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Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman will tonight acknowledge steps being taken to improve gender equality in cricket at the ANZ New Zealand Cricket Awards.

“It is a credit to New Zealand Cricket that they are one of the first of the major sporting codes to appoint a female President and I would like to acknowledge Debbie Hockley’s appointment,” says Dr Coleman.

The appointment follows the critical ‘Women and Cricket, Cricket and Women’ report which was published in November 2016.

Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman and Disability Issues Minister Nicky Wagner say the New Zealand Special Olympics team should be extremely proud of its outstanding results at the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games held in Graz, Austria.

“The 13 athletes who competed in last week’s games have returned to New Zealand today with 18 medals,” says Dr Coleman.

“What’s even more impressive is that all members of the team have achieved personal best results.”

Health Minister and Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman is travelling to Melbourne to take part in a meeting of Health Ministers.

Dr Coleman will attend the Council of Australian Governments Health Council meeting, along with Australian Commonwealth Health Minister Greg Hunt and Health Ministers from states and territories.

Dr Coleman will also meet separately with Mr Hunt, who like Dr Coleman, also holds both the health and sports portfolio.

Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman says up to 20,000 children are benefiting from a pilot programme which seeks to transform the way physical education (PE) is taught in schools.

“We’re now one year into the three year pilot of Play.Sport and the number of schools taking part has grown from 34 to 44,” says Dr Coleman.

“20,000 children at schools across Waikatere and Upper Hutt where the pilot is taking place are now benefitting from this new model of delivering PE.

Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman has today launched a new Rugby League Education programme at Auckland’s Birkdale North School.

“The Rugby League World Cup 2017 Education Resource is a range of curriculum-based learning and teaching resources for primary and intermediate students in Years 1 to 8. It’s a fun and interactive way to promote learning through rugby league,” says Dr Coleman.

“The programme includes engaging classroom ideas that can be used across the curriculum, including physical education, maths and science.

Economic Development Minister Simon Bridges and Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman today announced a $5.5 million investment into two major golfing events.

Through the Major Events Development Fund $2.7 million will be committed to New Zealand Golf to support the hosting of the McKayson New Zealand Women’s Open from 2017 to 2019.

$2.8 million will also be invested over three years in support the annual ISPS Handa NZ Golf Open. The 2017 tournament gets underway in Queenstown tomorrow.

Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman has announced a $1 million investment into a new sports hub for Christchurch.

“The Ngā Puna Wai Sports Hub will be set across 32 hectares near Wigram. It will feature an athletics track, hockey turfs and tennis courts, together with rugby league and community sports fields,” says Dr Coleman.

“This facility will provide much-needed opportunities for the people of Christchurch to take part in sport and physical activity, replacing other facilities lost in the earthquakes.

Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman welcomes the appointment today of one hundred volunteer Community Ambassadors for the Rugby League World Cup 2017.

“The tournament is shaping up to be a major event for New Zealand. Organisers are forecasting over 6,000 international visitors, who are expected to contribute around $4.8 million to our economy,” says Dr Coleman.

Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman will tonight help mark the success of New Zealand rugby at the 2016 NZ Rugby Union Awards.

“I’d like to congratulate all the nominees. It’s been a fantastic year for rugby with so many great team and individual performances,” says Dr Coleman.

Dr Coleman will present the ASB Coach of the Year Award at tonight’s awards, which are being held at Sky City, Auckland.

Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman welcomes the release of a discussion document that focuses on supporting older people to stay active.

“If we want New Zealanders to remain active in their later years we have to ensure we’re offering them the right opportunities,” says Dr Coleman.

“Being physically active has many benefits for older people including enhanced social integration, reduced health and social care costs, prevention of injury such as falls, and also improved productivity.

This week marks one year on since the launch of the Childhood Obesity Plan, and Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says good progress is being made.

“Obesity is a serious issue threatening the health of young New Zealanders, which means some of our kids could end up living shorter lives than their parents,” says Dr Coleman.

“In 2014/15 11 per cent of all children aged 2-14 years were obese. The figures for Maori and Pacific children were 15 per cent and 30 per cent respectively.

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman say the Government is investing $3 million via the Major Events Development Fund to showcase Kiwi culture, arts, innovation and hospitality during the DHL New Zealand Lions Series 2017. 

