- Thursday, 23 October 2025
Drawing on stakeholder engagement and sector insights, Community Trust South undertook a comprehensive review of its sport and active recreation funding mechanisms to assess alignment with its strategic aspiration: A thriving south - Murihiku Manawa tōnui.
The review involved broad stakeholder engagement through interviews, surveys, and roundtables, supported by analysis of funding data, accountability reports, and national research. Insights were tested through feedback loops to ensure recommendations reflected both evidence and community voice.
By assessing the degree to which each funding mechanism advanced Trust priorities such as increasing physical activity, fostering social connection, and activating community spaces, the Trust has been able to identify where impact is strongest and where adjustments are needed. These findings have guided next steps, with a renewed commitment to ensuring resources are directed toward initiatives that deliver the greatest benefit for the Trust’s communities.
Next Steps
The review highlighted the value of sport and active recreation to connect our communities, improve wellbeing and activate joyful spaces. The insights gained have helped the Trust to build a clearer picture of the sector’s strengths, challenges, and opportunities and adapt our support to better reflect this.
As a result of this, Community Trust South will be instigating the following actions
- Disestablishing Sports Scholarships
With sports scholarships not aligning to the Trust’s strategic outcomes, the Trust’s Sport Scholarship funding (including support for Olympic and Commonwealth Games participation) will be discontinued from 1 April 2026. This means for any event occurring after 31 March 2026 Sport Scholarships will not be available. The review findings confirmed that this mechanism primarily supports individual achievement or elite pathways, rather than the desired equitable, connected and impactful outcomes across the rohe.
FAQs on Disestablishment of Sports Scholarships
- Working alongside Regional Sports Trusts (RST)
The review identified the desire by the Reginal Sport Organisation (RSO) sector for additional sector-wide capability, inclusion and volunteer development. Given the role Regional Sports Trusts (Active Southland and Sport Otago) play as the peak bodies regionally, the Trust sees an opportunity to work collaboratively with them to further strengthen this type of support for grassroots clubs and organisations.
- Supporting Collaboration
The review highlighted the importance of the Trust prioritising investment in collaborative and shared projects and initiatives to improve sustainability, access, and regional coordination. There were many examples of this identified through the review process, including those working together to share resources, spaces and knowledge. With the benefit of this clear for both sporting and active recreation entities and wider communities, the Trust is committed to amplifying this collaboration through its funding mechanisms and operational activity.