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Basketball - Source: Reuters -
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The government will spend $82 million over four years getting kids to play sport.
The Kiwisport initiative will provide $24m to primary schools, $21m to secondary schools and $37m to a regional fund to be administered by Regional Sports Trusts.
Prime Minister John Key says the funding comes from "savings" in the Ministry of Health, Education and Sport and Recreation and is aimed at helping more children participate in organised sport.
"Schools are a vital catchment area in which we can introduce young New Zealanders to organised sport."
He says involvement in sport helps with physical fitness, teamwork and leadership.
The government brought in a heavy weight line-up of sporting achievers for the funding announcement on Tuesday, including olympic great Sir Peter Snell.
"It's good for their fitness. It is going to help prevent them
getting overweight and obese down the line," says Snell.
All Black Conrad Smith was also there.
"I was lucky I went to some great schools that promoted sport and I
had a family that were keen on me playing sport. I think it does
wonders for you when you're growing up."
The regional fund will go to sports clubs , community groups and others offering programmes like John Walker's Field of Dreams in south Auckland.
"We're getting kids that have been drinking, tagging joining our programmes. They've stopped drinking stopped tagging. We've put 40,000 kids through the swimming pools," Walker says.
The launch follows the earlier cut of Sparc's $15.7m Mission On programme - a package of initiatives aimed at improving children's nutrition and physical activity.
The government said at the time some money would be reprioritised to sport in schools.
In February, Education Minister Anne Tolley said she would
remove the national guideline which restricted junk food
availability in schools.