“This investment will help New Zealand and the seven host regions to showcase what the country has to offer and to capitalise on the expected 20,000 international visitors,” says Mr Joyce. 

Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman has today announced that Bill Moran, former Treasury Deputy Secretary, and Jason Shoebridge, Chief Executive of Kantar NZ, have been appointed to the Sport NZ Board.

“I am pleased to welcome Bill and Jason to the Sport NZ Board. They are both outstanding additions who will bring significant knowledge and experience to the Board,” says Dr Coleman.

Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman and Disability Issues Minister Nicky Wagner wish New Zealand’s Paralympians the best of luck as the Paralympics get underway this week.

“Our 31 Kiwi Paralympians will carry the support of all New Zealanders over the next 12 days as they strive for gold in Rio,” says Dr Coleman. 

“Our athletes will compete in events across six sports - para-sports, para-athletics, para-cycling, para-sailing, para-canoeing, para-shooting and para-swimming.

Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman says New Zealand’s Olympic team should be incredibly proud of achieving the country’s best ever results at an Olympic Games with a total of 18 medals.

“Our Olympians have secured New Zealand’s best ever medal haul, and their achievements are a great reward for the hard work and training they’ve put into their sport,” says Dr Coleman.

Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman wishes New Zealand’s top athletes the best of luck as the Rio Olympics get underway this weekend.

“I wish all our athletes, their coaches and support teams all the best over the next 16 days in Rio,” says Dr Coleman. 

“Like many New Zealanders, I’ll be following the team’s progress with great interest, and I look forward to seeing them taking on the world and winning.”

Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman has awarded a number of grants to enable more Kiwi kids to play winter sport.

“Participating in sport is a key part of a Kiwi childhood. It helps keep our kids active, making them healthier and happier, and teaches them valuable life skills,” says Dr Coleman.

“However, for some kids and their families the costs associated with sport, such as gear, uniforms and membership fees, are a real barrier to participating and competing.

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman today announced up to $1.35 million will be invested, through the Major Events Development Fund (MEDF), to help New Zealand co-host the Rugby League World Cup 2017 with Australia.

“The Rugby League World Cup 2017 is expected to deliver strong economic benefits for New Zealand, particularly as New Zealand will host a home semi-final game,” Mr Joyce says.

Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman welcomes the release of an action plan which aims to get young people to get active and stay active.

“Participation in sport leads to a more active, healthier population and ultimately better social outcomes,” says Dr Coleman.

“While Kiwi kids have traditionally been active and sporty, around the world participation rates are falling and New Zealand is not immune.

Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman says it is important to recognise the role of sports volunteers as part of celebrating National Volunteer Week (which runs from 19 June to 25 June 2016).

“Sport NZ’s Active NZ Survey recorded that almost one million adults volunteered at least once over the previous year,” says Dr Coleman.

“This is 67.7 million hours of volunteered time over 12 months which makes sure sport and recreation happens in communities all over the country.

Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman welcomes Sport NZ’s new online tool which will help communities and the sector to better understand local needs and allow the sector to plan for future demand.

“Sport NZ’s interactive Insights Tool will enable users to develop a better understanding of New Zealand’s changing population and the different ways people are participating in sport and recreation,” says Dr Coleman.

Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman says rugby fans have plenty to look forward to a year out from the New Zealand Lions Series 2017.

“The NZ Lions Series is an iconic event, attracting over 20,000 international visitors as well as passionate support from Kiwi fans,” says Dr Coleman.

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman today announced that the Major Events Development Fund (MEDF) will invest $900,000 to support the Royal Wellington Golf Club in hosting the Asia-Pacific Amateur Golf Championship in 2017.

“The four-day tournament will be broadcast live to more than 150 countries and attract a number of the world’s golf media to New Zealand. The tournament provides a strong platform to showcase New Zealand as a great tourism and golf-tourism destination,” Mr Joyce says.

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman today welcomed a report which highlights the positive economic impact of New Zealand hosting the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2015.

The report shows the tournament boosted New Zealand GDP by $30.4 million. It attracted over 3,600 international visitors, generating 52,650 international visitor nights with an average visitor stay of 14.3 nights. Over 300,000 spectators attended 52 matches across the seven host cities.