RST Profile: Waikato

In this section, comparisons between the findings for the Waikato region and New Zealand¹² are presented.

Popular Activities

• Touch was on the 10 most popular activities list for adults in the Waikato region, but not on the list for New Zealand adults.
• Touch and dance were on the 10 most popular activities list for men in the Waikato region, but not on the list for New Zealand men.
• Fishing and exercise (other) were on the 10 most popular activities list for women in the Waikato region, but not on the list for New Zealand women.

Organised Competition/Event Participation, Club/Centre Involvement and Instruction

• Compared with New Zealand adults, a similar percentage of adults in the Waikato region:
• participated in at least one organised competition or event (New Zealand: 36.9%; Waikato: 38.2%);
• were members of clubs or centres in order to take part in sport and recreation activities (New Zealand: 34.9%; Waikato: 33.9%); and
• received instruction from a coach, instructor, teacher or trainer to improve their performance (New Zealand: 39.9%; Waikato: 38.6%).

Volunteering

• The level of volunteering for all adults in the Waikato region (28.3%) was similar to the level for New Zealand adults (25.3%).

Physical Activity Levels

• The percentage of adults in the Waikato region who achieved the physical activity guideline was similar to the percentage for New Zealand adults (New Zealand: 48.2%; Waikato: 45.9%).

12 Findings for New Zealand adults can be found in the SPARC (2008) report titled Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity Participation Among New Zealand Adults: Key Results of the 2007/08 Active New Zealand Survey. This report is available at www.sparc.org.nz.