The Council has appointed Kia Hākinakina Wairarapa as the provider of a new Sports and Recreation Service for the district.
The announcement follows a robust and competitive selection process, which saw three high quality Expressions of Interest (EOI) submitted for consideration.
To support the successful delivery of the new service, the Council will provide funding of $161,200 over two years, on a pro-rata basis from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2027. This funding was approved in the Council’s 2025-34 Long-Term Plan.
“The process saw submissions reviewed by the Council in two stages, including independent scoring, followed by a review,” says Council Chief Executive Janice Smith.
Kia Hākinakina Chairperson Barry Hislop says: “We’re excited to bring our experience and energy to South Wairarapa. People are the greatest reward of our work to create an environment for everyone to explore opportunities towards connectedness and wellbeing.”
Hislop played a strong role in the formation of Kia Hākinakina in 2020. The organisation has since played an active role in sports and recreation that spans primary and secondary schools, public events, community groups, supporting tamariki, rangatahi, teachers, coaches and volunteers alike.
“Kia Hākinakina has a team of talented people that will bring to life the visibility of sport, recreation and wellbeing to our communities,” says Hislop, who has deep roots in sports across Aotearoa as a high-performance coach and a team member of the Sport NZ High-Performance Programme. Kia Hākinakina has significant capability as an organisation, having relationships and partnerships with local, national and international organisations and expertise. As part of this, Hislop’s work has supported athletes and coaches towards Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games. He was a support member of the NZ Wheelchair Wheel Blacks team, among vast experience mentoring sports people across the country.
The process began when the Council explored options for a shared community sports and recreation service in November 2023. A Sports and Recreation Advisory Group was formed to support this work, followed by a community survey in November 2024, to identify needs, challenges and opportunities facing clubs and recreation groups across the district.
Following the adoption of the LTP, an EOI process was developed using resources from the Ministry of Business and Innovation for an open competition from 14 July to 18 August.
Applicants were asked to demonstrate their ability to:
- Increase fundraising capability.
- Ensure clubs are governance-ready and compliant with the Incorporated Societies Act 2022.
- Improve participation, volunteer recruitment, and retention.
- Advocate for the sector, collaborate with a range of stakeholders and report on progress.
Pre-conditions included public liability insurance, charitable or incorporated status, a sound knowledge of child safeguarding policies and a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The Council thanks Greytown Sports and Leisure Society for the club’s longstanding dedication to sports and recreation in Greytown. The Council funded Greytown Sport and Leisure Society over the past two years while a district-wide solution was sought.
The role of Kia Hākinakina in delivering the new Sports and Recreation Service will see sports and recreation groups continue to be supported through this district-wide approach.
ENDS
Media contact: Email media@swdc.govt.nz