About Us
The New Zealand Academy of Sport South Island (NZAS) is dedicated to helping athletes succeed in their pursuit of excellence. An Incorporated Society, it has been providing services, support and resources to athletes and their coaches since 2000, enabling them to acheive notable national and international success.
It is contracted to Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC) to deliver applied services (sport science, sports medicine, access to training facilities, coaching support and career, education and professional development opportunities) to athletes and coaches, while meeting the requirements of the nationally recognised Sports.
The NZAS network has two regionally based operations, one in the South Island and the other in the North. The regional operations are headquartered in Dunedin and Auckland, with major service centres also in Christchurch, Hamilton, and Wellington, and various satellite bases offering specialist services to ensure a nationwide coverage.
In partnership with Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC), the New Zealand Academy of Sport is committed to excellence in high performance sport.
Vision and Values
NZ Academy of Sport South Island’s vision is to see New Zealand athletes winning on the world stage.
The mission is to create:
• A world class environment inspiring, supporting and enabling athletes and
coaches to win in world events
• An organisation that excels in leadership, innovation and the delivery of
sports performance
The NZAS South Island’s strategic priorities:
• The provider of choice for athletes, coaches and sports programmes
• Delivering superior performance services and support
• Making a significant impact on athletes and coaches, and the South Island
sporting community
• Sustainable; demonstrating on-going growth and results
• World-class
What we do:
The Academy of Sport South Island co-ordinates, manages and delivers a range of high quality athlete and coach services, from sports science and sports medicine services through to career education and advice, coach support and scholarships, through our partnership with SPARC, the NZAS Network and National Sports Organisations.
The Academy programmes cater for the needs of over 25 National Sports Organisations. It works with SPARC’s nine targeted sports:
- Rowing
- Sailing
- Swimming
- Triathlon
- Athletics
- Bike
- Rugby
- Cricket
- Netball
Other sports are supported either via the contestable fund (eg hockey, Winter Performance sports and Paralympics athletes), or by virtue of their world rankings.
In addition to this, the NZAS South Island develops programmes and services in partnerships with a range of national and regional organisations.
Support ranges from routine servicing for athletes living and training in the South Island, to sophisticated support on specialised projects such as altitude programmes, pre-Games camps, research and innovation projects, and developing and implementing winter training programmes.
Services cover sports science, sports medicine, athlete performance lifestyle, scholarships, facility and technology access, and training advice, plus newly evolving performance analysis capability.
High Performance Strategy
Winning on the international stage has become increasingly more challenging for New Zealanders. New Zealand has a smaller pool of athletes to call on and less funding available than most countries. Accordingly, we need to be wiser, more innovative and more strategic in our approach.
The High Performance Strategy 2006-2012, released in August 2006, is the outcome of a comprehensive analysis of New Zealand's high performance structures and systems.
For more information on the New Zealand high performance strategy, click here.
The NZAS South Island is a partner in delivering services to support the strategy.