Active Environments

Strategic planning and infrastructure investment will ensure that Aucklanders have accessible, future-ready sport and activity facilities, while also preserving public and natural spaces to promote active lifestyles

Our commitment

Strategic planning and infrastructure investment will help deliver Aucklanders safe, easy-to-access, fit-for-purpose sport and physical activity environments where they’re most needed. 

This means delivering for-for-the-future facilities and open spaces that make it easier for Aucklanders to be active, as well as protecting and strengthening public and natural environments for sport and physical activity. 

The Tāmaki Makaurau Sport and Recreation Facility Priority Plan

Aktive’s vision for Tāmaki Makaurau is to be the world’s most active city. Active environments, including fit-for-purpose facility developments, are critical to achieving this vision. 

Over the last ten years, it is taking longer and has become increasingly difficult to deliver sport and recreation facility projects due to: 

  • Limited and decreasing funding streams, with the pool of funding significantly lower than the scale of investment required.   
  • Funding is being spread too thinly across many projects resulting in an extensive number of partly funded projects.   
  • Increasing construction costs, driving larger funding gaps.   
  • Complexity of projects requiring robust planning   
  • Challenges around people’s capacity and capability to manage the process and source funding.   

Put simply we believe that change is required. We cannot keep doing what we are doing, as we will continue to deliver little, while the problem gets worse. 

The Tāmaki Makaurau Sport and Recreation Facility Priority Plan is intended to be a game-changer. It outlines the priorities across current sport and recreation facility projects to inform funders in their decision-making. The goal is to secure funding for the highest priority projects to get them delivered. 

The priority list of sport and recreation facility projects included in the Plan represents the sector priorities as of April 2024. The goal is to secure funding and focus resources on these highest priorities, so these projects are delivered. 

This edition of the Plan represents the first step in determining our collective priorities. Going forward, we need to continue identifying the pipeline of the next priority projects to guide funding and align resources towards the delivery of the most important facility developments. 

Funders' Forum

Facilitated by Aktive since September 2023, the Tāmaki Makaurau Sport and Recreation Facility Funders’ Forum brings together all major sport and physical activity capital funders that invest into Auckland.

The Funders’ Forum meets quarterly to:

  • optimise and align investment into priority sport and recreation facilities in Tāmaki Makaurau
  • provide oversight of each funder’s investments and coordinate the available capital investment
  • understand the cost of each capital project/investment and who is funding
  • support the sector to deliver priority facility developments
  • understand forces impacting on funders
  • share and discuss information on funders’ respective policies and grant rounds.

Funding decision autonomy remains with individual funders, with the Funders’ Forum comprising several members including:

  • Foundation North
  • Department of Internal Affairs
  • NZCT
  • Four Winds
  • Auckland Council
  • Sport New Zealand
  • The Trusts
  • Wiri Licensing Trust
  • Grassroots Trust
  • The Lion Foundation.

Auckland Sport and Recreation Facility Planning Roadmap

Designed by Aktive in partnership with Auckland Council, this unique guide aims to assist and inform the planning and development of facilities in Auckland.  

It guides organisations through a step-by-step process starting with an identified facility requirement and links to useful resources including case studies, guides and templates. It is not intended to cover all aspects of the facility planning and development process. Additional advice and support will be required. 

Services

Our communities want and need the right places to play and be active, but there are a lot of things to consider when creating the spaces and places that work now and into the future. It’s important to plan and design them well and make sure they’re funded properly to keep them in good shape and ensure they are future proofed. 

Our team offers a variety of services in this area, including needs assessments, feasibility studies, facility planning and development. We can provide facility operation and maintenance guidance, capacity building and technical assistance, and engagement and collaboration facilitation. We are also well versed in strategic and funding advice and support. 

To find out more, please contact us.

Resources

There are a number of resources that can assist organisations with better planning and designing of well utilised and future proofed facilities, as well as Local Board Sport and Active Recreation Facility Plans and Auckland Regional Code Facility Plans. 

To access these resources, please contact us.