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Sport, Recreation & Physical Activity Participation Among NZ Adults

Popular Sport and Recreation Activities by Ethnicity

The 10 Most Popular Sport and Recreation Activities Participated In Over 12 Months by Ethnicity

Total Population % Māori % Pacific %
Walking
64.1
Walking
54.0
Walking
48.3
Gardening
43.2
Swimming
38.5
Equipment-based exercise
24.8
Swimming
34.8
Gardening
32.2
Swimming
23.8
Equipment-based exercise
26.5
Fishing
24.9
Touch
22.4
Cycling
22.7
Equipment-based exercise
23.0
Dance
20.9
Fishing
19.3
Dance
22.2
Volleyball
20.9
Jogging/Running
17.5
Cycling
20.4
Rugby
17.2
Dance
16.8
Touch
19.3
Gardening
16.8
Golf
12.7
Jogging/Running
19.2
Jogging/Running
16.7
Tramping
9.4
Rugby
14.4
Basketball
13.6

The 10 Most Popular Sport and Recreation Activities Participated In Over 12 Months by Ethnicity

NZ European % Asian % Other %
Walking
66.6
Walking
58.5
Walking
72.8
Gardening
49.2
Swimming
32.7
Gardening
44.9
Swimming
35.4
Equipment-based exercise
25.3
Swimming
39.7
Equipment-based exercise
27.8
Gardening
23.6
Equipment-based exercise
27.9
Cycling
26.0
Jogging/Running
16.8
Cycling
21.9
Fishing
21.1
Dance
16.4
Jogging/Running
18.7
Jogging/Running
17.8
Pilates/Yoga
14.9
Dance
15.4
Dance
16.1
Badminton
13.9
Fishing
14.7
Golf
14.2
Basketball
12.6
Tramping
11.1
Tramping
10.8
Cycling
11.1
Football
10.5
  • Compared with the total New Zealand population7, activities popular with specific ethnic groups included:
    • touch and rugby for Māori adults;
    • touch, volleyball, rugby and basketball for Pacific adults;
    • pilates/yoga, badminton and basketball for Asian adults; and
    • football for Other adults.
  • Popular activities common across all ethnic groups included walking, swimming, gardening and equipment-based exercise.

7 Because participants could report multiple ethnicities, the same person can be represented in different ethnic groups (e.g. Māori and NZ European). Consequently, ethnic-specific findings should only be compared with estimates for the total population and not between ethnic groups.