Sport New Zealand (Sport NZ) (Māori: Ihi Aotearoa) is a New Zealand Crown entity responsible for governing sport and recreation in New Zealand. Their subsidiary High Performance Sport New Zealand deals with elite athletes.

Legislation and functions

The principal governing legislation of Sport NZ is the Sport and Recreation New Zealand Act 2002. As a Crown entity, it is responsible to the Minister of Sport and Recreation via its board of directors. Section 8 of the Act sets out the functions of Sport New Zealand as the following:

History

In 2022, Sport NZ introduced its "Guiding Principles for the Inclusion of Transgender People in Community Sport" to regulate the participation of transgender people in competitive sports. In October 2024, Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop instructed Sport NZ to review its 2022 Guiding Principles, emphasising that they were supposed to be voluntary rather than mandatory.

High Performance Sport New Zealand

High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ) is the subsidiary of Sport New Zealand responsible for governing New Zealand's high performance sport programme. It was formed in 2011 following the merger of Sport New Zealand's high performance unit with the country's two academies of sport.