Sports Park Hawke's Bay

The Regional Sports Park will be the home of our future Olympians, but also a home for growing sport and community wellbeing in Hawke's Bay. The Park provides top class facilities and makes possible the creation of an array of programmes targeted at improving community health and wellbeing

Improving the community's health by involving them in sporting activities has a number of positive spinoffs. Research shows that people who are actively involved in sports are more able to improve their health, happiness and even educational and occupational success. The Regional Sports Park has been designed to ensure that these outcomes can be achieved for the people of Hawke's Bay.

The link between engagement in sport and improved health and social outcomes is well documented. In a region like the East Coast, a poor performer in these key measures of social wellbeing, the potential for positive change is exciting.

Hawke's Bay's "performance" in the following measures is worse than national averages:

   • Smoking
   • Obesity
   • Cardiovascular disease mortality
   • Suicide
   • Life expectancy
   • Violent crime

The programmes.

Participation in sport alone cannot guarantee improved social wellbeing, that is why the Regional Sports Park will be working closely with the Hawke's Bay District Health Board, Eastern Institute of Technology, sporting bodies, Ngati Kahungunu, ACC, schools, police and Sport Hawke's Bay to bring together programmes focussing on improving health and creating community spirit and pride. This creates people who can make a positive contribution to society and reduces pressure on the health sector. It creates a positive focus for people, and helps them to improve other areas of their life. It can be effective in reducing levels of crime and improving educational achievement.

Paid professional staff will be responsible for the development and implementation of programmes which will be adapted to target specific members of the community such as youth, parents, the elderly, pre-schoolers, people with disabilities, and people who have specific health problems such as obesity or depression.

Programmes will also be designed for people in the workforce, allowing them to stay physically active and develop social networks - for example business house leagues for netball, tennis and soccer.

And engaging schools will be crucial, ensuring programmes are developed that are consistent with the school curriculum and easily integrated into term work.

A positive outcome.

These programmes will ensure that the Regional Sports Park is not just a bricks and mortar facility but that a truly holistic approach to sport and physical activity will be provided. The move away from simply providing a building and undertaking sports for sports sake, to taking a wider approach is now recognised as essential to improving social and economic wellbeing in communities.