance and we have really benefited from this support. Making change is challenging and scary at times. The support we have had has helped us change with confidence."

Mr Aspden said areas to work on are listening to stakeholders on specific initiatives and seeking advice when dealing with issues that impact on the region.

"There's been some big regional issues over the last couple of years such as the shortage of indoor court space and the development of aquatic facilities across the region.

"We need to ensure that we can provide an independent viewpoint while taking account of our stakeholders' varying views."