SPARC Facts 1997-2001

Almost all New Zealand adults (98% - 2.67 million) enjoy some form of sport or active leisure over the year.

Note: The figures at the top of each column show the percentage of adults taking part in at least one sport or physical activity in the last 12 months – these figures include all sport and active leisure. The figures inside each column show the percentage of people taking part in at least one sporting activity in the last 12 months – these figures exclude people whose only active leisure in the last 12 months was walking or gardening.

On average people who take part in sport and active leisure do five different sports and activities in a 12- month period. The average number of sporting activity that adults take part in over a year is between two and three (this average excludes physical activities such as walking and gardening).

The figures for sporting activity exclude the 15% of adults whose only leisure-time physical activity is gardening or walking, as well as the 2% who had done no sport or active leisure in the last year.

Over four in five men and women (83%) take part in some sporting activity over a year, but men take part in more activities than women (the averages for all sports and activities are 5.4 and 4.6, respectively, and for sports are 2.7 and 2.1).

Participation in sport and active leisure by New Zealand adults over a year

Note: The percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number and the numbers of participants are shown in thousands, rounded to the nearest 1,000 and are calculated using the percentages before rounding. The average number of sports and activities is calculated for participants.

People of all ages report high levels of participation when all types of sport and active leisure are considered. Participation in sporting activity is highest for young adults (18-24 years) and falls as people get older. Young adults do more activities than older adults. For example, comparing the average number of sports and activities people do over a year shows that 18-24 year-olds take part in more than twice as many activities as people aged 50 years or over.

Participation rates over a year are equally high for all New Zealanders, including Māori, Pacific people and adults from other ethnic groups. Participation in sporting activity is higher for Māori (87%) than for other New Zealand adults (83%).

Almost 2.27 million adults (83%) take part in sporting activity over a year. Focusing on sporting activity shows that men, Māori adults, and adults under 50 are more likely to play a sport than women, adults from all other ethnic groups (in particular from “other ethnic groups”), and older adults (those 50 years or over).

At 84%, Māori women are more likely to take part in sport than European, Pacific and women from other ethnic groups (78%, 77% and 77% respectively). Māori and Pacific men are also more likely than European men or men from other ethnic groups to participate in sport (92%, 91%, 88% and 85% respectively).

Income and education

Adults with no secondary education are less likely to participate in a sport or active leisure activity when compared with adults who have a school, tertiary, technical/trade/professional or other education.

Adults are more likely to participate in a sport or active leisure activity as their available household income increases.

Note: This finding is different to the earlier finding that income is not related to the activity levels of adults; ie: how much time spent being active.

Participation in sport and active leisure by adults with different levels of education and household income

Participation in sport and active leisure is high and is spread across a large number of activities. Adults were asked about their participation in 45 different sports and physical activities. Around 15% of them also mentioned over 80 other sports and activities.

The popularity of sports and physical activities varies for men and women, and for people of different ages and ethnicities, as the following tables show.

Sporting activities

Sporting activities excludes the 15% of adults whose only leisure-time physical activity is gardening or walking, as well as the 2% who had done no sport or active leisure in the last year.

Golf is the sport that men most commonly participate in, followed by tennis, touch rugby, cricket and rugby union. Netball is the most played sport for women, followed by golf, tennis, equestrian and touch rugby. Overall, the top five sports for adult New Zealanders are golf (18%), tennis (12%), touch rugby (10%), cricket (8%) and netball (7%).

Golf and bowls (both lawn bowls and indoor bowls) are the most popular sports for adults aged 65 years or over, whereas for young adults (18-24-year-olds) the most popular sports include touch rugby, golf, basketball, cricket and tennis.

The top five sports for people aged 25-34 years are golf, touch rugby, tennis, cricket and netball; and the top five sports for adults aged 35-49 years are golf, tennis, cricket, yachting/sailing and skiing. Lawn and indoor bowls are popular for adults aged 50-64 years, along with golf, yachting/sailing and tennis.

Top 15 sports for New Zealand adults by different genders

Note: The figures are for participation in the last 12 months and show the percentage of people taking part in each sport. The percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number and the numbers of participants in each sport are rounded to the nearest 100 and are calculated using the percentages before rounding. Motor sports include motor cycling, trail biking and motor racing.

Top 15 sports for New Zealand adults by different ages

Note: The figures are for participation in the last 12 months and show the percentage of people taking part in each sport. <1 indicates that less than 0.5% of adults take part in these sports.

The most popular sport for Europeans is golf, for Māori it is touch rugby, for Pacific adults it is volleyball and for adults from other ethnic groups it is badminton.

Touch rugby and netball are more popular with both Māori and Pacific adults, as are rugby union and rugby league compared to the preferences of European adults and adults from other ethnic groups. Cricket is also more popular with Pacific adults.

Badminton and soccer are most popular with adults from other ethnic groups.

Tennis is a popular sport for adults from all ethnic groups, but it is more likely that Europeans participate in yachting/sailing and skiing than other adults from different ethnic groups.

Top 15 sports for New Zealand adults by different ethnic groups

Note: The figures are for participation in the last 12 months and show the percentage of people taking part in each sport.

Active leisure

Walking and gardening are the two main activities in which men and women are physically active in their leisure time. Other popular activities include swimming, fishing, and exercising at home or at the gym.

Fishing, running/jogging and cycling are more popular activities for men than women, whereas walking, gardening and exercising at home are more popular with women. Women are also more likely to participate in aerobics and swimming (38% and 34% respectively).

Exercising at home is popular with adults aged 25 years or over, as is walking and gardening. Younger adults (aged 18-24 years) are more likely to exercise at a gym or attend an exercise class.

Fishing is a more popular activity with Māori adults than with all other adults, as is gardening with Europeans. Walking is the most popular activity for all ethnic groups, although it is more popular with European and Pacific adults than Māori adults or adults from other ethnic groups.

Top 10 active leisure activities for New Zealand adults by different genders

Note: The figures are for participation in the last 12 months and show the percentage and estimated number of people taking part in each activity. The percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number and the numbers of participants in each activity are rounded to the nearest 100 and are calculated using the percentages before rounding. The figures for walking are for all walks for exercise and enjoyment, which lasted for 10 minutes or more.

Top 10 active leisure activities for New Zealand adults by different ages

Top 10 active leisure activities for New Zealand adults by different ethnic groups

Note: The figures are for participation in the last 12 months and show the percentage of people taking part in each physical activity.

When looking at people’s participation across a month, people of all ages still record high levels of participation when all types of sport and active leisure are considered at 93%. Participation in sport and active leisure across a month reflects a similar pattern to how adults participate in sport and active leisure over a year.

Participation in sport and active leisure by New Zealand adults over a month

Note: The percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number and the numbers of participants are shown in thousands, rounded to the nearest 1,000 and are calculated using the percentages before rounding. The average number of sports and activities is calculated for participants.